Experienced Business Executive and Educator will run for seat now held by Earl Blumenauer

Today, local activist Marc Koller announced his candidacy for the U.S. Congress in Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District as an Independent with a wide array of endorsements.

“I’m proud and heartened to have received a tremendous amount of early support. With a career in corporate America and government contracting, I understand what it will take to transform our government from supporting the rich and powerful to a government whose sole purpose is to serve the people,” said Koller. “The 3rd District is unique in its diversity and commitment to turning progressive ideas into local and state laws that have become national ideas. But this district has for too long been lacking the leadership that will take on the corporate-controlled Republican and Democratic parties. We have an opportunity to send a clear message to them and American voters that we can elect truly independent candidates who will fight for the progressive agenda so many of us worked so hard and long for in supporting Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign last year.”

Koller has received the endorsement of the Oregon Progressive Party and will seek its nomination in 2018, along with the nominations of the Independent Party of Oregon

and the Pacific Green Party. His campaign is working with over 50 organizations, both national and local, to address crucial healthcare needs with the Medicare-for-All program, vast wage inequality, environmental threats, humane immigration changes, and social justice.

“We face terrible crises in this country: a Congress where members of both duopoly parties are unwilling to remove a man whose agenda is driven by uncontrolled ego, pandering to the rich and powerful, encouraging racism/sexism, ignoring critical domestic problems, and bringing us to the brink of nuclear war,” said Koller.

“Koller has the vision and courage people are desperate to have in elected leaders, whether on domestic or foreign issues,” said David Delk, Chair of the Oregon Progressive Party. “From his background as a corporate executive and commitment to listening to voters--Republican, Democrats and Independents--Marc has shown that he cares more about progressive policies than about winning partisan political points. I am proud to endorse his candidacy.”

“The people in this district do not want another two years of the same Congressional rhetoric.” said Koller. “What they do want is to be represented by someone committed to advancing a progressive agenda based on satisfying the needs of all the people instead of just the bankers and Wall Street, the arms industry and other special interests of big pharma, big insurance and the fossil fuel industry. By electing a truly independent and progressive candidate, we can bring power back to our citizens. My sole concern in the U.S. House of Representatives will be to immediately respond to 3rd District people—and not with a form letter. My goal is to represent them—no one else—to the best of my abilities in Congress.”

Friends of Marc Koller Committee
10350 N. Vancouver Way #332
Portland, OR 97217
http://marckoller4congress.com/
marc@marckoller4congress.com
503.764.5968

Marc's experience includes:

35 years in Private and Public companies · Positions include VP for Scudder Funds, VP for New England Funds and Director at Fidelity · Recent Director for Grass Valley in Hillsboro, Oregon · Ran Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business in Bethesda MD working with Department of Veterans Affairs, the US Navy, US Air Force and The World Bank · Learned how government contracts are awarded, and how to work with the Small Business Administration · Project Manager in Washington DC with the Department of Homeland Security; Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the US Coast Guard · Taught H.S. as a Vocational Drafting Instructor · B S. Industrial Education, State University of New York: City College S.F.: Construction Technology · WPI: Management Science, Boston University: Human Resources

OPP adopted this statement at our monthly meeting last night:

LET THE PUBLIC AND THE LIGHT IN

The American public is once again being shut out of negotiations being held in our name and supposedly for our benefit. What do the negotiators of the new version of NAFTA have to hide?

As the first round of NAFTA negotiations between the US, Mexico and Canada conclude, it is clear that the hoped for transparency will not materialize in spite of the promises made by US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. In fact, US trade officials have now declared that trade documents will be “classified”, meaning that once again a trade deal involving America's largest, most important trade partners will be negotiated in secret. Even the public stakeholder events which have happened during negotiations of other trade agreements did not, and will not, happen.

Oregonians can only hope that our US Representatives and Senators will join together in calling for openness and transparency in the rest of the negotiations as a first condition for a renegotiated agreement acceptable to the people of all three nations. If not, We the People will reject any resulting agreement produced in dark smoke-filled rooms of corporate lobbyists.

Our usual meeting time is the third Monday. However, for August 2017 only, we will meet on the third Thursday, August 24th beginning at 7 PM at the office of Kafoury & McDougal, 411 SW 2nd Ave, Portland OR.

