this would be unfortunate, not because Karol isn't great (she is) but because Lew is equally deserving of support. the only reason to endorse one candidate over the other is that you believe the one will support your cause so much more strongly and effectively. can they really believe Lew Frederick won't bust his ass for the kids of Oregon, Portland & HD 43? as a member of the Bus Project Board, Lew was one who, in 2008, decided that the Bus should partner with SFC. if they really believe he either cares less about the kids of his district or would not be able to advocate for them, then they are one messed-up organization.

this would be a really foolish step on their part, so i hope it's just a rumor & nothing more. it would be hard to support an organization that could exercise such bad judgment.

the only reason to endorse one candidate over the other is that you believe the one will support your cause so much more strongly and effectively.

True that.

This rallying around Collymore is approaching travesty proportions.

I respect the group Stand for Children and I think it speaks volumes about Karol's ability to organize grassroots support that she received their endorsement. I agree with TJ that Lew Fredrick would work incredibly hard for children, Portland and HD 43. If he is appointed, I know he will be a great addition to the Democratic caucus and I would look forward to working with him. Lew is a member of the Bus Project Board and has a long and solid resume of public service and work with the Democratic Party. If Karol wasn't in the race, he would have my support. However, what Karol brings is the ability to organize at a grassroots level and approach solutions from a different perspective. Her appointment would also bring us one seat closer to having a gender balance in the legislature that reflects the demographics of our state.

The mission of Stand for Children is "to use the power of grassroots action to help all children get the excellent public education and strong support they need to thrive." Karol is a powerful young woman with a proven record of successfully engaging and organizing people at the local level towards achieving common progressive goals. She has done great work with NARAL, Planned Parenthood and Basic Rights Oregon. Given the Stand for Children mission and the fact that there are two candidates who will bring a strong commitment to fighting for the best interests of Oregon's children, it makes sense that Stand would support the candidate who has the most experience with basic, feet on the street, grassroots organizing.

For the record, I think that both Lew and Karol should be nominated on the slate put forward to the County Commissioners by the PCP's in HD 43. They are both well qualified and should have the opportunity to rise to the next level.

I like Lew, he's a good guy and would probably be great in the job. But I think this comment thread is doing a grave disservice to Karol.

I don't have a declared candidate and this is not my district...but Karol is more than capable of doing an excellent job representing the district in the House. She's wicked smart, extremely good at collaboration and works her ass off.

Not only is this NOT an easy choice, it shouldn't be. Anyone who so easily dismisses Karol and her formidable abilities for this job is doing so either because they don't know her or made the mistake of "picking a horse" too early.

Lew and Karol would both be good in this position.

I'm not in the district, either, but I think that it's a gift to Oregon that someone like Karol, with so much enthusiasm, experience, talent and potential, would even agree to lend her presence to the dolldrums of the legislature. I applaud Stand for Children.

Oh, and my kids endorse her, too.

Posted by: Lord Beaverbrook | Oct 7, 2009 10:23:42 AM

Nonsense. Having The Oregonian endorse someone, who wasn't even running for a seat that wasn't even vacant yet, combined with some other eye-opening plays at the convention, have nothing to do with "identity politics" (a tired clichéd term if ever there was one) and everything to do with back-room knife fighting and what appears to some, the hints of a proto-political machine it the making.

And to be clear, I don't fault Karol for this. For all I know, she may not even be aware she is being a chess piece in this game.

@Alex Tinker, I've only been alive three decades so I can't really compete with Lew on that level...

@chris#12, I'm sorry you don't have the stomach to read back on my past Blue O posts, but that will clearly tell you where I stand on several issues.

@lestatdelc, I have no idea of the machine of which you speak - you are right with that assumption. I got in the race, I've worked without a net, I've interviewed fair and square and people like what I have to say. I hope that is enough but I know conspiracies are more interesting.

These are great comments and I appreciate all of you weighing in, even if you don't support me for this position.

Posted by: Karol | Oct 7, 2009 1:59:09 PM

Ok, I'll take you at your word that you don't know what I am talking about and leave it at that.

@lestatdelc I appreciate that. I get scolded on all sides (and I'm sure Lew does as well) with all theories and most of the time I wish it would just be directly asked. I think both of us would tell the truth.

@chris#12, I will not speak for Lew. I think he can share whether he feels he's more or less progressive. I've worked for Pro-Choice Oregon protecting womens' rights to choose and worked and still volunteer for Basic Rights Oregon fighting for equality in for the GLBT community. I think school lottery is unfair to poor kids and kids of color and should be ended. I think we should be charged more taxes so that everyone can have health care.

I also believe in being open and welcoming to other ideas even if they aren't my own or don't reflect my beliefs.

I don't know if that fits your definition of progressive, but there it is.

"Posted by: Karol | Oct 8, 2009 7:29:09 AM I think school lottery is unfair to poor kids and kids of color and should be ended. "

School lottery?

Explain please.

"I think school lottery is unfair to poor kids and kids of color and should be ended."

