Peter Buckley, pt II

John Doty

Ashland Democrat Peter Buckley is new in Salem in 2005. Over the past week, Representative Buckley generously gave some time to be part of an email exchange interview discussing his opening weeks in Salem, how he got there, and his plans for the 73rd session of the Oregon Legislature.

In part I, Buckley discussed the campaign. In part II, the focus turns to Salem.

So now you're up in Salem, a freshman filling some very highly thought- of shoes - you had some priorities going in and they have now run into the reality of being a rookie legislator in the minority party - has that collision been jarring? Tell us more...

I still have the same priorities, and I’m doing my best to hit the ground running. I’m having a blast, to tell you the truth. I like my colleagues in the Democratic caucus very much—they are sharp, funny and have great hearts. We are in the minority, but our morale is great and we’re looking for every possible way to move things forward.

At the moment, we’re in the realm of ideas and possibilities, with bills being drafted and alliances being pursued. It will doubtlessly get harder and harder in the coming weeks, but the caucus is focused and strong. We’re all trying to find the path that brings in financial support for programs that work (Head Start, our community colleges, Oregon Project Independence, etc.) and for programs that have been gutted (our K-12 and higher ed, senior and disability services, the Oregon Health Plan). I think our approach is one that the vast majority of Oregonians will support, even if the House GOP does not.

That said, there seems to be an unspoken agreement with the House GOP that we're all focused on making state government work better and therefore cost less, and there seems to be some possible common ground to find the way to boost funding above what the Governor has proposed, if possible. The D's want to boost more than the R's, without a doubt, since some of the funding levels hit our kids, our seniors and our disabled in ways we can't possibly accept, but it seems to me that the Governor's budget is being seen as the ground floor.

Among the first bills I've submitted for drafting are two dealing with suspending the corporate kicker and using the approximately $43 million in the kicker account to add funding for higher ed, community colleges and support for Oregon National Guard families. I've been surprised so far at the number of possible supporters to this approach-even people you wouldn't expect to endorse this idea have been willing to listen and offer possible ways to make it work. The proof is yet to come, though.

I've also submitted a bill to create a tax amnesty program to try to collect a decent percentage of the $1.3 billion in unpaid taxes from 2003-2005. I'm hoping to get a good deal of support from both sides for this one.

On a smaller level, I've been focusing on the DHS process of determining eligibility of seniors and the disabled for care. I think the process can be revamped and improved in a significant way to give clarity, dignity and respect to all involved without any additional funding.

What committee assignments were you hoping for? And which did you get?

I had asked for Ways & Means, which I knew was very, very unlikely, and Trade & Economic Development. I was given Trade & Economic Development, which is great, and General Government, which is proving to be pretty interesting to me. I like to get to the nuts and bolts, and that's what General Government does. Plus, I'm the vice chair of that committee, so I'm going to gain some experience there.

The reason I asked for Trade & Economic Development has a lot to do with my background in theatre. I love the process of going from an idea to a reality, from a concept to something tangible that has an impact. During the campaign, the absolute best conversations I had were with people who had ideas for new ways to do health care delivery that would lower costs and create jobs, or ideas on how we might use what we've learned in forestry practices in Oregon over the past 150 years and how we might not only develop ways to move up to a new level in our state, but also market our expertise and forest workers nationally and internationally for stream restoration, thinning, wild life protection, etc.

I'm also a definite fan of the Oregon Business Plan, a very progressive approach to an innovation economy, and I think Jackson County can prosper in a great way if we pursue the plan. It's not your father's business plan-it focuses on talent, creativity and the strengths of our state in a way determined to keep our quality of life.

Bipartisanship was a oft-discussed concern during the candidate forums in the Fall of '04 - We were told by the legitimately experienced Alan Bates and the 'experienced' Senator Esquivel about how the reality was very different and challenging when contrasted to the ideal. What are your impressions thus far?

