Oregon War Veterans Blog

OWVA Endorses Kurt Schrader (D) for Congress

For Immediate Release

 

Contact: Greg Warnock

503.689.4145

greg@owva.org

 

OWVA Endorses Kurt Schrader (D) for Congress

 

SALEM—Oregon War Veterans Association (OWVA) has chosen Democrat Kurt Schrader in its endorsement for Congressional District 5, against Republican Mike Erickson.

 

In its endorsement letter, OWVA’s director said that Schrader is much better prepared to serve the district than Erickson.  “Schrader has been available to veterans, has supported many pieces of OWVA legislation, and has great customer service skills that will serve the district’s veterans and senior citizens in the same way Darlene Hooley did,” said OWVA Director Greg Warnock.

 

“Erickson is a terrible candidate, in my opinion,” Warnock told OWVA’s selection board.  “He fails to show up to scheduled meetings, he has never personally returned an e-mail or phone call from us, so how could we expect him to serve us in Congress?  He is in the race for his own ego, it seems to me.”

In a meeting between Warnock and Schrader, Warnock advised the candidate to keep customer service as a priority, especially when working with veterans and seniors.  He also advised Schrader of future legislation that OWVA would submit to Congress on behalf of Oregon’s National Guard members and veterans.

“We need to pressure the National Guard Bureau to allow their family support personnel to let us know when they need charitable support from the community.  We also need the Army to permit ‘comfort items’ donated by charitable organizations to be transported by the Military Airlift Command and/or civilian contractors,” Warnock said during the meeting.  “Additionally, we need Congress to authorize a higher reimbursement amount to TRICARE/Medicaid health care providers, who serve Oregon’s retired veterans and activated National Guard Troop’s families.”  Schrader supported the proposed legislation.

OWVA’s selection board was unanimous in their selection of Schrader, who serves in the Oregon Senate as the Co-Chair of the Joint Ways and Means Committee.

 

For more information about OWVA visit www.OWVA.org

 

A PDF of this release is available for download here.

OWVA Endorses Independent - Belcastro for Oregon HD05

For Immediate Release

 

Contact: Greg Warnock

503.689.4145

greg@owva.org

 

OWVA Endorses Independent - Pete Belcastro for HD05

 

SALEM—Oregon War Veterans Association (OWVA) has chosen Independent Candidate Pete Belcastro for State Representative over Peter Buckley (D) for Southern Oregon’s House District 5, which includes Ashland and surrounding communities.

 

Belcastro, an Ashland radio personality, a past Southern Oregon University professor, and father of an Iraqi War Veteran, is a much better candidate for OWVA’s legislative agenda. During the 2007 legislative session, Peter Buckley, who serves as the Chair of the House Education Committee, refused to hear the education bills written by OWVA and other veteran’s groups.

 

“We have never seen such obstinacies toward our issues as we saw by many of the committee chairs, including Buckley,” OWVA’s Director, Greg Warnock, said to Belcastro in a meeting today in Salem.  “OWVA wrote 12 bills to help the troops, their families and veterans.  All of our bills passed through the Veteran’s Affairs Committee, but most of them were killed in the secondary committees, including all of our bills that were forwarded to Buckley’s committee on Education.  We definitely need a change in HD05.”

 

Two of OWVA’s bills (HB 3199 and 3200) proposed funding for the Oregon Youth Challenge Program (OYCP).  OYCP is the most successful at-risk educational program in the State of Oregon, but they do not have the facilities to meet the needs of all available applicants.

HB 3200 added funding for an additional 30 female students to enter the program.  Currently, each class is made up of 60 boys and 30 girls, who spend 6 months in a residential facility near Bend.  OWVA wanted to equalize the proportion of girls and boys who attend the school. 

Buckley wouldn’t give the bills a hearing, so they died in his committee.

For more information about OWVA visit www.OWVA.org

 

A PDF of this release is available for download here.

OWVA Voter Guide

Here is a downloadable PDF of the OWVA Voter Guide.  Please print it out, save it, e-mail it, and share it with everyone you know who is concerned about veterans' issues this election!