Once again, Chris Telfer goes all wild-eyed and crazy about money
Kari Chisholm
Over at PolitiFact Oregon, they noticed that State Senator Chris Telfer (R-Bend) sent out a press release at the end of the legislative session:
Among her accomplishments are two substantial job-creating bills and a fiscally responsible budget agreement that controls state spending.
The only problem? It's kinda hard to claim the budget as an accomplisment when she voted against it. And she's not on Ways & Means, the committee that produced the budget.
Calling her claim "Pants on Fire" false, PolitiFact notes:
The key bill was Senate Bill 5701, the "omnibus budget reconciliation bill" that reflects the bulk of the agreement struck by House and Senate budget negotiators. Nine Republicans in the Senate voted no, including Telfer. Senate Bill 5702 allocates the other part of state general fund: state lottery money. Two Republicans voted no, including Telfer.
In discussing her vote, PolitiFact notes that Telfer claimed - again, sigh - that the state has "extra money on the books that state agencies are hiding from lawmakers."
This is an absurd claim that she's made many times before. And it's one that, as a CPA, she should know better.
Back in March 2010, Steve Novick - who knows his way around a budget document - recapped the claims that Chris "Mystery Money" Telfer made during the Measure 66/67 campaign:
It’s thoroughly depressing to see that the one Republican who claims she’s running for Treasurer is State Senator Chris Telfer. Telfer’s the one who claimed that a Secretary of State audit said that the State had billions of extra dollars lying around for the taking. When the Secretary of State’s office and Legislative Fiscal explained that that was simply untrue, Telfer continued to insist that it must be true. It was one of the more bizarre episodes in the Measure 66 / 67 campaign.
Well, at least it's good to know that some things never change.
And perhaps Republicans have tired of her nonsense too. She faces a primary challenge from former Rep. Tim Knopp, who was the House Majority Leader a decade ago.
If you want more backstory, be sure to check out Paulie Brading's January 2010 post and Carla Axtman's December 2009 post.
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8:26 a.m.
Mar 15, '12
Knopp is partially running because he doesn't think Telfer is conservative enough. You can read their first debate on KBND Radio:
http://www.ktvz.com/news/30669453/detail.html
11:52 a.m.
Mar 15, '12
Telfer's office is actually working with Michael Jordan with the Governor's office (head of DAS), as well as folks at the Secretary of State's office and other stakeholders on this because there actually IS roughly $600 million in the state's agency budget that is categorized as "unrestricted" but nobody within the agencies can tell us exactly where it is.
2:02 p.m.
Mar 16, '12
We could do a lot worse than Telfer IMHO- Tim Knopp is the worst kind of knuckle-dragging self agrandizing right-winger. The Democrat looks good to me but the caucus still hasn't figured out how to take these seats so it will all be in the GOP primary unless the start realign (which would suit me if they did). Telfer is conservatibe enough for the voters but she's not one of the biggots. Her brother used to work for State Rep Tom Throop- a liberal progressive Dem that held that seat for years and was also county commissioner. I believe she was active in the Episcopal church. When she was elected to the Bend City Council a Green Party city councilor buddy of mine was pretty nervous but I said give her a chance and he admitted later she was a lot better than he expected and good to work with. She is conservative especially on finances but she more of an old style Hatfield type Republican whereas Knopp is off the charts reactionary. Whoever wins the primary will be back in the Senate I'd bet. It's not my district but if it was I'd put a Telfer sign up for the primary anyway. Your choices up here are all very relative. If the caucus ever wants to get a head up here they need to recruit some rednecks and skip the retired teachers and union people (while I love them dearly)- Taking any 20 year old pumping gas I bet they'd run stronger races. IMHO
2:03 p.m.
Mar 16, '12
Meant to say "stars realign"- oh well-