East Oregonian Endorses Kate Brown

Endorsement: Kate Brown emerges as our choice for secretary of state

When voters start wading through the possible candidates for secretary of state, they should be grateful so many highly-qualified individuals have demonstrated a willingness to serve in Oregon's number two leadership position.

The ballot looks like a "Who's Who" list from the last session of the Oregon Legislature.

As the East Oregonian has gone about the process of studying the candidates for all offices and determining who is worthy of an endorsement, some of the races have been almost "no brainers."

Not so this race. And we would want to make it perfectly clear that while we are obligated to choose a single candidate, this is a field rich with talent.

We have been particularly impressed with Rick Metsger and Kate Brown, both of whom have spent time visiting our area and focusing on the issues that resonate among our voters. In the end, it was a difficult choice between the two.

Early on we were impressed with Kate Brown and her sincere interest in issues that cover all of Oregon. Although she is characterized as a liberal from the heart of Portland, a description that would ordinarily send us fleeing to another camp, upon further inspection we don't think this is a very apt or realistic description. Certainly she represents her Portland constituency as one would expect, but she also has a grasp of issues that affect Eastern Oregon.

Following her visit to Pendleton last fall, we mused aloud, "What's not to like about Kate Brown?"

Her husband spent almost 10 years working for the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest in Enterprise and also did a stint in John Day.

This is by no means our first encounter with Brown or any of her opponents for that matter. Since Oregon doesn't have a lieutenant governor, the secretary of state is the second ranking constitutional officer. It's clear Brown has a keen understanding of the role of that office and an interest in running that is specific to the duties.

Brown, who has served for 16 years in the legislature, won her first election by just seven votes, so she has a unique understanding of how much every vote counts. Election law and procedures are one of the major focuses of the office.

As the ranking Democratic leader in the senate, Brown developed a reputation for working effectively with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and demonstrated quality leadership based more on the needs of Oregon and less on partisanship.

Her time in the legislature also left her with an understanding of the state's economic ups and downs and the need for efficiency. The secretary of state also has major responsibilities for conducting audits and promoting savings and economy.

Perhaps whast's most interesting about Brown is her take on the difference between representative government and direct democracy. While she sees a need to reform the initiative system, she views it as a prelude to making government more relevant for succeeding generations.

While we support her candidacy, we can't overlook mentioning her participation in the passage of the expanded ethics rules that are wreaking havoc among volunteer officials in rural communities. From the Senate side, she was a supporter of House Speaker Merkley's efforts to help create this debacle. As secretary of state, we would hope that she would help bring Oregon back to reality on this count.

Brown also has said there is no question young people are feeling less connected with the governmental process and are less inclined to vote, but in some respects she sees this as a reflection of the difference between generations.

A strong proponent of civic engagement, she advocates for ways to reach out to a generation that lives online, is connected instantly by text messaging and is involved and engaged in its own way.

Brown said it won't be long before almost every citizen in Oregon will be able to weigh in on an issue almost instantly.

"Rather than criticizing young people for not being interested," she said, "we need to make sure we have a system that involves, rather than discourages, the new generations."

As part of that understanding, Brown knows there is a declining interest in strict party lines and a greater interest in being able to focus on candidates rather than on which party they represent.

As we noted earlier, there are lots of good choices in this race, but our money is on Kate Brown.