Here is a quick summary of who I believe should be elected to the various positions on the November ballot, and what measures should or should not pass.  These are my personal selections, and do not necessarilly reflect the opinions of any particular organization I might be involved with.  The ones in bold print are the ones I consider most important, because of the significance of the position, the closeness of the race, and how strongly I feel about the candidate.  Those listed in italics are unopposed on the ballot.

Federal

    President:  Barack Obama - the obvious choice.  Obama knows we need to make fundamental changes in the policies of this country.

    Senate:  Jeff Merkley - I've known Jeff for several years and have always been impressed with his knowledge, wisdom, and dedication to the core principles of the Democratic Party which work to improve the lives of working people.

    Congress:  Earl Blumenauer - Earl has been a staunch advocate for environmental protection, and will continue to be.

State

    Secretary of State:  Kate Brown

    State Treasurer:  Ben Westlund

    Attorney General:  John Kroger

    Commissioner of Bureau of Labor and Industries:  Brad Avakian

    State Senator:  Margaret Carter

    State Representative:  Tina Kotek

    Judge of the Supreme Court, Position 7:  Martha L. Walters

    Judge of the Court of Appeals, Position 4:  Timothy J. Sercombe

    Judge of the Circuit Court, 4th District

       Position 18:  Tom Ryan

       Position 21:  Stephen K. Bushong

       Position 27:  Diana I. Stuart

Multnomah County

    Sheriff:  Likely Bob Skipper, although I'm open to being convinced otherwise.

East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District

    Director, Zone #1:  Bob Sallinger

    Director, Zone #2:  Laura Masterson

    Director at-large #1:  Clair Klock - Clair has worked with Soil & Water Conservation Districts for many years, owns a blueberry farm in the Corbett area, and is extremely dedicated to the success of the District in its mission.

    Director at-large #2:  Peter Finley Fry - He did not file a voters pamphlet statement, but is the better of the two candidates who filed.

City of Portland

    City Commissioner, Positon #1:  Amanda Fritz

Measures

State

    Measure 54:  Yes

    Measure 55:  Yes

    Measure 56:  Yes

    Measure 57:  Yes (this is the one that is improved, it needs to get more votes than #61 below)

    Measure 58:  No

    Measure 59:  No

    Measure 60:  No

    Measure 61:  No - this would financially devastate the state.

    Measure 62:  No

    Measure 63:  No

    Measure 64:  No

    Measure 65:  No

Metro

    Measure 26-96:  Yes

Portland Community College

    Measure 26-95:  Yes

City of Portland

    Measure 26-94:  Yes