Bill Sizemore

Last updated
Bill Sizemore
Bill Sizemore (April 2012).jpg
Personal details
Born (1951-06-02) June 2, 1951 (age 73)
Aberdeen, Washington, U.S.
Political party Republican
SpouseCindy
Children5
Education Portland Bible College (BA)

Bill Sizemore (born June 2, 1951) is an American political activist and writer in Redmond, Oregon, United States. [1] Sizemore has never held elected office, but has nonetheless been a major political figure in Oregon since the 1990s. He is considered one of the main proponents of the Oregon tax revolt, a movement that seeks to reduce taxes in the state. Oregon Taxpayers United, a political action committee he founded in 1993, has advanced numerous ballot initiatives limiting taxation, and has opposed spending initiatives. Sizemore made an unsuccessful run for Governor of Oregon in 1998. He also announced his intention to run for governor in 2010, but was indicted by the state on charges of tax evasion. The charges were later amended to failure to file tax returns. [2]

Contents

Early life

Sizemore was born in Aberdeen, Washington on June 2, 1951. He graduated from Montesano High School in Montesano, Washington where he played varsity basketball and was voted by his teammates as the best defensive player and most inspirational player. He earned a degree in theology from Portland Bible College in 1976. After graduating, Sizemore taught Old Testament History and Systematic Christian Theology at Portland Bible College and ran a series of businesses, including a retail carpet business, a toy manufacturing company, and two Portland radio stations. For four years he hosted the Bill Sizemore Show, a two-hour daily news/talk program on Great Talk 1150 AM. [3]

Ballot initiatives

In 1993, Sizemore founded Oregon Taxpayers United and became its executive director. He is noted as the author and driving force behind a number of ballot initiatives in Oregon. One of the first measures Sizemore was involved in was a referendum which stopped Portland's $3.4 billion light rail expansion.[ citation needed ]

Sizemore added several initiatives in 2008.

Sizemore's most notable success was passing Measure 47 in 1996. The measure rolled back property taxes to 1995 levels. Measure 47 also mandated a double majority for ballot measures increasing taxes. With Sizemore's assistance, the Oregon Legislative Assembly amended some of the provisions of Measure 47 in 1997, [4] and referred the amendments back to the voters as Measure 50, which also passed. [5]

In 2000, Sizemore drafted and placed on the ballot Measure 7, which required governments to pay just compensation to property owners when a government-imposed regulation reduced the fair market value of their property.[ citation needed ] Oregon voters approved Measure 7, but the Oregon Supreme Court later nullified it. A similar measure, 2004's Measure 37, subsequently passed, and was amended by 2007's Measure 49.

1998 gubernatorial election

Sizemore ran for Governor of Oregon as a Republican in 1998. He won his party's primary, defeating the Republican Party Chairman and three other candidates who had little or no name recognition. During the general election, The Oregonian ran three major articles detailing Sizemore's alleged shady business practices, both in private business and in the operation of his political action committee and non-profit educational foundation.[ citation needed ] These included one about a "Trail of Debt" he had allegedly left behind, one of which involved an outstanding loan from a fellow church member, which Sizemore says was eventually repaid; one about a fishing club on a private lake, to which he tried to sell memberships before obtaining state permission; and one about an apparently falsified loan application on which he claimed not to have declared bankruptcy when, in fact, he had done so.[ citation needed ] Sizemore said he did not check the boxes on the loan application relating to bankruptcy and that the loan officer who submitted the application did that on his own. Sizemore lost the November general election to incumbent Governor John Kitzhaber, a Democrat. Sizemore won 30% of the vote, to Kitzhaber's 64%. [6]

Racketeering case

Bill Sizemore (2008) Bill Sizemore.jpg
Bill Sizemore (2008)

In July 2000, the Oregon Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers filed a civil racketeering lawsuit against two of Sizemore's organizations: Oregon Taxpayers United and the OTU Education Foundation. Sizemore was not named personally as a defendant or party to the case. During the trial Becky Miller, Sizemore's top aide, under protection of state and federal immunity deals, testified in detail about allegedly unethical and illegal practices of Oregon Taxpayers United. These included alleged money laundering involving both Sizemore and Americans for Tax Reform founder Grover Norquist, as well as falsification of federal tax returns and state campaign finance reports. Additional testimony reported financial deals allegedly designed to disguise or hide the sources of funding for campaigns, as well as to allow Sizemore to personally profit from the campaigns. [7] [8]

After three weeks of testimony and a million dollars in union legal fees, the jury found Sizemore's organizations guilty of racketeering, and the organizations were fined approximately $2.5 million. Sizemore refused to pay the fines and attempted to continue doing business by changing the name of his organizations to Oregon Taxpayers Association and carrying on with business as usual. [9] After a post-trial hearing in which no evidence was submitted Sizemore was found personally liable for his organization's civil racketeering liability, and the judge shut down his 501(c)(3) education foundation. On appeal both sides claimed victory, as the Oregon Taxpayers United organizations were found liable for the judgments but the personal judgment against Sizemore was nullified by the Oregon Supreme Court.

