SALEM -- The seemingly Quixotic idea of giving Oregon a nonpartisan Legislature passed the Senate on Friday, thanks to an unusual bipartisan coalition -- and a healthy dose of old-fashioned partisan politics.
It's the farthest the idea, which has become reality only in Nebraska, has ever advanced in Oregon's Capitol.
Supporters say easing the corrosive effects of partisanship would help restore public trust in a Legislature that had an unprecedented five special sessions in 2002 and a record 207-day regular session in 2003 as it fought over the budget and other issues.
"Oregonians are sick and tired of a system that rewards smash-and-grab politics and leaves ordinary citizens in the dust," said Sen. Charlie Ringo, D-Beaverton, the idea's chief legislative champion.
"There are many ways Oregonians describe themselves," said Sen. Ben Westlund, R-Bend. "But one of the least important, the least representative of our true selves, are those little letters that follow our names, D or R."
Senate Bill 161 would eliminate partisan primary elections for the Legislature, governor, secretary of state, treasurer and attorney general. The two candidates with the most votes in a nominating election would face each other in the general election, unless one wins more than 50 percent of the vote. That procedure already is used to elect Oregon's schools superintendent and labor commissioner.
SB161 passed 20-10, with 14 Democrats and six Republicans voting for it. The top three Democratic leaders voted no: Senate President Peter Courtney of Salem, President Pro Tempore Margaret Carter of Portland, and Majority Leader Kate Brown of Portland.
The rare burst of bipartisan spirit evaporated immediately, however. The Senate's 18 Democrats and 12 Republicans locked up along partisan lines on the very next bill, a proposal to expand the state's drug-purchasing pool.
"Partisanship is dead!" Westlund joked.
And the vote on SB161 itself was hardly free of partisan jockeying.
Ringo brought the issue to the floor in defiance of the Democratic leaders through a legislative maneuver called a minority report. That allows a minority of members of a committee to bring a dissenting view or alternate idea up for a floor vote. Minority reports rarely pass, but they often have the political purpose of forcing lawmakers to vote for or against contentious issues.
In this case, the Rules Committee had passed out a bill allowing the secretary of state to postpone elections in case of a disaster. Because the bill dealt with elections, two committee members were able to offer the nonpartisan elections idea as a substitute.
Brown disputed Ringo's contention that she was bottling up in the committee another bill that contained the nonpartisan proposal. She said the committee had planned to hold hearings on the bill Monday. The issue is managing the Senate, she said. "The buck has to stop somewhere."
Sen. Rick Metsger, D-Welches, defended the rebellion in his caucus, saying Democrats should resist the "clubhouse mentality" that so often dominates party caucus politics.
But some Democrats, while supporting the idea of a nonpartisan Legislature, opposed the minority report because it gave Republicans a chance to underscore dissension in Democratic ranks.
And in their caucus meeting Thursday, some Democratic senators had worried that allowing this minority report to come to the floor could open the door to divisive debates on gun control or gay rights that could pose a threat to moderate Democrats.
Minority Leader Ted Ferrioli, R-John Day, said he was pleased to see a bill opposed by Democratic leaders pass.
Sen. Jeff Kruse, R-Roseburg, voted for the minority report, but he voted against the actual bill. Nonpartisan elections "won't change anything," Kruse said. "All it does is say, 'Let's call a rose something else.' "
The bill is expected to hit a brick wall in the Republican-controlled House, where Speaker Karen Minnis, R-Wood Village, opposes the idea.
But John Ledger, a lobbyist for Associated Oregon Industries, which backs the idea as good for business, said House members may warm to the idea once they hear more about it.
Despite frequently heard support for bipartisanship in the Capitol, Sen. Joanne Verger, a moderate Democrat from Coos Bay, said some lawmakers enjoy being partisan -- it's part of the game.
"That's not a statesman," Verger said. "That's a personality flaw."
James Mayer: 503-294-4109; jimmayer@news.oregonian.com
©2005 The Oregonian