HONEST ELECTIONS MULTNOMAH COUNTY

For immediate release:
August 12, 2017

For more information, contact:

Multnomah County Circuit Court to Hear Challenges
to Multnomah County's Campaign Finance Reform Measure 26-184,
Enacted by Vote of 89-11% in 2016

On August 15 at 9 a.m., Judge Eric Bloch of the Multnomah County Circuit Court will conduct a 2-hour hearing on challenges to the constitutionality of the campaign finance reform Amendment to the Multnomah County Charter (Measure 26-184) approved by the voters of the county by a margin of 89% "yes" to 11% "no" at the November 2016 election.

Tuesday, August 15    9:00 a.m.
Multnomah County Courthouse, Room 508
1021 SW 4th Avenue
Portland, OR

Judge Bloch will decide whether the measure is constitutional in Oregon.  His decision may be appealed to the Oregon Court of Appeals and Oregon Supreme Court.   The Multnomah County Commission asked for this "validation proceeding" and filed briefs on behalf of the county's voters, calling for the Court to uphold the constitutionality of all aspects of Measure 26-184.

The challengers are associations of corporations:  Associated Oregon Industries, Portland Business Association, and the Portland Metro Realtors Association, along with its former President, Alan Mehrwein.  The Taxpayers Association of Oregon is also attempting to participate, after having filed its petition to intervene 38 days after the close of the statutory filing deadline.  These challengers assert that they wish to continue to make unlimited political contributions and expenditures, without identifying themselves in the ads they fund.

The Taxpayers Association of Oregon is actually acting as a local front for the Center for Competitive Politics, a Virginia nonprofit corporation financially supported by the Koch brothers.

Measure 26-184 amended the Multnomah County Home Rule Charter to:

1. Require that each Communication (defined) to voters related to a Multnomah County Candidate Election prominently disclose the five largest true original sources of funding for the Communication, if any of them exceed $500.

2. Limit contributions to support or oppose candidates for public office in Multnomah County elections to $500 per person or political committee.

3. Require any entity that spends more than $750 per election cycle on independent expenditures to register as a political committee, which requires reporting of the sources of its funding.

4. Limit independent expenditures in any Multnomah County candidate race to:

   • $5,000 per individual

   • $10,000 per political committee, but only from contributions by individuals of $500 or less per year.

5. Allow formation of Small Donor Committees, which may accept contributions only in amounts of $100 or less per person per year.  Such committees can then support or oppose candidates without limit.

"We believe that all of the features of Measure 26-184 are constitutional," said David Delk of the Alliance for Democracy and Honest Elections Multnomah County, the group that spearheaded the campaign for Measure 26-184.  Mr Delk is also one of the parties in the validation proceeding.

Al Gore talks with Bill Maher and explains that to combat climate crisis, we need to eliminate the US Electoral College and get big money under control.  "We have to get big money out of our politics.....the fat-cat contributors hacked our democracy before [Vladimir] Putin hacked our democracy,"

https://youtu.be/xHuK-VxBW3k?t=8m55s

Demands that Oregon Legislature enact HB 3465 to apply $50 million in accumulated excess premium payments to Medicaid, not to insurance company bank accounts

In 2013 Oregon’s Affordable Care Act (ACA) reinsurance program was set up to offset any abrupt increases in consumer health care premiums during the first three years of the ACA. Under existing law, that fund simply expires on June 30, 2017, but it holds $50 million in excess premiums--money collected from individuals and businesses in premiums but not spent on providing health care. Unless the law is changed, state health officials say they will give the money back to the insurance companies--with no requirement that the insurance companies return any of the money to the individuals and businesses that paid the premiums.

State Rep. Cedric Hayden, R-Cottage Grove, has introduced HB 3465. The other chief sponsors are Knute Buehler (R) and Julie Parrish (R). Brad Witt (D) and three other Republicans are regular sponsors. The Democratic Leadership in the House has not scheduled any hearing or other action on the bill.

HB 3465 provides that the $50 million be applied to Oregon’s Medicaid budget rather than being paid to insurance companies. That is enough to fund care for 9,500 of Oregon’s neediest adults and children.

The Oregon Progressive Party implores the Democratic Leadership--Speaker Kotek and Senate President Courtney--to immediately move and pass HB 3465 and for Governor Brown to sign the bill.

Health insurance companies and others in the medical field are among the largest contributors of money to candidate campaigns in Oregon, giving over $6 million to Oregon candidates for state or local office in 2016 alone.

See the Eugene Register-Guard editorial in favor of HB 3465.

BIG PHARMA is a powerful new documentary film on the impact of out-of-control drug prices on businesses and the U.S. economy, Congress' failure to deal with the crisis and how we might fix it. The film takes an in-depth look at how our dysfunctional pharmaceutical industry and how it is damaging our economy, hurting our businesses and negatively impacting the nation's health. CEO of MCS Industries and producer of Big Pharma: Market Failure will be present for Q &A following. Representative of Health Care for All Oregon will participate in Q &A.

Sponsored by Alliance for Democracy, Economic Justice Action Group of the 1st Unitarian Church, Oregon UU Voices for Justice, KBOO, American Sustainable Business Council, Business Leaders Transforming Healthcare and Oregonians for Affordable Drug Prices.

Date/Time:  Friday, June 9, 7 PM, Eliot Chapel, 1st Unitarian Church, SW 12th and Salmon, Portland Doors open at 6:30 PM.

Admission: Donation requested: $5-20; however, no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Documentary Screening
Friday, May 12, 7 PM, Eliot Chapel,
1st Unitarian Church,
SW 12th and Salmon, Portland
Admission:  Donation requested: $5-20; however, no one will be turned away for lack of funds.  Doors open on 6:30 PM

The documentary, presented by Tree Media and the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF), tells the story of people across the U.S. who have faced decades of environmental assaults – such as oil trains, coal trains, pipelines, fracking, and sludging of farmland – and what they are doing about it.
These communities recognize that ecosystems at home and around the globe are collapsing under inherently unsustainable laws and governing structures – what many have called a ‘corporate state.’ They have come to understand that the system is stacked against them and the natural environment. The film shares how they are working with CELDF and organizing to stop these assaults in their own communities through rights-based laws, which ban the harms as a violation of the rights both of the communities and their ecosystems.

Screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Paul Cienfuegos, (http://paulcienfuegos.com) Portland based community-rights based activist, and Nancy Ward, Columbia County Sustainable Action For Green Environment.  (http://ccsage.org)

Sponsored by Alliance for Democracy, Economic Justice Action Group of the 1st Unitarian Church, Oregon UU Voices for Justice, KBOO

HONEST ELECTIONS MULTNOMAH COUNTY

For immediate release:
April 06, 2017

For more information, contact:

Multnomah County Commission votes to throw voter-enacted campaign finance reform measure into the courts, without defending it

Today the Multnomah County Commission voted to throw the voter-enacted campaign finance reform Charter Amendment (Measure 26-184) into the courts, without defending it from any claims that is it not valid or constitutional.

Voters enacted Measure 26-184 by a count of 89% to 11%.

"Throwing the measure into court, without defending its validity or constitutionality, is certainly not implementing the will of the voters, who clearly demanded campaign finance reform," said David Delk of the Alliance for Democracy and Honest Elections Multnomah County, the group that spearheaded the campaign for Measure 26-184.

"The corporations and other donors can now challenge Measure 26-184 and not face a defense from the Multnomah County Attorney," noted Dan Meek, volunteer attorney for Honest Elections Multnomah County.

The measure amended the Multnomah County Charter to:

1. Requires that each Communication (defined) to voters related to a Multnomah County Candidate Election prominently disclose the five largest true original sources of funding (in excess of $500) for the Communication.

2. Limits contributions to support or oppose candidates for public office in Multnomah County elections to $500 per person or political committee.

3. Requires any entity that spends more than $750 per election cycle on independent expenditures to register as a political committee, which requires reporting of the sources of its funding.

4. Limits independent expenditures in any Multnomah County candidate race to:

• $5,000 per individual
• $10,000 per political committee, but only from contributions by individuals of $500 or less per year.

For more information: honest-elections.com info@honest-elections.com

Co-sponsored by Oregon Progressive Party Refinery Town, Big Oil, Big Money, and The Remaking of an American City

A book by Steve Early

Meet and talk with author Steve Early on Sunday, March 19, 7 PM (doors open at 6:30 PM), First Unitarian Church, SW 12th and Salmon, Portland

The People vs. Big Oil; how a working-class company town harnessed the power of local politics to reclaim their community

Home to one of the largest oil refineries in the state, Richmond, California, was once a typical company town, dominated by Chevron. This largely nonwhite, working-class city of one hundred thousand suffered from poverty, pollution, and poorly funded public services. It had one of the highest homicide rates per capita in the country and a jobless rate twice the national average.

But in 2012, when veteran labor reporter Steve Early moved from New England to Richmond, he discovered a city struggling to remake itself. In Refinery Town, Early chronicles the fifteen years of successful community organizing that raised the local minimum wage, defeated a casino development project, challenged home foreclosures and evictions, and sought fair taxation of Big Oil. Here we meet a dynamic cast of characters—from ninety-four-year-old Betty Reid Soskin, the country’s oldest full-time national park ranger and witness to Richmond’s complex history; to Gayle McLaughlin, the Green mayor who challenged Chevron and won; to police chief Chris Magnus, who brought community policing to Richmond and is now one of America’s leading public safety reformers. Part urban history, part call to action, Refinery Town shows how concerned citizens can harness the power of local politics to reclaim their community and make municipal government a source of much-needed policy innovation

Admission: Donation requested: $5-20; however, no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Sponsored by
Alliance for Democracy
Oregon Progressive Party
Economic Justice Action Group of the First Unitarian Church

Beginning now, the Oregon Progressive Party, Alliance for Democracy, Economic Justice Action Group and others have started gathering signatures on a measure to appear on the Nov 2018 Oregon ballot to allow limits on special interest money in Oregon elections.  Oregon is one of only four states with no limitations and has among the most expensive elections in the nation.

The measure would amend the Oregon Constitution and reads:

Oregon laws consistent with the freedom of speech guarantee of the United States Constitution may regulate contributions and expenditures (including transfers of money or resources) with the purpose or effect of influencing the outcome of any election.

Right now we are gathering 1000 valid Oregon voter signatures in order to turn this into the Secretary of State and get the official ballot measure signatures sheets. 

We Need Your Help! 

Contact David Delk, Chair, Oregon Progressive Party.  He will mail you signatures sheets.  .
      Just email him at davidafd@ymail.com, let him know how many sheets you want (10 signatures per sheet) and your contact info (mailing address, phone number and email address.  Or give him a call at 503.232.5495

Thanks for your help.

David e. Delk, Chair
Oregon Progressive Party

Both Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning should be regarded as American heroes.

As a whistle blower, Snowden risked all by exposing the extent to which American rights and freedoms had been attacked by the NSA and other global surveillance programs. For that, he has lived in asylum in Russia now for over 3 and half years. The American government has filed, among others, two counts of violating the Espionage Act, each which carry a possible sentence of 10 years. President-elect Trump has called Snowden a traitor deserving execution. Rep. Mike Pompeo, Trump nominee for CIA Director, called for the death penalty for Snowden. and Sen. Jeff Sessions, Trump's nominee for Attorney General, strongly supports the death penalty as well. Edward Snowden does not deserve to live his life in exile. Pres. Obama should issue a pardon now so that he can come home.

Chelsea Manning also has served the nation well as a whistle blower and . . . .

Oregon Progressive Party candidate, Chris Henry, discusses the need and benefits from the creation of a state public bank.  He also discusses the projected shortfall in the PERS system and says that the shortfall can be taken care of from the General Fund over a period of time, largely by cutting out the Wall Street middle men from Oregon's financial operations.  Much more at Chris Henry for Treasurer.

Oregon Progressive Party candidate Brad Avakian is interviewed by Oregon League of Women Voters.  We start this video when Brad talks about the need for Oregon to address money in politics, specifically how Oregon needs to implement limits on campaign contributions and, if need be, take those limits to the US Supreme Court in order to overturn Citizens United.  He also expresses his understanding that money is not speech and corporations are not people.

Oregon Progressive Party candidate for Oregon Senate is interviewed by the League of Women Voters Portland. Among other things, he calls for increased tenant protections with a tenant bill of rights including an end to no-cause evictions, and removal of preemption of state prohibition on rent control.