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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency services Dog show highlighted by $10,000 donation toward sheriff's K-9 Land in limbo Since You Asked: Cut to the chase on sidewalk cuts Emergency services Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services Emergency services VIDEO: Wrap Up: Oct. 31, 2014 Elder abuse consistent in stats, but underreported, officials say First GP police fatal shooting justified, DA says Politics and Elections Election equipment fails, delaying ballot counting Unrest from the ranks? Blue corn seeds stir debate Ads attack Dotterrer and Bates Local gas prices lowest in years Education Marketta Gregory: Stretch yourself for God Medford Schools Foundation supports programs the district can't Fire marshal visit prompts cancellation of Sacred Heart haunted house Kids Unlimited Academy awarded $450,000 grant County helps fund RCC job training Environment Local gas prices lowest in years Where do all those leaves go? Ashland council calls for divestment from fossil fuel Reintroduction of McCloud River salmon inspires film, tribe Rite Aid bear cub may be released into the wild in spring State News Kitzhaber embattled as he seeks fourth term Nation - World Obituaries Beulah (Butch) Johnson Robert D. 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Hundreds look for work at Harry & David hiring fair Umpqua Holdings more than doubles net earnings Harry & David will hold hiring fair Thursday Opinion Latest Letters to the Editor, Nov. 1 Granlund cartoon: Election winners Frank Talk: Power to the people Philip Maddocks: Unapologetic Christie frees God from Ebola quarantine Michelle Teheux: My opponent is worse than I am Editorials Our View: Dark money leaves candidates in dark Our View: Cheers and jeers Our View: Any new gas tax must be equitable Southeast center offers new approach to growth Our View: Cost is a poor excuse for local pot tax Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Nov. 1 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 30 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 29 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 28 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 27 Guest Opinions Measure 89 provides equality for women Eagle Point needs public transportation Guest Opinion: Common Core testing sets math students up for failure Guest Opinion: Campaigning and voting 'the Oregon way' Guest Opinion: A glimpse into the reality of our elections Lifestyle Latest stories Ashland parade showcases costumed creativity Woman hospitalized in Milwaukie for Ebola testing Fishing Report: Friday, Oct. 31 Lloyd Garver: Let the dogs out Frank Talk: Power to the people Food Spices of Autumn Community blog: Seven spooky snacks are savory Halloween fare Can’t get enough pumpkin-pie spice? 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Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Rain damage closes Darkwing Manor 'Glee' star to perform Medford concert Singer and songwriter Gene Burnett follows his bliss Spookadelic Halloween Funktacular promises a lively dance party Patty Griffin plays the Historic Ashland Armory Theater Review: Funny 'Lion in Winter' roars to life at Camelot Theatre Camelot presents 'The Lion in Winter' 'Carnage' is short, smart, darkly funny Music 'Glee' star to perform Medford concert The Farr Side: On ‘1989,’ Taylor Swift lightens up Singer and songwriter Gene Burnett follows his bliss Patty Griffin plays the Historic Ashland Armory Live Music in Local Clubs Community Events Spookadelic Halloween Funktacular promises a lively dance party Puss 'N' Boots Costume Ball and Auction Theater's haunted house not for faint of heart Third Fridays in downtown Medford Works in progress Dining Blue Toba is a cultural experience Back Porch Bar & Grill Yu's Yummy Yan's offers great take-out Agave offers tasty tacos Asian cuisine for all seasons at Misoya Bistro Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Rain damage closes Darkwing Manor ... Woman hospitalized in Milwaukie for Ebola testing ... Donor helps Mt. Ashland buy new ski boots ... Rain damage closes Darkwing Manor ... Woman hospitalized in Milwaukie for Ebola testing ... Donor helps Mt. Ashland buy new ski boots ... ELECTION 2014  Kitzhaber embattled as he seeks fourth term Governor Kitzhaber was cruising to re-election, but Cover Oregon, education and revelations about his fiancee have left him battered By Jonathan J. Cooper The Associated Press MailTribune.com By Jonathan J. Cooper The Associated Press Posted Oct. 19, 2014 @ 7:17 pm By Jonathan J. Cooper The Associated Press Posted Oct. 19, 2014 @ 7:17 pm » Social News PORTLAND — A year ago, John Kitzhaber looked invincible. Having just cut public pensions to sew up perhaps the biggest victory of his three decade political career, the Democratic governor was setting his sights on what looked to be an easy glide to re-election. But