State Rep. Emerson Levy, challenger Keri Lopez face off on issues from schools to abortion, housing in KTVZ debate
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Oregon House District 53 Democratic incumbent Emerson Levy and Republican challenger Keri Lopez faced off on a variety of issues in Monday night’s live Decision 2024 debate on NewsChannel 21, with Levy pointing to progress she’s made and Lopez saying she’d help restore needed balance in Salem.
Lopez, a two-term Redmond School Board member, said in her opening statement she’d focus on “local control, parental rights and a failing education system.”
“If we continue with one-party rule, problems will continue to go unsolved,” Lopez said.
Levy said her first term focused on “one simple value: There’s more that unites us than divides us,” and cited endorsements by the state’s largest business organization and labor union, farmers and environmentalists, “not because we aways agree – I will always come to the table.”
Asked about high housing costs and what can be done, Lopez said more red tape needs to be cut to speed the process: “It shouldn’t take longer to get a permit than to build a home. … This is an urgent issue – we need to make it urgent.”
Levy agreed that “we should be doing more” and said that as a member of the Housing Committee, she worked on a housing needs analysis and helped pass a bill that takes effect in January and will speed up the permit process.
A question on ODOT funding asked the candidates if they supported the nearly $200 million Bend North Corridor project as a best use of tight highway funding.
Lopez said she believed Highway 97 “should have been shifted east of Bend” when the project was first discussed 20 years ago. Levy noted nearly a third of ODOT’s budget goes just to paying off its debt and said, “We need to be more accountable for every dollar that goes out.”
The candidates also were asked about the “kicker law” that sends billions in tax revenue beyond state projections back to Oregonians in the form a tax credit, and whether the state should keep and use those funds instead.
Levy said reforms have been made to ensure a more accurate forecast of what revenues will be. Lopez said the kicker funds enshrined in state law should go back to being returned “in the form of a check,” to help deal with the high cost of living.
Moderator Lee Anderson then asked whether the candidates support the current state law that lets transgender youth take part in high school sports based on their gender identity.
Lopez, who has two sons, spoke of how they could throw a ball harder and faster than she could during years playing softball. She spoke of “significant differences” between the genders in sports competition and asked, “What if we had an open class? … Women should have the right to participate in women-only sports.”
Levy said she always wants parents involved but urged caution “in how we talk about our transgender youth,” who have been most likely to experience suicidal ideations.” She called it “irresponsible” for her opponent’s literature to refer to transgender youth as “confused little boys.” Both agreed on the need to provide more mental health treatment options for youth.
A similarly sensitive issue – abortion -came next, and Levy said, “I’m the only pro-choice candidate” and will “always support a woman’s right to choose.” But Lopez countered, “There hasn’t been, and there is no threat to abortion in Oregon."
She also said this isn’t an issue she’s hearing raised when knocking on doors in the district. “This is an issue meant to divide us, not bring people together,” Lopez said.
“I have no intention of banning IVF or birth control or anything else that the left wants to tell you I would like to do,” Lopez said. “This is a divisive issue. I stand with 80% of the people who support some limits on abortion.”
A question on education pointed to Oregon’s low ranking among the states and asked how to improve schools without increasing the budget. Lopez said she’s consistently worked to raise standards and improve education in Redmond, while Levy said she’ll keep working for dollars to go to early literacy and special education, which she said “is completely underfunded.”
Lopez said she wants to “fully fund education” and raise standards but not send unfunded state mandates to school districts. Levy replied, “I agree, we should not have funded mandates,” and spoke of a bill to bring improved “top of the line security” to Oregon schools, much like what prevented greater loss of life at a recent Georgia school system – and that it was funded and not mandated.
In closing statements, Lopez said that “Democrats label Republicans as extreme,” but insisted, “I represent balance, and that makes me a threat to their majority power.”
But Levy said, “There is a stark contrast in values. I’m a centrist. My opponent has worked from the fringes, from abortion rights to family planning to book bans.”
NewsChannel 21 has two more Decision 2024 debates – one on Wednesday at 7 p.m. with the three candidates for Redmond mayor, and an hour debate on Thursday, October 10th at 6 p.m. in the closely watch Fifth Congressional District race between incumbent Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Democratic challenger Janelle Bynum.
