Grudge Match

As an unusually substantial recall effort gathers steam, allegations and countercharges fly.

Over the past decade, peevish Oregonians have announced more than 100 recall efforts of various elected officials. Nearly all of them have failed because they lack the three things that United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 brings to its pending attempt to recall state Rep. Paul Holvey (D-Eugene): organization, money and focus.

A union carpenter appointed to the House in 2004, Holvey built a reputation as a strong labor vote—including as a chief sponsor in 2017 of the nation’s first statewide workplace scheduling bill. UFCW called that bill “a huge step in the dotting downtown Portland’s streets, the backlash was swift. Detractors argued the money would be better spent expanding scarce treatment options.

Still, other organizations have found success with this model.

Nonprofit Outside In has seen an 87% increase in monthly client visits since last October, when it began distributing smoking supplies, including tinfoil and straws, its drug users health services program supervisor, Haven Wheelock, tells WW. And it’s not reliant on county funds. The nonprofit is buying tinfoil with money from Measure 110, the law that promised to expand addiction treatment services in exchange for decriminalizing possession of small amounts of fentanyl in 2020.

On Friday, WW asked all five members of the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners whether they supported the new initiative. Here are their responses, edited for brevity:

COMMISSIONER JULIA BRIM-EDWARDS

right direction for hourly workers.”

But last week, UFCW, Oregon’s largest private sector union, with 30,000 members, turned in 6,600 signatures aimed at ejecting the longest-serving House Democrat. It needs 4,600 of those to be valid for a recall election. Officials at the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office will begin validating signatures July 17.

UFCW lobbyist Mike Selvaggio says Holvey has turned his back on unions. “He’s put up hurdles on labor bills that have not been there for business bills,” Selvaggio says. “He’s been there for nearly 20 years and, after a certain amount of time, I think you start taking things for granted.”

Holvey can’t quite believe a group that has supported his career—and presented him with a plaque of appreciation that sits in his Salem office—is now trying to end it.

“It’s disingenuous and beyond the pale,” Holvey says. “It all seems a little bit dark to me.” He wonders if Selvaggio screwed up UFCW’s priority bill and is trying to shift the blame.

“Is it Mike Selvaggio’s ego that he didn’t like it being pointed out his proposal was a hot mess legally and didn’t want to lose face?”

Unions drive Oregon Democratic politics.

The fissure isn’t just between Holvey and UFCW—it’s also between UFCW and Service Employees International Union and the Oregon Education Association, both of which support Holvey. That’s a threat to the unity that has made labor strong.

All of this requires a little explanation. Here

Access to treatment is the best long-term harm reduction strategy for substance use, and Narcan and test strips being widely available are effective mechanisms to reduce overdose deaths. I support both of those strategies. As it relates to distributing foil and straws to enable fentanyl use, there is no compelling evidence that it is comparable to safe needle exchanges or that the county currently has capacity to connect individuals to treatment who want it. For that reason, I am asking the health department to delay implementation of this aspect of the program.

Commissioner Susheela Jayapal

I’m generally very supportive of harm reduction strategies: These strategies are backed by expert opinion and research as a way of preventing overdose and other health risks associated with substance use, and of connecting people with the services they need in order to recover from their addiction. I understand that it seems counterintuitive to provide supplies, such as clean needles or smoking supplies, when we have a drug crisis on our streets—but it’s vital that we employ a research-based public health approach to dealing with this crisis, not a politicized or punitive approach. That said, I do have some questions about the intent to begin distributing smoking supplies: As soon as I learned about it, I requested a further briefing from the public health department, and look forward to their response to my follow-up questions.

Commissioner Sharon Meieran

As an ER doctor, I’ve seen people die from overdose, require replaced heart valves for infections, and lose limbs from “flesh-eating” are several claims being made and the rebuttals each side offers:

UFCW’s claim: The union went ballistic at the failure of its top 2023 legislative priority, House Bill 3183, which would have facilitated organizing cannabis workers. “When Rep. Holvey was asked to slash public employee pensions, first in 2013 and again in 2019, he couldn’t wait to ignore Legislative Counsel’s guidance and land the state in the Supreme Court,” UFCW president Dan Clay says. “Now with workers’ rights on the line, he’s suddenly overly cautious about a policy that has been successfully implemented in several other states?”

Holvey’s response: As chair of House Business and Labor Committee, Holvey cited a Legislative Counsel opinion—two of them actually— that said the language UFCW wanted in the bill would likely be preempted by federal law. He says HB 3183 wasn’t ready for prime time and the union was slow to fix the shortcomings he pointed out. “We shouldn’t pass bills that aren’t legal,” Holvey says. “To me, you either amend the bill and fix it or change your concept to make it legal.”

The ethics complaint: In mid-June, Holvey filed complaints against Selvaggio, UFCW’s lobbyist, with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission, alleging that by filing the recall on May 22, when both the session and HB 3183 were still alive, UFCW violated state law prohibiting lobbyists from attempting to influence bacteria. In a functioning addiction prevention and response system, harm reduction is an important temporizing measure to prevent death and other major injury for people using drugs, with the ultimate goal to get them connected to treatment.

But not all harm reduction is created equal. Narcan distribution and syringe exchange have been proven to save lives. Distribution of safe smoking kits is done in a number of places, but it’s not clear what harm is prevented, if any. And in a system where we hold board briefings rather than take action, the idea of handing out foil and straws, essentially while Rome is burning, is ludicrous.

We do not need more briefings as people continue to literally drop dead on our streets from fentanyl overdose. It’s time to declare the fentanyl crisis a public health emergency and take action.

CHAIR JESSICA VEGA PEDERSON a lawmaker’s vote by threatening action at a future election.

Our health department went forward with this proposal without proper implementation protocols, and in that light, I am suspending the program pending further analysis. My focus has been on saving lives. We’ve seen overdose deaths from fentanyl increase eightfold since 2019, from 26 deaths to 209 deaths in 2022. I’m interested in connecting people with lifesaving materials like naloxone because we’ve seen a significant decrease in the number of people utilizing our harm reduction resources as fentanyl use became more prevalent. We must connect people to services and continue communicating to those struggling with addiction that your life is worth saving.

Commissioner Lori Stegmann did not respond to WW’s question.

Selvaggio’s response: Holvey’s complaint is bogus. “That’s an absurd claim that is not supported by the facts, and an attempt by Rep. Holvey to divert attention away from his record and conduct,” Selvaggio says. “By the time the recall was filed, not only had the bill been publicly declared dead, but the bill was out of his committee, rendering his vote immaterial.”

Signature-gathering questions: UFCW created a political action committee to gather the signatures necessary to put the recall question to voters. It has since paid $106,000 to Osprey Field Services LLC to gather those signatures. The issue: Records show Selvaggio founded a company called Osprey Field Services LLC in 2018. That company dissolved in 2020, the same year Selvaggio’s former employee, Joseph Emmons, founded a company with an identical name. “Seems like self-dealing to me,” Holvey says.

Selvaggio’s response: The UFCW lobbyist calls insinuations that he stands to benefit from the recall “disgusting.” Selvaggio’s relationship with Emmons and Osprey is totally arm’s length, he says, and he gets no compensation of any kind from Emmons or Osprey. “I started Osprey but have since divested myself of any and all financial interest,” he says. “Full stop.” UFCW president Clay says he’s satisfied there’s nothing amiss. NIGEL JAQUISS.