1StatesmanJournalminiquestionnaire

Statesman Journal mini-questionnaire for 2016 General

Election
Thank you for responding to this questionnaire.
For those of you who filled out our Primary Election questionnaire this year, this
one is similar although some questions have changed. We ask that you fill this out
completely, instead of referring to the previous questionnaire, or your resume, etc.,
because we will be posting this questionnaire online.
Why this matters: The Statesman Journal Editorial Board will use this
questionnaire in deciding whether and whom to endorse for the Nov. 8 General
Election. Reporters, who operate separately from the Editorial Board, may use your
answers in writing stories.
Please return the finished questionnaire to the Editorial Board as an email or an
attached Word document to Salemed@StatesmanJournal.com. (Handwritten, pdf,
WordPerfect or fax responses dont work.)
Important: Please return the questionnaire by the end of the day Monday,
Sept. 12.
Questions? Contact Editorial Page Editor Dick Hughes, 503-399-6727,
dhughes@StatesmanJournal.com, or Editorial Assistant Nancy Harrington, 503-3996864, nharring@StatesmanJournal.com.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Your name as listed on the ballot:
Colm Willis
Age:
30
(If your age will change before Nov. 8, please indicate your birthday. We want to
ensure we use accurate ages in pre- and post-election editorials and news
coverage.)
City/town of residence:
Stayton

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Political party, if this is a partisan office:
Republican
Position you are seeking (name of position, district number, etc.):
U.S. House of Representatives, District 5
Are you currently a full-time resident within the boundaries of the specific area
(district, county, etc.) that you seek to represent?
Yes
Number of current, consecutive years living within the district you seek to
represent:
Over 5 years
Family (name of spouse/partner; number and ages of children if at home, or
number of grown children):
I am married and I have two daughters. My daughters are 1 and 3 years old.
Your education (high school, trade, college, post-baccalaureate; indicate degrees
you earned):
Jesuit High School; B.A., Boston College; J.D. Willamette University College of Law
If employed, current occupation, employer and job duties:
Small business lawyer, Willis Law LLC.
Previous employers and when:
Political Director, Oregon Right to Life during the last 4 years.
Military service and when:
N/A

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Volunteer/civic/religious service and when:
I did a lot of volunteer work in College.
Please list all public offices to which youve been elected, and when:
Republican Precinct Committee Person
Please list any unsuccessful candidacies for public office, and when:
N/A
Other prior political and government experience:
Staff Member in the U.S. Senate, Joint Economic Committee
How the public can reach your campaign (remember that this information will be
made public):
Mail address: PO Box 893, Statyon, OR 97383
E-mail address: info@colmwillis.com
Web site URL: colmwillis.com
Phone: 503-510-2965
Facebook and other social media: facebook.com/colmforcongress and
@colmforcongress on Twitter
Please limit your response to each of the following questions to about 75 words.
1. To an outsider, how would you describe the region you wish to represent -geographically, economically, politically and socially?
The 5th district is a rural, conservative district made up of working families.
2. Describe the positives and negatives of this region (ward, district, county or
state) that you wish to represent:
Incredibly hard working people live here. However, government intervention in the

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economy here has hurt job creation, especially in the timber industry. The
Affordable CareAct has also hurt small businesses in every industry.
3. What specific skills or experiences do you have that would make you effective in
this office?
I did economic research as an aide to the Joint Economic Committee in the U.S.
Senate, I learned a solid understanding of the legislative process along with a
healthy skepticism of career politicians and politics as usual. I also started my own
small business and understand the struggles of working people here in the district.
4. What separates you from your opponent(s)? Be specific.
I oppose the Transpacific Partnership. Kurt Schrader supports it.
I think we need to replace Obamacare. Kurt Schrader supports Obamacare.
I oppose the Iran nuclear agreement and believe we need to re-impose sanctions.
Kurt Schrader supports the deal.
I believe that Congress is broken. Kurt Schrader doesnt think it is that bad.
5. How much will your General Election campaign cost? Be specific.
I am not a big believer in deficit spending so I will spend what I raise and no more.
6. 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.
No.
7. 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.
No.
8. Is there anything (such as health issues, etc.) that would affect your ability to
serve your full term? Are any relevant changes in your life situation expected or
contemplated before the election or before you would take office?
No.

