At one time in our country, not that long ago, civil rights laws guaranteeing the right of equal access to housing, schools, transportation etc., American women's right to vote, the right of American's not to be enslaved and the right to Social Security were rights opposed and often denied by state governors, state legislatures, the Congress of the United States of America and the United States Supreme Court.

Oregonians demanded the right to vote by mail and the right to choose death with dignity. Today, any candidate for public office in Oregon that does not understand that affordable health care should be a right of all Oregonians needs to be rejected by Oregon voters. The federal government can not and will not provide this right to Oregonians. WE MUST DO IT OURSELVES.

There can be no affordable health care for all Oregonians nor can the skyrocketing and uncontainable health care costs for Oregon's public institutions be brought under control until a significant majority of public employees in Oregon, especially paid elected officials, share a common health care policy within a single insurance pool which is also open to public participation. This can be accomplished by the Oregon Community Health Care Bill.*

Regardless of where you live in Oregon, the questions asked of those running in competitive races for school boards throughout Multnomah county are relevant to your school districts, your communities and your health care costs. Every candidate for school boards throughout Oregon should be asked these questions during this election cycle and the next and the next etc. Similar questions should be asked of every candidate for city council, county commissioner, state legislator and all state wide offices especially those competing for governor. If none of the candidates in these races are able or willing to answer these questions about health care then you should write in the name Health Insurance on your ballot. Eventually they will get the message.

To: School Board Candidates in Multnomah County
Affordable heath care for both individuals and public institutions is the major issue confronting Oregon voters and elected officials. As a candidate for public office you may one day be in a position to make decisions affecting the budgeting and spending of taxpayer dollars. The following questions are designed to provide me and the five thousand recipients of my Oregon Health Watchers commentary a better understanding of your positions regarding public health insurance benefits for the institution that you seek to publicly guide.

1. How much money was spent on health insurance costs and how many employees were covered by your school district in 2004?

2. How much money has been budgeted for health insurance costs and how many employees were covered by your school district in 2005?

3. How much of a pay raise was involved in the increased health insurance costs from 2004 to 2005?

4. What programs, personnel, or services were cut to accommodate the pay raise from 2004 to 2005?

5. Do you currently support and will you use your elected office to support the Oregon Community Health Care Bill?

6. Have you addressed the Oregon Community Health Care Bill and the issue of reducing your public educational institution’s health care costs by twenty percent as well as supporting affordable health care for all Oregonians on your candidate web site or any of your campaign literature?


Centennial School District
Vikki (Varsandar) Burnside / 2750 SW 26th Ct / Gresham OR 97080 / 503-665-5355
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
Alden (Lew) D. Lewis / 19101 SE Debora Dr. / Boring OR 97009 / 503-658-3378
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
BEST CHOICE: Neither candidate deserves your vote. Write in Health Insurance as your choice.

Corbett School District
Position 3
Sara S. Grigsby / PO Box 146 / Corbett OR 97019 / 503-695-5678
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
Michael A. Jones / 42700 SE Trout Creek Rd. / Corbett OR 97019 / 503-695-5337
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
BEST CHOICE: Neither candidate deserves your vote. Write in Health Insurance as your choice.

Position 7
Jeff Grover / PO Box 33 / Corbett OR 97019 / 503-695-2651
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
Jae P. Douglas / 509 NE Thompson Mill Rd / Corbett OR 97019 / 503-695-2190
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
Maureen Haley / 116 SE Evans Rd / Corbett OR 97019 / 503-789-2809
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
BEST CHOICE: None of these candidates deserve your vote. Write in Health Insurance as your choice.

David Douglas School District
Aaron Minoo / 1912 SE 122nd Ave / Portland OR 97233 / 503-257-6699
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
Bruce L. Burton / 13315 SE Cora St. / Portland OR 97236 / 503-761-3845
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
BEST CHOICE: Neither candidate deserves your vote. Write in Health Insurance as your choice.

Gresham-Barlow School District
Position 4
David L Wiederrich / 2933 SE Vista Way / Gresham, OR 97080 / 503-666-9333
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
Bill Dodds / PO Box 849 / Boring OR 97009 / 503-663-2112
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
BEST CHOICE: Neither candidate deserves your vote. Write in Health Insurance as your choice.

