Top 10 Reasons to vote YES
to Recall Paul Holvey
10
Holvey turned a farmworker overtime bill into a $10 million cash cow for management.
Instead of just holding employers accountable to pay fair wages, Holvey ponied up millions in tax dollars to pay off employers. He adopted amendments to HB 4002 (2022) and later requested and passed HB 2058 in 2023 to gift them a free $10 million! (Plus, Holvey set the overtime threshold at 55 hours instead of the usual 40!) And if you don't think Holvey was responsible for these decisions, please remember what his supporters said about his participation: Senators Dembrow and Taylor confirmed that he was "leading on the bill."... "he was the carrier in all three House debates. The person assigned to carry a bill is ... the true sign of who’s leading on the bill."
9
He legislates with double standards that are easy on big business and tough for workers.
Holvey loves to claim that his blocking of workers rights bills and COVID assistance were due to his careful nature. But when big business held a special session in 2012 to demand taxpayers back a 30-year insurance policy, Holvey was an easy “yes” vote just hours after the bill was first introduced. (HB 4200, 2012 Special Session) In addition, he's never ever shied away from cutting public worker benefits due to cautionary memos from Legislative Counsel (SB 822 and SB 1049), even though he's landed the State in the Supreme Court twice as a result. But when working folks needed employment protections or COVID assistance, he threw in the towel as soon as there was a whiff of opposition.
8
Thanks to Holvey, Eugene’s minimum wage will always be $1.25/hr less than in Portland.
Holvey often takes credit for geting a minimum wage increase passed in 2016 (SB 1532). But even though he Chaired the commitee the bill went through, and even though there were Democratic majorities in both chambers, he left Section 1 of the bill intact, which ensures that Eugene’s minimum rate is pegged at $1.25/hour less than Portland’s. And if you don't think Holvey was responsible for that decision, please remember what his supporters said about his participation: Senators Dembrow and Taylor confirmed that he was "leading on the bill."... "he was the carrier in all three House debates. The person assigned to carry a bill is ... the true sign of who’s leading on the bill."
7
His idea of fiscal management includes being secretive about $90 million cost overruns.
Holvey often dismisses this Recall campaign as a waste of money, but that’s small potatoes compared to his own mismanagement! When the Capitol Building remodel ran over budget $90 million, he tried to sweep it under the rug and quietly OK’d it in his subcommittee until Oregon Public Broadcasting broke the story on August 8, 2023.
6
He screamed profanities in campaigners’ faces at a Legislative town hall.
On August 12, Holvey passed two recall signature-gatherers on his way into a town hall and without provocation, stopped to scream in their faces about their “bullshit.” Campaigns can get heated, but that’s not the behavior of a lawmaker who’s got it all together. We need a representative who’s not going to lose it when under scrutiny.
5
He’s grown very comfortable getting donations from sources like LNG projects and big pharma.
Holvey began his legislative career innocent enough, but that was way back when George Clooney was the reigning Batman! Since then his campaigns have been powered by the likes of big pharma, the fossil fuels industry (including Bradwood Landing LNG project), big box businesses including Amazon, and other skeezy sources. (Look through all of his campaign transactions, both good and bad, at the Secretary of State's office at this link.)
4
He quietly helped send $4 million in tax dollars to an anti-choice clinic in Grants Pass.
As Chair of the Capital Construction Subcommittee, Holvey approved a 2021 recommendation that “HB 5006 be amended by the –1 amendment and be reported out do pass,” which added a $4 million gift to the anti-choice Pregnancy Care Center of Grants Pass. (See page 26 of the Budget Report) It was part of a deal with the Republicans that wasn’t even honored anyway.
3
He used his short time as Acting Speaker to kill COVID assistance for front-line workers.
After being promised some form of COVID assistance for the better part of a year, low-wage front-line workers were finally set to see a program passed as LC 157 in the 2022 Session. But soon after Speaker Kotek left to run for Governor and Holvey became acting Speaker, he killed the bill in a January 31, 2022 Zoom meeting because he said it was just too complex.
2
Holvey was the House carrier for draconian cuts to public employee benefits.
After his support of the pension-slashing SB 822 in 2013 landed the State on the losing end of a Supreme Court battle, Holvey was one of the architects of re-making that concept into SB 1049 in 2019, which made deep cuts to retirement benefits for teachers, firefighters, and other public employees. (This is a good example of the double-standard mentioned in reason #9.) And if you don't think Holvey was responsible for that decision, please remember what his supporters said about his participation: Senators Dembrow and Taylor confirmed that he was "leading on the bill."... "he was the carrier in all three House debates. The person assigned to carry a bill is ... the true sign of who’s leading on the bill."
1
He’s just simply untrustworthy, and that’s not acceptable for a State Representative.
Holvey’s explanations for many of these actions keep shifting and often conflict. He’s even offered up some explanations that are verifiably untrue (such as that Legislative Counsel declared a bill illegal). Recently the NW Labor Press reported that he “admitted to the Labor Press he wasn’t upfront” about his motivations on bills. Heck, in one story in the Eugene Weekly (where journalistic integrity apparently takes a backseat to Holvey adoration), they even unquestionably published his claims that he was simultaneously "waiting for a legal opinion" and having possession of the opinion when acting on a particular bill. (Physics joke that one of our staff is making me add: "Holvey doesn't just take positions on issues... he takes superpositions!" ... sorry.) When you just can't get a straight answer out of your State Representative on a very objective question like that, it's time for a new State Representative.