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Dist. 51 offers a clear choice for state House Candidates' opposing views should make decision easy By PETER WONG Perhaps the clearest choice in the contests for Southern Oregon's five state House seats is offered in District 51, which covers southwest Jackson County and part of Josephine County. The Republican nominee is Jason Atkinson of Jacksonville, a management consultant and the older son of three-time congressional candidate Perry Atkinson of Medford. The Democratic nominee is Lon Holston of Central Point, a millworker at the Medite division of Sierra Pine. As the lobbyist for the Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers in the 1997 session, he is labor-oriented. Though he sounds moderate and cautious, the younger Atkinson probably would be the most conservative of the Republicans in the region's delegation. "I've never been elected and I've never gone through a session," he said. "But there are some core elements I believe in. There are a few things (in government) I'd like to find some money for -- and there are a few others I'd like to ask where the money went. "In a campaign, it's very easy to say I would increase money for this and that. But I believe in having all the facts first and assessing performance before making decisions." Atkinson said he would support more money for state police troopers but questions more money for road work and other transportation system improvements. Holston has a different view of government's role. "You have people out there who say government is too big and who want to trash it," he said. "But we have good government in Oregon. What we have to do is work within a framework to keep government moving in the right direction." Holston supports more state aid to schools, social services and state police troopers, and more state money for road work. Paraphrasing one of the last speeches by Hubert Humphrey, a former vice president and labor-oriented Democrat who died 20 years ago, Holston said, "History will judge us on how we take care of our young, our sick and our poor, and our seniors." Either is likely to be different from Rep. Eldon Johnson of Central Point, the 21-year Republican incumbent who cannot run again under Oregon's term limits. Johnson, a Medford small-business owner, also championed social services. Almost 90 percent of the district's voters live in Jackson County. The largest concentrations are in Central Point and White City. The district normally would favor a Republican, because Republicans have a registration edge of 10 percentage points over Democrats, and Johnson has won his 10 elections by majorities of 58 percent or more. The seat has been held by a Republican since its creation in 1972. But Atkinson won his party's nomination in the May 19 primary by just 118 votes over Larry Frank, a real estate broker who was endorsed by Johnson and Sen. Lenn Hannon, R-Ashland, and who raised three times as much money as Atkinson. The 27-year-old Atkinson, who returned to Southern Oregon last year after completing graduate school, attributed his victory to a door-to-door campaign with energetic approaches befitting his slogan "a new generation of leadership." Holston, who also has been walking door to door, was unopposed in the primary. The key to the race lies with moderate Republican voters who either will stick with their party's nominee -- Atkinson thinks they will -- or cross over to vote for Holston. Atkinson opposes the new state standards for student performance in public schools. He supports charter schools, publicly funded but free of most state requirements, and tax credits for parents who send their children to private schools. "But I have been unfairly treated by the public schools, and I do not understand why," he said. "I am a product of the public schools, and so is my wife. It may be because I am a Republican or an Atkinson, but I want to do my part to see public schools do better. We have good education in our public schools where I am at." But the Oregon Education Association, the state's largest teachers' union, backed Frank in the primary and Holston in this campaign. Holston supports the state standards and more state aid for teachers to help students attain them. He said teachers are doing their best despite too few textbooks and too many students per class. On other issues, Atkinson would emphasize water rights for farmers and ranchers, and development of international trade opportunities for Medford's foreign-trade zone. Holston would emphasize state incentives for creation of family-wage jobs, such as those lost with the Labor Day fire that destroyed the Boise Cascade mill in Medford. Jason Atkinson Party : Republican Age : 27 Home : Jacksonville Occupation : Management consultant Education : Bachelor's degree in history and political science, Southern Oregon State College, 1992; master's degree in management, Willamette University, 1997 Previous employment : Coach and instructor, alpine and nordic skiing, various locations, 1989-98; morning co-anchor and talk show producer, Dove Communications, Medford, 1991-93 Political : Worked in father's congressional campaigns, 1994, 1996 and 1998; congressional intern Family : Wife, Stephanie, dental hygienist Campaign information : 899-6894; fax 899-6948. Address: P.O. Box 1931, Jacksonville 97530 Contributions and spending (first pre-election report) : Raised $34,075 since June, spent $20,836, balance $13,261. From political action committees, 70 percent. Top contributors: Oregon Victory PAC (business interests), $7,000; Oregon Forest Industries Council PAC, $3,000; Oregon Automobile Dealers Association and Oregon Committee of Automobile Retailers, $2,250 total; Impact Oregon PAC (U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith) and Oregon Grocery Industry Association PAC, $1,250 each; Oregon Soft Drink PAC and Oregon Truck PAC, $1,000 each. Lon Holston Party : Democratic Age : 45 Home : Central Point Occupation : Warehouse worker, Medite division of Sierra Pine Ltd., Medford, since 1987 (on leave) Education : Crater High School, 1971 Previous employment : Sun Exploration and Production Co. Political : Representative, Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers, 1997 session Family : Wife, Janet; four children Campaign information : 664-9980; fax 664-8538; e-mail [email protected] Address: P.O. Box 2808, White City 97503 Contributions and spending(first pre-election report) : Raised $10,752 since June, spent $8,052, balance $3,658. From political action committees, $9,837, 91.5 percent. Top contributors: Carpenters Legislative Activities, $3,000; Citizen Action by Public Employees, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry PAC, $1,000 each. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA