The turkeys have left the Oregon State Capitol.

Well, one at least. 

Driving around the Capitol on Thursday morning, I paused for a wild turkey to cross the street. This was two days after the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife reminded Oregonians that wild turkeys are in breeding season.

Some Oregonians might consider the turkey a metaphor for legislators whose politics they disdain. However, the importance of civil discourse suggests we should abstain from such appellations.

On their hand, politicians and their admirers would be equally wise to avoid becoming overly enamored with themselves. Recall what former Gov. Vic Atiyeh mused to outgoing Gov. Ted Kulongoski in 2011 shortly before John Kitzhaber was sworn in: “It’s amazing. … You walk into this office as a peacock, and you walk out as a feather duster.” 

Still, depending on one’s political views, certain legislation might qualify as a turkey – whether among the 115 bills this year’s Legislature sent to Gov. Tina Kotek for her action or the 151 that died along the way. Many never made it out of infancy.

Lawmakers on Friday begin a 60-day blackout before the May 21 primary election. They cannot use state resources to distribute newsletters or post on social media. But in recent days they’ve had much to say about the legislative session, which ended March 8. 

This week Rep. Rob Nosse, D-Portland, highlighted legislative achievements in behavioral health, health care, housing and other areas. He also noted the downsides.

“It wouldn’t be a legislative session without some disappointments. You can’t always get what you want,” Nosse wrote, linking to The Rolling Stones song. “It’s just a part of the job. We live in a democracy, which means my priorities compete with every other legislator’s. I’m not the only person vying for funding and policy changes in Salem.” 

From Southern Oregon, Rep. Pam Marsh, D-Ashland, summarized the session this way: “Despite ongoing construction at the Capitol that frequently interrupted committee meetings and floor sessions, and a few winter storms that made travel to-and-from Salem dicey, we passed significant legislation to address some of the state’s most challenging issues, including our housing shortage, addiction and public safety concerns, and — a surprise addition to the line-up — campaign finance reform!”

She added that the Legislature fell short in other areas, such as funding of wildfire mitigation and suppression.

Regardless of which political party is in charge, the minority party has greater difficulty achieving its goals. Thwarting supposedly bad bills becomes easier than passing presumably good bills.

“We should take a lesson from what was accomplished last month moving forward,” said Sen. Dick Anderson, R-Lincoln City. “The Legislature can make good things happen. There were some other bad bills out there and some contentious moments from members on very specific bills, but [on] the bills on the big problems, we mostly agreed.”

Anderson said he led Republican negotiations on housing and infrastructure investments: “We were able to move everyone into uncomfortable conversations and it was good. When each party involved has to get a little uncomfortable it means we are getting to the right part of the discussion.”

Sen. David Brock Smith, R-Port Orford, issued a lengthy list of bad bills that Republicans helped kill – “bills that would have negatively impacted our residents, their communities and the industries that support them,” he said. “This is a testament to the work we can accomplish when we work together, even though we don’t have the numbers to stop a piece of legislation as the majority currently has the votes to pass whatever they would like.”

 The newest legislator, Rep. Dwayne Yunker, R-Grants Pass, earned the House Republicans’ Red Button Award for voting “no” the most times. “But the funny thing is, I voted Yes on a ton: 85 Ayes and 66 Nays if the measure tracker is accurate,” Yunker told constituents. “Given how terrible most of the bills we voted on were, it’s beyond me how anyone could find more than 85 to approve.”

Yet from the opposite corner of the state, retiring Sen. Lynn Findley, R-Vale, wrote: “There were some victories along the way. Measure 110 was reformed, your kicker was protected, and after several years of effort we removed the requirement that farm machinery and equipment be tangible personal property for the purposes of exemption from ad valorem property taxation.”

Rep. Susan McLain, D-Forest Grove, called it the best short session she’s experienced since taking office in 2015. Her four priority bills passed. As for other legislation she endorsed, McClain said, “Whether the bills passed or failed, they all brought needed attention to issues that I believe deserve deliberation.”

Not all the work was serious, as Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis, recounted: “Lawmakers were in good spirits as they pushed through a series of final bills and staff tried to fill their bingo cards over the unending drone of construction equipment from an ongoing nearly-$600 million construction project meant to better prepare the building for earthquakes. …

“With most of their work done and waiting for bills to move through the two chambers, legislative staff distributed cards with common phrases, events, or occurrences. It allowed them to have some fun while paying close attention through the long hours that brought the session to a close.”

No word whether turkeys were on the bingo card.