Bill Sizemore now free to raise funds for his gubernatorial campaign
From our weekly issue dated April 21, 2010
Although some of his rivals for the Republican nomination for governor have raised substantial amounts of money, Bill Sizemore is no longer prohibited from doing the same.
On Friday, April 9, Multnomah County Judge Janice Wilson ruled that Sizemore“s campaign committee is not covered by a previous court injunction banning him from raising money for political purposes.
Sizemore has spent the last few years battling the state“s public employee unions in court. Those legal disputes have stemmed from Sizemore“s sponsorship of various ballot measures aimed at limiting the unions“ influence on public officials.
During a Saturday, April 10 telephone interview, Sizemore praised the ruling, but that it still has limitations.
“It only applies to candidate committees,“ Sizemore said. “But it completely frees me to raise and spend money in the governor“s race.“
Gubernatorial hopefuls Chris Dudley and former Gov. John Kitzhaber, a Democrat, both have surpassed the $1 million fund-raising mark. Sizemore acknowledges that he has a steep hill to climb to compete with those candidates.
“It will be a challenge at this late date to find money and put money in. I will do my best to do that,“ he said. “My hands have been tied behind my back this entire campaign thus far.“
Despite the financial limitations, Sizemore said that he still has been hitting the campaign trail hard throughout the state.
“I“ve been debating and giving speeches almost every day,“ Sizemore said.
In recent weeks, he has spoken to Republican groups in Multnomah, Yamhill and Clackamas counties. He also addressed crowds at Tea Party gatherings in Grants Pass, Klamath Falls, Bend and Redmond.
Sizemore still has plenty of court appearances ahead. He has a hearing scheduled for June regarding the $12 million defamation lawsuit he filed against various public employee unions.
“That will be the one where the judge will wrap it up and hopefully make a decision to go ahead with discovery,“ Sizemore said. “The unions already lost this round, but legal fees are no issue for them. They will continue to stall and delay.“
Also pending is a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Sizemore and one of his frequent donors. Sizemore also is facing multiple charges of contempt of court.
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