07/25/02
JEFF MAPES, Oregonian
Oregon's police chiefs, delivering a blow to Republican Kevin Mannix's hopes to dominate the crime issue, on Wednesday endorsed Democrat Ted Kulongoski for governor.
The police chiefs became the first big law enforcement group to make an endorsement in the fall gubernatorial race. Along with the sheriffs and district attorneys, the chiefs' backing is highly sought by candidates who want to portray themselves as being tough crime-fighters.
Mannix has had high visibility on crime issues as the sponsor of Measure 11, the 1994 initiative requiring tough mandatory sentences for violent crimes. And he won the police chief's endorsement in his unsuccessful 2000 race against Attorney General Hardy Myers.
However, Kulongoski built his own ties with law enforcement as attorney general from 1993-97, and he won plaudits from crime victim advocates for his work on legislation revamping the juvenile justice system.
The endorsement came from the political committee associated with the Oregon Association of Chiefs of Police. Kevin Campbell, a Salem lobbyist who also serves as the group's executive director, said the chiefs were reluctant to explain the reasoning for their endorsement because they want to minimize their partisan actions.
Keizer Police Chief Mark Adams, the 135-member group's president, said he missed the recent meeting where both candidates were interviewed. He said both were seen as having a strong law enforcement background, but he added that "Kulongoski has more of a history of consensus-building."
In a statement, Kulongoski cited the endorsement as proof of his "tough-on-crime achievements" and of his ability to "build bridges and bring people together to solve problems."
Mannix said he was disappointed to lose the endorsement but suggested that the chiefs were more interested in the status quo than in shaking up government.
"The chiefs tend to represent what I'll gently call the bureaucracy," Mannix said. He said some were skeptical he could find the money to toughen sentences for property crimes because of the state's tight budget situation.
Both candidates have been seeking individual endorsements from district attorneys, who don't endorse as a group but will have both candidates speak at their association convention next month. The political committee of the Oregon State Sheriffs' Association also plans to interview both candidates and may make an endorsement in the race.
Associations representing state troopers and local police officers are also considering who to endorse in the fall election.