Capital Chatter: Dangerous times for the Oregon Legislature

• A cry for bipartisanship carries a partisan tone: On the first day of a new legislative year, lawmakers customarily express warm-and-fuzzy sentiments. But Monday’s legislative meetings displayed stark differences in how the state Senate and House operate.

Democrats control both chambers: 17-13 in the Senate and 35-25 in the House. Those Democratic majorities ensured that the Legislature would re-elect its same presiding officers — Tina Kotek of Portland as House speaker and Peter Courtney of Salem as the longest-serving Senate president in Oregon history.

In the House, veteran Democratic Rep. Phil Barnhart of Eugene presided Monday until the House formally chose Kotek on a party-line vote. The Republicans nominated and voted for House Republican Leader Mike McLane of Powell Butte.

In nominating McLane, Bend Rep. Knute Buehler talked of the breakdown of “The Oregon Way,” in which politicians respected the political process and put aside their differences to solve problems. D’s and R’s both contributed to that decline, he said, but the implication was that the fault rested with the House Democratic leadership.

But in the Senate, Republican Leader Ted Ferrioli of John Day presided on Monday until the senators formally re-elected Courtney. All the Senate officers were elected on bipartisan, unanimous votes. In each case, a Democratic senator made the nomination and a Republican followed up by asking that a unanimous ballot be cast for that person.

It’s not as if partisanship may be any less in the Senate than in the House. Politics, after all, is a partisan endeavor. But the Senate is the smaller, more experienced body … and its leaders have a track record of working together at crunch time.

Courtney is more moderate than Kotek. Some Democrats, inside and outside the Capitol, have cast him as too moderate and too willing to compromise. But he has deftly handled such challenges to his presidential power. For example, much public ado was made about the retirement last month of Portland Sen. Diane Rosenbaum. Behind the scenes, Courtney and the Democrats had cut her power in 2015 by removing her as Senate majority leader and giving her the lauded but largely ceremonial post of president pro tem.

Courtney also has been willing to appoint Republicans to chair a few legislative committees, and in some instances, to have equal representation with Democrats. That is unusual.

• Speaking of getting along: On Wednesday afternoon, senators underwent training on civil discourse, with a trio of former legislators from other states serving as facilitators.

• Inaugural notes: In nominating Kotek to become House speaker, veteran Rep. Mitch Greenlick of Portland described her as having “brains to burn,” saying she probably possessed more brains than were needed to serve as speaker.

New State Treasurer Tobias Read, a state senator and a state representative were squirreled away at a secret location on Monday so they could carry on state government if manmade or natural disaster were to destroy the Oregon Capitol and its occupants during the inauguration of Gov. Kate Brown. Then-Secretary of State Brown had a similar role during an inauguration of Gov. John Kitzhaber.

On Monday, Brown delivered her inaugural and state of the state speech using a teleprompter, likely making her the first Oregon governor to do so. She is not fond of public speaking — her written speech included parenthetical reminders for her to breathe — but she used the teleprompter effectively. The state owns the equipment. Brown has used it several times when speaking to large groups during her nearly two years as governor. For smaller groups, she uses printed speeches or notes.

Ted Kulongoski and Barbara Roberts were the only former governors who attended Brown’s inauguration.

• A stormy week in Oregon: Winter storms closed roads, schools and government offices – even banks and credit unions. On Wednesday, Gov. Brown declared a statewide state of emergency after receiving emergency requests from around Oregon. Neither the Governor’s Office nor I could recall the last time that a governor declared a statewide emergency. In recent years, the declarations most often have been for counties facing droughts and wildfires.

The Oregon Department of Transportation, Oregon State Police and Oregon National Guard may now be deployed to help communities.

Sen. Ferrioli and Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario, had met with Brown earlier Wednesday to ask that she declare a state of emergency in Malheur County, where more than two feet of snow has fallen since Dec. 1. The county needs help with clearing roads and with removing ice dams to prevent flooding. The state Department of Human Services building in Ontario and some retailers also have closed for fear that the accumulated snow could cause structural collapse.

Brown listened to the pleas. Her response impressed Bentz. “She immediately instructed her staff to coordinate a response with the Office of Emergency Management and with [Idaho] Gov. Butch Otter‘s office,” he said.

Dick Hughes has been covering the Oregon political scene since 1976. Contact him at TheHughesisms@Gmail.com.