As a former school board member, I wonder what you mean by this. That we should end special focus programs? That we should go back to requiring that kids attend their neighborhood schools? (Would that be better for "poor kids and kids of color"?) That we should use some other method for choosing who gets into a program when there are more applicants than openings? Do you know how NCLB requirements affect this system? Do you know how enrollment and transfer works in the Portland district, why those policies came about, or what the alternatives are? (I assume that's the district you're talking about; districts make their own within-district enrollment and transfer policies.) Or was that just a throw-away line, because you see the school district as an easy target?

(It's actually the lack of funded transportation that makes distant schools of choice less accessible to poor families, not the method of allocating openings.)

And what would you do about it as a legislator? Do you think the legislature should take over enrollment and transfer policies from local school boards?

Exactly Sue. I was hoping the Karol would have responded to me question asking for explanation about what she meant. Maybe she has a different take or explanation on what she was referring to and what she meant. But it set of alarm bells in my head that maybe, she doesn't know what she is talking about and popping off at a easy strawman with a cartoon villain mustache in order to sound like a "progressive" without understanding the actual issues at hand, or more importantly the role of the job she is seeking to be appointed to which is in State LEGISLATURE (not the Portland School Board) which is in Salem. An institution and a city neither of which she has even visited to date, let alone interacted with.

While the above may seem like a harsh attack, it isn't to run Karol down. She has great potential if she bones up on policy, and jurisdictional nuts and bolts of our various Governments and the interaction therein. But we need someone who knows their shit form day one. Particularly with the brutal and difficult next session which will be a bare knuckle fight to the death because of budgetary cuts and scares resources facing the next leg.

I say that in all seriousness as an unapologetic liberal Democrat. We can;t blame the big bad GOP for anything now that we control almost every level of the state. We need competence when we have the wheel.

@lestatdelc and @sue Yes, I mean we should end the transfer option and create a more effective neighborhood schools program. To me, there is no reason to allow kids to go to school - many times far from where they live - in other districts and take the money with them to those other schools. If we want to make our schools better, let's start with the distibution of funds. The only way to maintain some equality in that is to keep kids in their neighborhood schools. Don't you worry about the kids left behind at the schools the neighbor kids didnt' go to?

That said, I'd like to see a neighborhood schools program that is expanded with larger clusters so there are more elementary and middle schools in the mix for the main high school. We can start think about how we offer some of the very innovative options in all districts. Do I have the miracle answer? Of course not and no one does. But I have ideas as does every other candidate in this race. We need to start making kids the priority and ensuring they all have an equal chance to succeed. The kids left behind are suffering; and don't think they don't realize what's happening to them. They do.

I can only respond on breaks, thanks for understanding that.

Karol:

Thanks for the lecture about "start making kids the priority...." After raising two children who went to Portland Public Schools, spending eight years a single mom on the school board and years before and after that in both advocacy and advisory groups, I definitely need some help with this.

What do you mean when you use the word "district"? It's hard to tell what you're talking about because "Portland" and "David Douglas" are districts, "Wilson" and "Jefferson" are not.

Again, do you propose taking enrollment and transfer authority away from local districts and creating a statewide mandate regarding neighborhood schools? How do charter schools fit into that? Should Oregon repeal charters (defying the Obama administration)? Eliminate district-run programs of choice, but keep charters?

"We can start think about how we offer some of the very innovative options in all districts." Do you mean you think nobody's thought of that before? Ideas are nice, but without at least a little context you're just talking through your hat.

There are indeed inequality issues in Portland Public Schools, some of them worse in recent years, some truly offensive. I don't see here an indication that you know what they are, and so it worries me that you would take aim without knowing your target.

@sue I'm not going to engage with you if you are going to attack me. I'm sure you are a great mother and I can't imagine it was easy being on your own and I think anyone who knows me knows none of that was directed at you personally and your life situation that I knew nothing about. I mistyped when I wrote "districts," I meant clusters.

I also know you are a strong Lew supporter so I imagine you don't want me to win. That's OK, everyone has a side. But the main point is we are democrats and should at some level be on the same side. I have ideas, as does every other candidate in this process. Feel free to malign me, but make it clear that you have a dog in this fight.

"Posted by: Karol | Oct 9, 2009 4:05:57 PM

@sue I'm not going to engage with you if you are going to attack me"

Good grief. You consider that an "attack"...? (shakes head)

Yes, we Democrats are metaphorically kicking your tires a bit to see how solid your chops are on policy and are finding your statements to be extremely shaky to say the least. Particularly when you are putting forward nonsense "shoot form the hip" statements about transfer enrollments which amount to Salem overriding local school board authority (for starters). If you consider that unfair and "attacking you", then turning around and playing the victim because it is coming from Democrats, wait until you meet the Republicans who will eat your lunch for you.

This fight coming our way over the priorities for the State in a serious economic crisis is way too serious to afford us the luxury to look the other way when our side is not being bullet-proof when it comes to the basics, let alone policy details.

I mean this sincerely, I want to see you grow in the party, and get to the point where I can support you for elected office without reservation, but this is not the time nor the place to sing kumbaya and gloss over what is becoming apparent to me that someone is not ready for the position they seek. Not now, not at this level.