As I mentioned above, we're in the honeymoon stage, so I haven't really hit the wall yet. I hope I don't, but it's likely I will. I've worked with now Rep. Esquivel on finding a way for Chambers of Commerce to create health insurance pools for their members, and we were able to get that accomplished this week. We were on very opposite sides with the House rules and the GOP power play involved on the first day of the session, but we're trying to keep the focus on one thing: helping people. We don't agree on the best ways to do that all the time, but when we do, we're going to work together. We both know there will be a time when we will have to vote on a budget that we will most likely disagree on, but it's important to make as much as progress as possible before that.

The Southern Oregon delegation as a whole is meeting once a week, and Alan Bates has a very good ability to get us to focus on where we do have common ground. So far, ideology has not been a part of any discussion, which is good.

What I didn't anticipate, I have to say, is just how powerful the position of the Speaker is. Everything in the House revolves around the Speaker. It's vital for the Dems to gain the majority in 2006 in the House if we want to have any chance for a progressive agenda for Oregon.

The new year brought unexpected sadness to us in Southern Oregon, when our friend and your remarkable constituent took her own life during the first week of January. One of the topics brought up at Joanie McGowan's service was that her passing would "illuminate flaws in local and state services for mental illness." In speaking at her service, you indicated you knew when elected you would have to answer to her - I suspect you still feel that. What policy matters are driven in part for you by the memory and honoring of Joanie?

John, it's hard for me to even come close to saying just how hard the loss of Joanie hits. She was such a force of nature, an absolute inspiration. I brought the program from her memorial back to Salem, and I am going to have it framed and hung on the wall by my desk to remind me on a daily basis why I'm here. Paul Wellstone said that politics is about making peoples' lives better. Joanie's entire being called out for making things better RIGHT NOW, and to have a great time doing it as well.

That is a pretty overwhelming policy direction, but there's no denying that's what Joanie was all about. I know I have to answer to it. I want to try to get as many people as I possibly can the health coverage they need, the educational opportunities they need, the support for their communities they need. If I run for a second term, I want to do that for even more people.

In the immediate future, I'm backing the effort for mental health parity in insurance plans (we have a bill already introduced), and pushing for decent care for seniors and disabled. There is talk of an effort to build a care center in Ashland for people struggling with disorders like Joanie did, and if that seems like a possibility, I will help that effort any way I can.

While we campaigned, every candidate from both parties stressed their commitment to education, with some widely ranging grasps on the realities of today's classrooms - now that we are past the rhetoric, where do you sense the legislature stands on funding for schools, and how realistic are you that the dollars coming in the next budget will be adequate for the needs of those of us sitting in classrooms today?

They will not be adequate. And they won't be adequate until we are able to fund the vision that is set forth in the Quality Education Model in our state. There is a lot of talk about "funding education first," and that is, unfortunately, an absurd ploy. Every student, parent, teacher and administrator in the state is much more concerned with trying to fund it adequately than funding it in March.

Before you were a candidate for the Oregon House, your political focus ranged more widely - from a US Congressional candidacy to efforts in opposition to the Iraq War and a leading role in early support of Howard Dean's presidential effort. You also lead Democracy's Edge, aiming for increased participation in government. I sense you haven't left the broader scope, simply moved the state priorities to the front burner. Talk a bit about what is simmering for you on the back of the stove.

The state priorities are definitely on the front burner-they were the path available to me, and the right path for me to take, I believe. I liken it to Jackson County. I live in a city I adore, Ashland. I think we have done a lot of innovative, smart things in our town that work. The effort has moved out from there, with Talent taking great steps in recent years, Jacksonville as well, Phoenix showing signs of change to a new generation of leadership, Medford rejecting the huge Wal Mart and working towards a higher quality of life, etc. We have to work from where we are and move forward from there.

I believe Oregon can become the most progressive state in the country by the end of this decade, and in doing so, we will help to create a domino effect on the rest of America.

As America changes, so will our impact in the world, from the destructive policies of the Bush administration to a Democratic administration that will help to repair the terrible damage being done at present and move us onto a path to progress for all.

By John Doty Jan. 21, 2005