A changing political landscape
By Pat Caldwell - Argus Observer
Saturday, August 18, 2007 9:19 PM PDT
State Sen. Ted Ferrioli, R-John Day, said a mouthful last week when he urged area voters to pay close attention to individuals running for state office.
Ferrioli’s comments come at a particularly crucial time in Eastern Oregon politics. One key pillar to the political infrastructure in Eastern Oregon — Rep. Tom Butler, R-Ontario — announced recently he would not run for re-election, opening up an elective position that has been Butler’s sole domain for a long, long time.
Ferrioli isn’t in the same position, as was clear by his visit to Ontario last week. Ferrioli was in town to announce he was going to throw his hat in the political ring for another term as Eastern Oregon’s state senator.
Actually, Ferrioli represents a fairly wide swath of Oregon. Ferrioli stands for Baker, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Jefferson, Malheur, Sherman, Wasco, Wheeler and portions of three other counties in the Oregon Legislature.
That’s a fairly big political fiefdom, with a fairly diverse population.
What was interesting about Ferrioli’s visit last week was the senator’s specific caution regarding voter attention span. Ferrioli’s point — that voters should carefully consider whomever steps up to fill a vacant political slot such as Butler’s — would appear to be an obvious one. Still, his point should resonate. At least politically, Eastern Oregon voters face an unprecedented change when Butler steps off the political stage.
Butler has, during his tenure in the Oregon House of Representatives, created a solid record of representation and, in many ways, consistently demonstrated a comprehensive knowledge of the political process in Salem. That kind of know-how is hard to come by, but it pays off as a lawmaker’s tenure expands. That hard-earned experience translates into a fundamental understanding of the needs and requirements of the job, and that also pays dividends for voters. With Butler gone, all of that hard-earned political educational background will vanish.
That makes Ferrioli’s position all the more important. That’s because Ferrioli has earned just as much political know-how as Butler and has been able, at least so far, to represent the needs of Eastern Oregon fairly well.
Ferrioli, and whomever steps up to fill Butler’s empty slot, will have a number of challenges to face in the future, mainly because Republicans no longer hold the kind of power they once did in the Legislature.
That means the GOP must find even more creative ways to apply sound political principles, while building consensus with Democrats to get things done. Ferrioli illustrates a clear example of a Republican lawmaker that can work with Democrats to achieve key political goals. So did Butler. While both stayed true to their GOP bloodline, both also managed to find ways to work with the opposition on critical legislation.
Yet the next candidate that steps up will have to learn how to balance mainline — or even right-wing — political dogma with practical goals.
Candidates from Eastern Oregon face a number of bewildering challenges when they reach Salem. Often from a seemingly forgotten part of the state, those elected from the high desert plains or the high Blue Mountains can face a very real prospect of political dismissal.
The candidate that steps into Butler’s slot will be the new kid in Salem, and that means the learning curve will be substantial.
When Eastern Oregon voters ponder the candidates there will be some easy choices. For one, whomever gets elected will most surely be a Republican — this is Eastern Oregon after all. What voters will have to ponder, though, is how effective the new lawmaker will be regarding getting things done in Salem because at the end of the day that is what the election should hinge upon.
Whomever steps to the forefront to fill the vacant House slot for District 60 should use Ferrioli and Butler as case studies. Both have managed to adhere to the GOP principles so highly-valued in Eastern Oregon, while managing to navigate through the Democratic-heavy legislature to find success. That is why Ferrioli was right last week with his statement. While everyone knows the next candidate for Butler’s slot will be a Republican, second-guessing by voters should not end there.
Being the representative from District 60 is an important, in fact critical, job.
Common sense dictates the next person to fill Tom Butler’s slot should be a person who can compromise and get things done for Eastern Oregon.
Not someone who will hide inside political dogma and polarize every issue for the sake of narrow party goals.
Pat Caldwell is the editor of the Argus Observer. He can be contacted at PatC@argusobserver.com
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