The Advocate backs choices in hard elections

Annette Mattson:

This one was easy. Sonny Yellott’s continued dedication to obstruction of progress, his difficult disposition, and a history of board conflict due to racist online behavior pretty much ensured this endorsement. We at the Advocate are hoping to fill this slot with someone able to streamline changes rather than add more obstacles. That being said, we hope Mattson brings the three Rs of her campaign – restoration, resources and respect – to the Mt. Hood District board.

Jim Zordich:

After lengthy and careful deliberation, the Advocate staff chooses to endorse Jim Zordich to keep his board position. He’s a good guy. He’s also running unopposed.

Jack Kondrasuk:

This one was, by far, the hardest of the three to decide. On the one hand, Dianne McKeel’s credentials are impeccable: two-term Multnomah County commissioner, and former executive director of the West Columbia Gorge Chamber of Commerce, to boot. Kondrasuk, by contrast, has little experience serving directly on a board. He also seems a little unsure in comparison with McKeel’s savvy.

It is this exact quality, however, that ultimately swayed our vote to Kondrasuk. McKeel just feels a little fishy. Her husband, a Gresham real estate developer, reportedly pressured some Multnomah County officials on land deals over which she held some sway, and another family conflict of interest over a health outreach program raised ethics questions (for details, see our Page 4 story).

McKeel is a fine candidate, but we have seen some things happen in the past that haven’t yet been explained to our satisfaction and that make us hesitant to give our seal of approval.

Kondrasuk doesn’t seem like he’s ever read a college budget, by contrast. To us, that’s okay. He doesn’t seem to be in it for any other reason than because he thinks that colleges play a really important role in society, and wants to do whatever he can to further that mission. We’ve got some excellent faculty who can bring him up to speed on budgeting.

In short, we’re endorsing Kondrasuk because savvy, we’ve got – it’s heart that we need.

Advocate Staff