Kitzhaber's pedestal was already beginning to fracture last October under the weight of the failed Cover Oregon health insurance website. Rather than the triumphant victor, Kitzhaber now finds himself running for re-election as the battered incumbent, on the defensive about Cover Oregon, education and even his fiancee. He's still the front-runner over Republican state Rep. Dennis Richardson of Central Point, but the campaign has been a slog. When he began his third term in 2011, Kitzhaber became Oregon's longest serving governor, returning to public office after eight years sitting on the sidelines. And he came with baggage. Before leaving office, Kitzhaber had famously quipped that Oregon was becoming "ungovernable." He held the record for the largest number of vetoes, earning the nickname "Dr. No." And the bitter partisanship that led to both those facts threatened to rear its head again. By cutting deals with both parties, he managed to coax an ambitious agenda through the Legislature over the next three years, focusing on structural overhauls of the bureaucracies that oversee health care and education. He's frustrated public-employee unions — typically a reliable Democratic constituency, and one that spent handsomely to get him elected — and built a friendly relationship with centrist business groups. In his third term, he's wielded the veto pen just five times. He said he matured and learned better how to use the power of the governor's office to achieve his goals. He persuaded lawmakers to change the system of delivering health care under Medicaid, the state's health insurance plan for the poor. Rather than having doctors work independently from each other and paying them for each procedure they perform, the state forced them to work together and tied payments in part to the health of their patients. He also convinced President Barack Obama's administration to give Oregon nearly $2 billion in startup costs, promising an equal amount of savings later. The state saw early success in reducing the number of emergency room visits and increasing primary care utilization, although patients are reporting long wait times in some areas. With a fourth term, Kitzhaber says he'd like to expand the care model to teachers and public employees. On education, Kitzhaber pressed to expand his own power. He eliminated the elected position of superintendent of public instruction and created a new oversight board — which he appoints and chairs — to manage education policy and funding from preschool through college. But there were stumbles. The first education czar that he appointed, Rudy Crew, came with high hopes and a big salary, but left after less than a year. The board was supposed to press school districts to improve on a variety of metrics from 3rd grade reading scores to graduation rates, but it's showed little capacity to force districts to change their behavior. In an interview, Kitzhaber said education doesn't improve overnight, and it will take time for changes to reverberate, particularly because he's focused on improving factors that affect students early in elementary school. "The framework's there, now we've got to build it and scale it," Kitzhaber said. His hardest-fought legislative victory came last year. He persuaded Democrats to vote against public-employee unions and Republicans and raise taxes in order to cut benefits for retired government workers. The move diminished a massive unfunded liability in the state's pension fund and saved billions for state and local governments, but it means retirees will see their incomes struggle to keep pace with inflation. That success was quickly overshadowed by the failure of Cover Oregon, the state's health insurance exchange. The state received $300 million from the federal government, much of which was to be used to build a website that would allow people to shop for health insurance and enroll online. It never worked. Republicans pounced, blaming Kitzhaber for failing to keep tabs on the progress. More recently, Kitzhaber has spent more than a week battling reports about his fiancee's past. Cylvia Hayes acknowledged that she accepted money to enter a fraudulent marriage with an immigrant seeking to remain in the United States, and later was involved in a plan to grow marijuana. More politically perilous for Kitzhaber, however, were reports that she's used her position as first lady to advance her private consulting business. Kitzhaber's rival, Richardson, says the Cover Oregon failure, the lack of education progress under Crew and the allegations against Hayes all point to a need for someone new. He says Kitzhaber has a tendency to push through lofty ideas but remains aloof from the details of implementing them. "The governor wants a fourth term, but he hasn't earned it," Richardson said in a recent debate. By Jonathan J. Cooper The Associated Press MailTribune.com By Jonathan J. 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