Like Brown? You’ll Love Kotek

No surprise that EW likes Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek for Governor (Slant, 12/16). If you like Kate Brown, Kotek would be Brown on steroids.

Far-left Kotek’s voting record shows that she is anti-police, anti-voter directives, pro-tax and spend, pro-government mandates and willing to promote legislation fitting her own agenda to the detriment of law-abiding citizens of our state.

A recent example was the arrest of her legislative director last September for interfering with a police officer during the 101st night of looting, burning and destruction in Portland by Black Lives Matter and Antifa, what the media called a “peaceful protest.”

Rather than condemn the riots and her staffer’s actions, Kotek lashed out at the police for what she called their “utter inability to exercise restraint” while Portland burned. She then followed up by sponsoring House Bill 3164.

HB 3164 removed “refusing to obey a lawful order by the peace officer” and engaging in “activity that would constitute resisting arrest” from grounds for criminal charges. A dozen other Democrats, including Rep. Marty Wilde, along with the Oregon ACLU, co-sponsored the bill. With its attached “emergency” clause, it became law immediately upon Gov. Brown’s signature.

Kotek also supported other bills to hamstring the police and, along with her fellow Democrats, has shown little or no interest that I’ve seen in addressing the Marxist mayhem ravaging Portland.

Kotek is the absolute last person we need in Mahonia Hall.

Jerry Ritter

Springfield