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House candidates focus on education, in different ways By Dani Dodge Six candidates vying for three seats in the Oregon House span the breadth of Southern Oregon in terms of opinions and desires. But except for one, all six focus on the same thing: education. In District 50, which encompasses the city of Medford, Democrat Barbara Davidson is challenging incumbent Rep. Rob Patridge. In District 51, which includes eastern Jackson County and western Josephine County, Republican Cherryl Walker of Murphy and Democrat Lon Holston of Central Point are vying for the seat vacated by Jason Atkinson. Atkinson is making an uncontested bid for state Senate District 25. And in District 46, incumbent Republican Susan Morgan, from Myrtle Point, is being challenged by Democrat W. Earl Calhoun of Shady Cove. Their district covers northwest Jackson County, northern Josephine County and part of Douglas County. The candidates� emphasis on education makes sense, since property-tax-reduction measures in the 1990s shifted the burden of financing schools to the state income tax. "Since the state education funding changed from 30 percent to 70 percent, it has become a huge issue," said Rep. Judy Uherbelau, D-Ashland, who can�t run this year because of term limits. "Every candidate across the state has said the same thing. When asked, �What�s your top priority?� they say �education.� " But making education a priority means different things to different candidates. Some want increased money, some simply want stabilized funding. Others want more accountability. In District 50, Democrat Davidson, a retired school teacher, threw her hat in the ring on the last day to file in May. She said it was important to run because she believes that Patridge didn�t push for enough of an increase in school funding. But Patridge said he also believes the state needs to increase school funding. He said he�d like to send more money to schools and then hold the schools accountable for how that money is spent. And in District 51, Democrat Holston, a warehouse shipping person at Sierra Pine/Medite Division, said he sees the difference between himself and Republican Walker as one of experience. Holston said because he�s worked at the Legislature as a lobbyist the last two sessions, he can skip the learning phase and get right to building coalitions and making things happen. But Walker also points to experience as her edge in the race. She noted that as a former manager and administrative law judge in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, she has experience working with regulatory agencies, budgeting and management. In District 46, first-term Rep. Morgan is the only Southern Oregon legislative candidate not to name education as her priority. Morgan notes that District 46 is one of the most economically depressed areas of the state, so she�s emphasizing family-wage jobs and economic development. Her Democratic opponent, retired electrician Calhoun, also stresses the need for a "living wage" in his district in his priorities. But Calhoun said he believes increasing money for schools is critical. Morgan said schools need to prove they are using their current funding well, and rebuild public confidence, before she could support a tax increase for schools. Of the six candidates, Morgan and Calhoun were the only ones who said they would vote for Measure 9, an initiative that prohibits "encouraging, promoting, sanctioning" homosexuality in schools. Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.