The judge handling the case, Judge Jerome LaBarre, recused himself three years later, informing attorneys that his son was a teachers union member and had been recently elected union president of the Woodburn local. [10]

Measure 42 in 2006

In 2006, Sizemore broke with his pattern of anti-tax measures by filing Measure 42, a consumer-oriented bill that would have denied insurance companies the ability to take credit scores into account when setting insurance premiums. In the most expensive Oregon ballot measure campaign of 2006, the insurance industry spent $4 million to defeat the measure. [11] [12] The campaign to defeat the measure, which focused heavily on Sizemore's credibility, [11] was successful.

Arrest in 2008

On December 1, 2008, Sizemore was sent to jail after a Multnomah County judge found him in contempt of court [13] for the fourth time in his long-running legal battle with two Oregon teachers unions. Multnomah County Circuit Judge Janice R. Wilson ordered Sizemore, who was not an officer of the corporation, jailed until he signed and filed federal and state tax forms that charitable organizations are required to complete to maintain their tax-exempt status. He was released the next day on December 2, 2008. [14]

2010 gubernatorial election

On November 23, Sizemore announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for Governor of Oregon in 2010. [15]

On November 30, Sizemore and his wife were indicted by the State of Oregon on charges of tax evasion for failing to file state income tax returns for the years 2006–2008. [2] He had previously acknowledged failing to file in sworn testimony and was indicted after he failed to file during Oregon's tax amnesty ended on November 19. Sizemore called the charges politically inspired and said he had paid $51,000 in estimated taxes for 2006 and 2007, but could not file actual returns until an ongoing civil case resolved the amount of his income for the years in question. Teachers union and Department of Justice lawyers had claimed in court that Sizemore had personally taken $850,000 from a nonprofit he had been running, but a later audit by the Oregon Department of Revenue determined that Sizemore's income for the three years in question was $392,000, $500,000 less than the teachers unions and Oregon DOJ lawyers had claimed. In 2011, after the judge in the case ruled that Sizemore would not be allowed to put on any defense, he pleaded guilty to three counts of felony failure to file state income-tax returns, with a plea agreement to serve 30 days jail and 3 years probation. Three years later Marion County Judge Claudia Burton retroactively converted the felonies to misdemeanors and all of Sizemore's rights were restored. [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

Ballot Measure 5 was a landmark piece of direct legislation in the U.S. state of Oregon in 1990. Measure 5, an amendment to the Oregon Constitution, established limits on Oregon's property taxes on real estate. Its primary champion and spokesman was Don McIntire, a politically-active Gresham health club owner who would go on to lead the Taxpayers Association of Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Kitzhaber</span> Former governor of Oregon

John Albert Kitzhaber is an American former politician and physician who served as the 35th and 37th governor of Oregon from 1995 to 2003 and again from 2011 to 2015. In February 2015, shortly after beginning his fourth term, Kitzhaber resigned from office and was replaced by Secretary of State Kate Brown. A member of the Democratic Party, Kitzhaber was the longest-serving governor in the state's history.

Ballot Measure 47 was an initiative in the U.S. state of Oregon that passed in 1996, affecting the assessment of property taxes and instituting a double majority provision for tax legislation. Measure 50 was a revised version of the law, which also passed, after being referred to the voters by the 1997 state legislature.

The Oregon tax revolt is a political movement in Oregon which advocates for lower taxes. This movement is part of a larger anti-tax movement in the western United States which began with the enactment of Proposition 13 in California. The tax revolt, carried out in large part by a series of citizens' initiatives and referendums, has reshaped the debate about taxes and public services in Oregon.

Randall Edwards is an American politician who most recently served as the state treasurer of the state of Oregon. A Democrat, Edwards was elected as treasurer in 2000 and reelected in 2004, after serving two terms in the Oregon Legislative Assembly. He served as a manager and senior advisor at the Oregon State Treasury from 1992–1996, and was an International Trade Analyst for the U.S. Commerce Department.

Term limits legislation – term limits for state and federal office-holders – has been a recurring political issue in the U.S. state of Oregon since 1992. In that year's general election, Oregon voters approved Ballot Measure 3, an initiative that enacted term limits for representatives in both houses of the United States Congress and the Oregon Legislative Assembly, and statewide officeholders. It has been described as the strictest term limits law in the country.