Position 6
Robert A. Miller / 1717 SE Orient Dr. #262 / Gresham OR 97080 / 503-669-1108
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
Mike Hill / PO Box 626 / Gresham OR 97030/ 503-666-4544
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
BEST CHOICE: Neither candidate deserves your vote. Write in Health Insurance as your choice.

Mt. Hood Community College
Rod Monroe / 7802 SE 111th Ave / Portland OR 97266 / 503-760-4310
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Taking for granted that name familiarity alone will get him elected is not an excuse for refusing to answering the questions.
Jesse Cornett / 1322 NE 118th Ave / Portland OR 97220 / 503-319-6867
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
BEST CHOICE: Neither candidate deserves your vote. Write in Health Insurance as your choice.

Portland Community College
Zone 4
Jim D. Harper / 380 NW Macleay Blvd. / Portland OR 97210 / 503-295-1965
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
Richard F. LaMountain / 222 SW Harrison St. Apt. 21-E / Portland OR 97201 / 503-224-8687
1-4 I would think PCC's public-relations office could give you the answers to these.
5. I'm wary of any plan that would proclaim health care a "right." What I would fear most: that under such plan. the responsible majority would be forced to pay for the health care of the irresponsible minority. The Oregon Community Health Care Bill states, "The Oregon Health Plan shall not allow smokers to join." That is good. but not good enough. What about, for instance, those who use drugs recreationally, or habitually eat or drink to excess, or engage in unprotected "gay" sex, and know full well the likely consequences of such activity? If government proclaims health care for such people a government "right" it will shield them from the financial consequences of their recklessness - and foist that consequence onto the majority of taxpayers who comport themselves more responsibly. Any government approach to health care must view it not as as "right" to be borne by all, but as a responsibility an individual first must endeavor to provide for himself.
6. I have not addressed health care in any of my campaign literature.
ANALYSIS: 1-4 LaMountain totally missed the point. Of course I can and have already published the health insurance costs of many public institutions in Multnomah country. The idea was to find out if candidate Richard LaMountain could and would take the trouble to find out this essential budget information. He couldn't and he didn't.
5. Mr. LaMountain would probably have argued that the civil rights law guaranteeing equal access to housing, schools, transportation etc , American women's right to vote, the right of American's not to be enslaved and the right to social security were rights the government never should have allowed. Any candidate for any public office in Oregon that does not understand that affordable health care should be a right of all Oregonians needs be rejected by Oregon voters.
George A. Hendrix / 3274 NE Alameda / Portland OR 97212 / 503- 281-9900
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
BEST CHOICE: None of these candidates deserve your vote. Write in Health Insurance as your choice.

