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House candidates wage civil campaign Rep. Walden, challenger Ponsford stress issues By Paul Fattig Democratic challenger Walter Ponsford doesn�t have one lousy thing to say about U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood River. "I really don�t know anything bad about him, " said the Madras farmer and retired teacher who seeks the 2nd Congressional District seat held by Walden. "I recognize him as a conservative who has done some good things for the district," he added. "I think the Steens Mountain bill (to create a wilderness area) was very admirable." His disagreement is with the party, not the person, Ponsford said. Walden, 43, a former state legislator who is completing his first term in Congress, is also focusing on issues. "People don�t elect us to bicker," Walden said. "They elect us to get things done. And that�s what I�ve focused on." The district covers all of eastern Oregon as well as Jackson and Josephine counties. Neither candidate was opposed in the May primary. A University of Oregon graduate with a bachelor�s degree in journalism, Walden is a former state legislator. He and his wife, Mylene, own and operate Columbia Gorge Broadcasters, which has four radio stations. "We have a great opportunity in the next session to tackle some of the continuing issues like a balanced budget and paying down the national debt," he said. Another issue he hopes to help resolve is improving health care for senior citizens and obtaining prescription drug coverage for them. A member of the House Agriculture Committee, Walden calls for a study to determine if additional water storage is feasible in the Klamath Basin. He also expects further debate on the future of Savage Rapids and Elk Creek dams in the Rogue River watershed. "And the president�s Northwest Forest Plan needs to be moved forward so we can get the timber we were promised," he said of the 1994 plan which allocated timber harvests on national forests. Earlier this month, Walden�s Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Act was passed by the House. Both of Oregon�s U.S. senators have promised to push it through the Senate. Steens Mountain is in southeastern Oregon. "I�m real proud of that bill," Walden said. "We made sure everybody got a seat at the public policy table. At the end of the day, we had conservative ranchers and liberal environmentalists shaking hands. "I enjoy the job because I like to solve problems and get things done," he added. "I think we need more bipartisan solutions. I think I�ve proven I can bring people together." Ponsford, 65, who has never been elected to public office, acknowledges he is a long shot in the race. "I�m spending $5,000 while my opponent has hundreds of thousands available," he said. "It�s going to be very tough to win because of the money difference. "But I�m not complaining," he added. "I�m the underdog, and kind of proud of it." The Democratic party isn�t offering any help, he said. "They don�t think I can win," he said. "But it�s worth it to me to be able to say what I want." Ponsford says he is taking the race seriously, and has traveled some 18,000 miles throughout the district to campaign. "I don�t think the middle class and poor in society are well served by the Republican party," said Ponsford, who has a master�s degree in general studies from the University of Oregon. He also believes the Democratic party can do better than the GOP when it comes to health care, care for the elderly and improved education. Ponsford, who operates an 80-acre irrigated farm, said he would also work to protect farmers when it came to world trade. He would use a balanced approach when it came to natural resources on public land. "I don�t trust either extreme," he said. "We need to intelligently manage our forests for recreation and production." Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.