Bruce Starr Voted Against Measure At Heart Of Election Move

Capitol Currents:

At least GOP Senator Bruce Starr can say he voted against the 2009 measure that Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown cited in moving the election for Labor Commissioner from May to November. Starr is running against incumbent Brad Avakian, and neither candidate were aware of the switch until recently. Starr, upset at the change, filed an unsuccessful lawsuit against Brown in an attempt to move the election back to May. In making the change, Brown cited a one-sentence section buried deep in the 14-page long House Bill 2095 of the 2009 session:SECTION 22a. Notwithstanding section 22 of this 2009 Act and ORS 651.030, the term ofoffice of the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries elected at the generalelection held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November 2012 shall be twoyears.Whether you agree with Brown's decision depends on how you interpret that sentence. Previous elections for Labor Commissioner have been held in May. But at least for Starr, he doesn't have the potential embarrassment of having voted for the measure that--in Brown's view--authorized the switch. Starr was one of just three lawmakers to vote against the bill on final passage. But neither Starr nor any other opponent spoke against the measure when it was brought to the Senate floor, so it's not clear why he opposed it at the time.

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