Statesman Journal mini-questionnaire for 2012 General Election Thank you for responding to this questionnaire, which is for

use by Statesman Journal Editorial Board members in evaluating candidates for potential endorsements in the Nov. 6 General Election. Your answers also will be shared with reporters and may be published in the print newspaper and on StatesmanJournal.com. If you completed our questionnaire for the primary season, youll notice that some requested information is similar. We ask you to provide it again in case any of your previous data or answers have changed. (If you cant find a copy of your previous answers, let us know and well gladly send one.) Please answer each question and return this questionnaire to the Editorial Board via email as an attached Word document. The boards email address: Salemed@StatesmanJournal.com Deadline for submitting your questionnaire: 9 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12, or earlier.
Questions? Contact Editorial Page Editor Dick Hughes, 503-399-6727, dhughes@StatesmanJournal.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your name:

Bruce Starr

Age: 43
(If your age will change before the Nov. 6 election, please indicate your birthday. We want to make sure we use accurate ages in editorials and news coverage. )

Political party (if this is a partisan office):

Position you are seeking (name of position, district number): Commissioner, Bureau of Labor and Industries

I plan to attend the editorial board meeting scheduled for: October 3rd

Number of years living in the area you seek to represent: 43

Do you affirm that you are a full-time resident of that area? yes

City/town of residence: Hillsboro

Family (name of spouse/partner, number and ages of children if at home, number of grown children):
Rebecca, wife; 2 children, 15 yr old daughter, 13 yr old son.

Education: Portland State University, Hillsboro High School

Current occupation and employer: Self employed small business owner

Military service: N/A

Employment history: small business owner, contractor, family farm

Community involvement/volunteer history: board member, Compassion First - anti trafficking organization

Please list all public offices to which youve been elected, and when: Hillsboro City Councilor, 1995-1998, Oregon State Representative, 1999-2002, Oregon State Senator, 2003-present.

Please list any unsuccessful candidacies for public office, and when: N/A

Other prior political and government experience: Legislative intern, 1987 & 1989 sessions, Legislative staff, 1993 - 1998, precinct committee person

How much your general election campaign will cost: $500K

Key endorsements you have received: Oregon Business Association, Oregon Cattle PAC, AGPac, Salem, Beaverton & Hillsboro Chambers of Commerce, Portland Business Alliance, Washington and Clackamas Farm Bureau, Jack Roberts

How the public can reach your campaign (remember that this information may be published): Mail address: 22115 NW Imbrie Drive, #290 Hillsboro, Oregon 97124 E-mail address: bruce@brucestarr.org Web site URL: www.brucestarr.org Phone: 971-344-9613 Fax: N/A

Please limit your response to each of the following questions to about 75 words but be specific.

1.

Have you ever been convicted of a crime, been disciplined by a professional licensing board/organization or had an ethics violation filed against you? If so, please give the details. I paid two $150 fines for failing to report two trips paid for by non-profit organizations in a timely fashion.

2.

Have you ever filed for bankruptcy, been delinquent on your taxes or other major accounts, or been sued personally or professionally? If so, please give the details. Never filed for bankruptcy. Like a lot of small business owners in Oregon, my business has been affected by the difficult economy. The tough economy has certainly had an impact on my business and former clients businesses. In one case, I had a client go bankrupt that owed me a significant amount of money.

These circumstances created financial challenges which caused late payment of taxes owed, I am currently in full compliance with my tax obligations. As a contractor, I was sued by the owners of a multifamily dwelling. Actually every contractor involved in the project was sued due to a water intrusion issue. My liability insurance company handled the case on my behalf and negotiated a settlement along with the insurance companies of the other contractors connected to the project. 3. Why should people vote for you? What separates you from your opponent(s)? Oregon voters should vote for me because I am the candidate that will work to bring business and labor together to create a positive economic environment. As Commissioner I will be focused on working with business owners so that they are investing in their companies, growing private sector jobs and turning our economy around. The matrix of success will be what have we done to lower Oregons unemployment rate and create more opportunities for more Oregonians to succeed in the marketplace.

4. What are the three most important issues you would address if elected? How? (75 words for each
issue)

A. I will create a fair, transparent and non-biased agency that will treat both employees and employers fairly. This needs to be done by creating a set of objective standards to judge complaints. Consistency is currently a problem at the agency and this needs to be corrected. B. There are issues concerning apprenticeship that need to be addressed. I will work with stakeholders to identify the best solution to the problems identified. This becomes more important as more and more individuals involved in the trades approach retirement age. C. There is currently not nearly enough agency interaction and education occurring with employers, contractors and property owners throughout Oregon. I will have an aggressive outreach strategy throughout the state, meeting with business owners, property owners and contractors to insure there is adequate and thorough communication. Ive found that most business owners, property owners and contractors are working hard to be in compliance with Oregon law - the breakdown occurs when rules/laws are applied inconsistently.

5.

What do you see as other important issues?

Working with legislature to promote pro-growth strategies that will create more economic opportunities for Oregonians. Working to resolve disputes that have arisen between the trades - this requires leadership. Preparing the next generation of Oregonians to assume the critical careers in Oregons economy as more and more move toward retirement.

6.

How would you describe your political style or for judicial candidates, your judicial temperament? Collaborative

7.

If you are an incumbent, what have you achieved during your current term? If you are not an incumbent, how have you prepared yourself for this position? Ive served for the last 14 years in the Legislature. I have negotiated multi-billion transportation investment bills, working with stakeholders, legislators, lobbyists with varied interests and backgrounds and finding compromise and success. I believe the skills Ive developed during my time in the legislature and as a small business owner have prepared me for this position.

8.

What is the largest budget you have handled, and in what capacity? As a legislator, Ive served on the Ways & Means subcommittee on Transportation and Economic Development. That committee oversees many budgets, from small commission budgets to the large ODOT budget.

9.

What is the largest number of employees youve supervised, and in what capacity? As a small contractor, I supervised crews of 6 to 8 individuals.

10. Who is your role model for this office the person/people you would most like to emulate? I believe Jack Roberts did a great job as Labor Commissioner.

11.

Any skeletons in your closet or other potentially embarrassing information that you want to disclose before it comes up in the campaign? I dont have a perfect driving record - too many tickets for speeding. Of course, Im also the legislator that last session tried unsuccessfully to increase the speed limit on rural highways in Oregon.

12. As a public official, your views on public issues are relevant to voters and potential constituents. Please indicate whether you support or oppose each of these statewide measures on the Nov. 6 ballot. (This question does not apply to judicial candidates.) Measure 77, catastrophic disaster Measure 78, separation of powers Measure 79, real estate transfer taxes Measure 80, marijuana legalization Measure 81, gillnetting ban Measure 82, allows private casinos Measure 83, authorizes Wood Village casino Measure 84, eliminates inheritance tax Yes Yes Yes No No No No Yes

Measure 85 shifts corporate kicker to K-12 schools Ill probably vote yes but Im concerned that Oregonians will believe that this does something significant for schools. We need a permanent Constitutionally dedicated reserve that forces the legislature to save for the economic downturns that occur far too regularly. I doubt very much that well see significant corporate kickers in the future, so this measure doesnt really do much but give a false sense of accomplishment.
Thank you. Again, please submit your questionnaire as an attached Word document to Salemed@StatesmanJournal.com no later than 9 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012.