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9. What are the three most important issues you would address if elected, and
how? (75 words for each issue)
A. Job creation- stop the government from picking winners and losers in our
economy.
B. National Security- reimpose sanctions on Iran and rescind the nuclear
agreement.
C. First Amendment Rights- Defend the right of people of faith to life according to
their beliefs.
10. What do you see as other important issues?
We need to repeal Obamacare, and give management of federal forests and BLM
land back to the state and counties.
11. There is a strong anti-government sentiment in much of the nation and Oregon.
How would you deal with that?
The strong anti-government sentiment is well deserved, and we are not going to
solve this problem until our elected officials understand that. For some time the
government has been trying to do too much, and what it has been doing, too often,
it has not been doing well. The EPA is trying to regulate anything that moves.
Obamacare forces people to buy insurance they dont want, pay more for what
they have or lose what they want to keep. Also, frankly, the government has been
lying to us. They report low unemployment because they no longer take into
account people who have given up looking for jobs. They tell us that we have no
inflation because they dont bother to include food prices and energy in their
calculations. They tell us that there is no deal for hostages, and then a few days
later have to admit that the $400 million in cash was indeed used to do just that.
Our Secretary of State informs us that the death of Americans in Benghazi was
caused by a video rather than a terrorist attack. We will not restore faith in
government until we prune it back, and our leaders level with the American
people.
12. How would you evaluate the work of the Attorney General's Public Records
Reform Task Force. Are the proposed changes adequate, inadequate or just right?
This is a state issue that I am not informed enough to have an informed opinion.
To the extent that the proposed changes make government more accountable and
more transparent, I favor it.
13. Any skeletons in your closet or other potentially embarrassing information that
you should disclose before it comes up in the campaign?

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No.
14. As a political candidate, your views on national politics are relevant to voters.
Whom do you support for U.S. president in the General Election?
It is not so much a matter of who I support, as who I am voting for. I am voting for
Donald Trump because the specter of a Hillary Clinton presidency is too daunting.
Trump was not my first choice, nor even my 5th choice to win the GOP nomination,
but I think his policies would be less destructive than Mrs. Clintons.
15. As a political candidate, your views on state ballot measures are relevant to
voters. Please indicate whether you favor (YES) or oppose (NO) each of these
measures:
Measure 94, Amends Constitution: Eliminates judges mandatory retirement age.
Thats why we elect judges here in Oregon every six years. There are some judges
that should be retired at age 35 and others that should stay on the bench at 70.
Its not age that matter, but brains, knowledge, and (dare I say it?) wisdom
Measure 95, Amends Constitution: Allows investments in equities by public
universities.
If the universities have so much money they need to invest it, they should return it
to the students in lower tuition costs.
Measure 96, Amends Constitution: Dedicates 1.5% of state lottery net proceeds
to services for Oregon veterans.
Yes, though I would want to see what programs are being unfunded to provide this
money.
Measure 97, statutory: Increases corporate minimum tax when sales exceed $25
million.
NO. This is another job killer.
Measure 98, statutory: Requires state funding for dropout prevention, career and
college readiness programs in high schools.
I am not conversant enough on this issue to respond at this time. Oregons
dropout rate is too high, and deserves our attention, but I dont know if this is the
proper or effective means of dealing with this problem.

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Measure 99, statutory: Creates Outdoor School Education Fund funded through
Lottery to provide outdoor school programs statewide.
This is another state issue I hesitate to answer until I learn more. Outdoor school
programs are great, but what programs are going to be unfunded to provide this
money?
Measure 100, statutory: Bans purchase or sale of parts/products from certain
wildlife species.
Need more information to make an informed decision on this.

Thank you. Please return this questionnaire to the Editorial Board as an

attached Word document to Salemed@StatesmanJournal.com by Sept.
12, 2016.