The Battle for House District 42 happened in much the same way as the battle for House District 8 (formerly HD40 of which I was Chair), except that Lee Beyer and his wife, Terry, were better in-fighters than the poor folk of HD8, and thus, the same crew that was rebuffed for their rigged convention in HD 42 was successful in their rigged convention for HD 8. But don't take my word for it. Here's the documentary evidence.

Bill Morrisette had been elected without opposition to the HD42 seat, in part due to my Father-in-law, Frank Tannehill, then a Republican, having written Bill in on his primary ballot, thus making Morrisette,  by ONE vote, the Republican nominee as well as the unopposed Democratic nominee. He decided to move up to the Senate seat being vacated by Lee Beyer, who moved to a well-paid position on th3e Utilities Commission thanks to then-Governor Kitzhaber.

This caused the legal necessity of a HOUSE DISTRICT CONVENTION, in which the Precinct Committee People of HD42 (Springfield, essentially) hold a nominating convention, select between 3 and 5 candidates and the County Commission then chooses the new Representative from that district. This is all according to state law.

Traditionally, only 3 candidates are chosen, not wanting to give the Commissioners much leeway for deviltry. However, in this case, they found a whole new way to bejigger the process, which is where I came in.

I received a phone call from my good friend, the Chair of House District 42, Rick Klastaad, the husband of Ellen M. I. Klastaad, who is currently my opponent Paul Holvey's treasurer. See blog for details.

I seem to have been used as a convenient cat's paw in that little tete a tete as well. Rick Klastaad, who slams me in this month's OUTSPOKEN -- in an attack article that no one can ever remember having been allowed in the Democratic newsletter, especially an attack on an endorsed candidate -- was the instigator of my outrage, and wrote a letter to the REGISTER-GUARD himself which now seems quite revealing about the "insider trading" that these Springfield Union ... er folks ... engage in and call "politics."

Oh, and note how the Register-Guard remained then as now, blissfully unaware of anything untoward in the entire process.

As usual, you note that I am in trouble for demanding fair process. If the union types rigged the convention, well, that's politics, even though County Commissioner Bill Dwyer found that -- GASP! -- politics had been engaged in and the whole convention had to be OVERTURNED.

Why?

To elect Terry Beyer, of course. And elected she remains, thanks to our old friend, Michael Grossman, and Fifty Plus One of Seattle... but that's a story for later.

Three candidates were chosen at the HD42 convention. One WASN'T Terry Beyer (Lee Beyer's wife). That's when the trouble started.

Here's my guest editorial in the REGISTER-GUARD, which explains the mess:

• Process Ignored

(Should I mention all the Senators and Commissioners, and ex-Commissioners who either called me to chastise me for "harming the party" or to give me information on what REALLY happened with Beyer and Dwyer and Beyer, et al? Nawwww. But I didn't check my ethics at the door, nor did I agree to aid and abet all but criminal derailing of fair process because I'm a Democrat, right Tony? Bobby? Bill? Jack? I'm just the messenger. And wrong is wrong. Sorry. )

Then former Senator and County Commissioner Bill Dwyer responded with an editorial of his own, essentially accusing the HD 40 Convention of engaging in ... POLITICS! Jeepers. Wouldn't want that! (Of course, what does that charge say about politics in Lane County from an INSIDER, when you think of it? Hmmmm. )

I have not been able to find a copy. Oddly, while my guest editorial from HD40 and the HD42 guest editorial are archived (for cash $$$) the Dwyer guest editorial ISN'T!?!?!?! But here was my response:

• Whose Ox is being gored?

My feeling is still the same: The union folks stole the seat fair and square (to paraphrase Sam Hayakawa, famed semanticist and somnombulant California ex-Senator). Here is Rick Klastaad's Guest Editorial protesting (too much, methinks) that the unions had NOTHING to do with wiring the convention (as if there was anything wrong with that. What is WRONG is cheating. Politics is fine. Cheating is what happened to HD 8, formerly HD 40, of which I was the Chair.)

• Board should have honored the precinct's nominations

And, finally, in a tortuous display of nearly Orwellian logic, this was the REGISTER-GUARD's take on this blatant hijacking of a house seat:

• Odd process gets good results

And the beat goes on ...

What hasn't been known until recently, of course, was that Terry Beyer went out and hired Michael Grossman and Fifty Plus One of Seattle (also responsible for the infamous "polluter" hit on Al King by Phil Barnhart's campaign in the same primary), and the wiped out Rick Henson (and his wife, Pat Riggs-Henson) whose manipulations had a lot to do with Paul Holvey's ascension to the HD 8 seat!

Of course, the Hensons are alleged to have assisted Holvey in hiring Grossman and Fifty Plus One for Holvey's current campaign, -- a nod to his effectiveness, I guess, if true.

Oh yeah, guess who helped Rick Henson with the phone banking for his abortive union-backed campaign? That's right: Paul Holvey. We're all palsy-walsy, here. Yep. Now Rick's Klastaad's wife is Holvey's treasurer, and Pat Riggs-Henson scheduled the convention (during the worst ice storm in Eugene of the past 20 years, on January 5) to the benefit of Mr. Holvey, KNOWING that ex-Eugene city councilor Gary Rayor -- who had voiced interest in the seat in early December -- wouldn't be back from New Zealand until January 7!  Hmmmmm.

Here's what Pat told the Northwest Labor News about Paul Holvey:

• Labor Leader Recruited

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