Zone 5
Doreen Margolin / 621 SW Morrison St. Ste. 1025 / Portland OR 97205 / 503-248-6347
1. The amount of money spent on self-insurance costs in 2004 was $4,437,000 and the number of employees covered by Portland Community College in 2004 was 1,477.
2. The amount of money budgeted for health care costs in 2005 is $5,220,000 and the number of employees covered by PCC in 2005 is 1,518.
3. The college differentiates between wages and benefits in overall compensation, meaning that general wage increases that the Board approves are not intended to cover increased health care costs. The Board approves a separate increase in the amount that the College contributes to employee health care coverage. Last year the Board approved increasing this "cap" payment for all employee groups to a maximum of $480 per month (the increase was from $420 for faculty/academic professionals, $450 for classified, management, and confidential employees). This increase in College contribution is responsible for the year over year increase noted between questions 1 and 2 above. By virtue of the $480 current cap payment, PCC pays less than half the cost of a full-family health care package. This proportion is amongst the lowest of any public agency in Oregon.
4. I presume from the context that "pay raise" means the increased College contribution to medical care premiums for employees. There is no one to one correlation that can accurately answer the question, because we aggregate cost increases, revenue increases, and needed cost reductions and do not pit one line item against another.
5. Thank you for trying to solve this difficult problem. The bill addresses the Oregon Health Plan, smoking, the kicker and malpractice liability along with many other issues. I do not know if it is the best solution.
6. I will not address the Oregon Community Health Care Bill in my campaign.
ANALYSIS: Doreen Margolin was the only one of thirty-four school board candidates in contested races to do her homework and try to discover the costs of health insurance paid by the public educational institution she would like to lead. Bravo. However. 1-2 Using the lowest "cap" contribution for 2004 of $420 per month X 12 months = $5040 per employee per year X 1477 employees = $7,444,080 not $4,437,000. That's a $3,007,080 discrepancy that requires an explanation. 3. While PCC may choose not to differentiate between wages and benefits, the fact is that both are paid by the same public treasury. It is a distinction without a difference for the taxpayer. Regardless of the proportions paid by employer or employee the total costs for health care coverage paid by PCC from 2004 to 2005 rose about $13%. All of which was paid by the public. 5. If you don't know if the Oregon Health Care Bill is the best solution to lowering health care costs for public institutions then you'd better find out. 6. Refusing to address a bill that could decrease PCC health care spending by 20% and potentially provide affordable health care for all Oregonians is fiscally irresponsible and morally deficient.
David C. Squire / 5555 SW Cherry Ave. / Beaverton OR 97005 / 503-292-6732
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
BEST CHOICE: Doreen Margolin has a ways to go before she sees the light. Nevertheless, she does seem sensitive and attentive to the issue of health care costs. This is at least a good start. She deserves your vote.

Portland School District
Zone 4
Steve Buel / 7230 N Foss Ave. / Portland OR 97203 / 503-286-7574  
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
Sheryl J. Butler / 3825 N. Alaska St. / Portland OR 97217 / 503-285-6510
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
Charles McGee III / 1516 NE Killingsworth / Portland OR 97211 / 503-358-8366
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
Dan Ryan / 1743 N. Holman / Portland OR 97217 / 503-283-7874
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
Steve Kayfes / 7607 N. Interstate / Portland OR 97217 / 503-289-1868
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
Juanita V. Johnson / 6955 N Concord St. / Portland OR 97217 / 503-286-4899
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
BEST CHOICE: None of these candidates deserves your vote. Write in Health Insurance as your choice. [The number of unqualified candidates from my neighborhood district is seriously disappointing.]

Zone 5
Sonja Henning / 888 SW 5th Ave #1600 / Portland OR 97204 / 503-329-0247
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
Jim Christiansen / 3555 NE 26th / Portland OR 97212 / 503-284-2928
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
Steve Gunther / 3260 NE 66th Ave / Portland OR 97213 / 503-331-0493
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
Cy Nisenfeld / 2152 NE WAsco St / Portland OR 97232 / 503-287-6112
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
BEST CHOICE: None of these candidates deserve your vote. Write in Health Insurance as your choice.

Zone 6
Trudy Sargent / 1309 SE 55th Ave / Portland OR 97215 / 503-239-9023
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
William J. McCloskey / 4101 SE Belmont Apt. #2 / Portland OR 97214 / 503-260-8013
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
BEST CHOICE: Neither candidate deserves your vote. Write in Health Insurance as your choice.

Reynolds School District
Wendy Witter / 16712 NE Hassalo St. / Portland OR 97230 / 503-262-9354
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
Isaac Zapata / 145 SE Ankey Cir / Portland OR 97233 / 503-789-8389
1-6 Unable or unwilling to answer these questions.
ANALYSIS: Not yet ready for public office and access to the public purse.
BEST CHOICE: Neither candidate deserves your vote. Write in Health Insurance as your choice.

If you are wondering why it has been extraordinarily difficult to make progress providing affordable health care to all Oregonians as well as reverse the unstoppable rise in public institutional health care costs, to say nothing of the problems of public education, you need only read the above answers or lack thereof to find part of the answer. I hope that when asked, candidates for public office from all the other counties outside Multnomah county will do much better. It would be hard to do worse.


Richard Ellmyer
Portland, Oregon
* http://www.goodgrowthnw.org/health.html