Ballot Measure 7, an Oregon, United States ballot initiative that passed with over 53% approval in 2000, amended the Oregon Constitution, requiring the government to reimburse land owners when regulations reduced the value of their property.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Massachusetts Question 1</span>

The State Income Tax Repeal, also known as Massachusetts Question 1, was one of the 2008 ballot measures that appeared on the November 4, 2008 ballot in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Voters were asked whether or not they approved of the proposed measure which, if it had passed, would have ended the 5.3% income tax in Massachusetts on wages, interest, dividends and capital gains. Ultimately, Massachusetts voters defeated Question 1 by a wide margin, with approximately 70% opposed versus 30% in favor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Oregon Ballot Measure 64</span>

Oregon Ballot Measure 64 was an initiated state statute ballot measure on the November 4, 2008 general election ballot in Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Oregon Ballot Measure 58</span>

Oregon Ballot Measure 58 was an initiated state statute ballot measure sponsored by Bill Sizemore that appeared on the November 4, 2008 general election ballot in Oregon. It was rejected by voters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Oregon Ballot Measure 59</span>

Oregon Ballot Measure 59 was an initiated state statute ballot measure sponsored by Bill Sizemore that appeared on the November 4, 2008 general election ballot in Oregon, United States. If it had passed, Oregon would have join Alabama, Iowa, and Louisiana as the only states to allow federal income taxes to be fully deducted on state income tax returns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Oregon Ballot Measure 60</span>

Oregon Ballot Measure 60 was an initiated state statute ballot measure filed by Bill Sizemore and R. Russell Walker. Sizemore referred to it the "Kids First Act." The measure appeared on the November 4, 2008 general election ballot in Oregon.

Loren Ernest Parks was an American businessman from the state of Nevada. He previously lived in Oregon, from 1957 to 2002, and was the biggest political contributor in the history of that state. He financed numerous ballot measure initiative petitions and campaigns from the mid-1990s. He also contributed heavily to races for prominent offices by his attorney, Kevin Mannix, a frequent chief petitioner of ballot campaigns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Oregon Ballot Measure 41</span>

Oregon ballot measure 41 was one of two unsuccessful ballot measures sponsored by the Taxpayers Association of Oregon (TAO) on the November 7, 2006 general election ballot. If passed it would have allowed a state income tax deduction equal to Federal exemptions deduction to substitute for state exemption credit on a person's state income tax filing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis in Oregon</span>

Cannabis in Oregon is legal for both medical and recreational use. In recent decades, the U.S. state of Oregon has had a number of legislative, legal and cultural events surrounding the use of cannabis. Oregon was the first state to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of cannabis and authorize its use for medical purposes. An attempt to recriminalize the possession of small amounts of cannabis was turned down by Oregon voters in 1997.

The South Dakota Open and Clean Government Act, or Initiated Measure 10, was a South Dakota initiative that would ban taxpayer-funded lobbying, stop the exchange of campaign donations for state contracts, and open a website with information on state contracts. The Open and Clean Government Act was proposed as a citizen-initiated state statute and appeared on the November 4, 2008 ballot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Oregon Ballot Measures 66 and 67</span>

Measures 66 and 67 are two ballot referendums that were on the January 26, 2010 special election ballot in the US state of Oregon, which proposed tax increases on corporations and on households making US$250,000 and individuals making $125,000 to help balance the state's budget. The measures referred two bills passed by the Oregon state legislature on June 11, 2009, and signed by Governor Ted Kulongoski on July 20, 2009, to the voters for approval. They were approved and became effective February 25, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Massachusetts Sales Tax Relief Act</span>

Massachusetts Question 3, filed under the name, the 3 percent Sales Tax Relief Act, appears on the November 2, 2010 ballot in the state of Massachusetts as an initiative. The measure, if enacted by voters, would reduce the state sales tax rate from 6.25 to 3 percent. The measure was sponsored by the Alliance to Roll Back Taxes headed by Carla Howell. The measure would be enacted into a law 30 days after the election if approved by voters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Oregon Ballot Measure 97</span>

Oregon Ballot Measure 97 was a ballot measure in the 2016 election in the U.S. state of Oregon. The initiative asked voters to determine whether or not to impose a 2.5 percent gross receipts tax on C corporations with Oregon sales exceeding $25 million. S corporations and benefit companies would be exempt from the tax. It was estimated the measure would raise $3 billion annually for the state, if passed.

References

  1. Ethan Lindsay (February 4, 2009). "A Bill Sizemore Sighting! In Redmond". OPB News. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
  2. 1 2 "Oregon charges anti-tax activist Sizemore, wife with tax evasion". The Oregonian. November 30, 2009.
  3. "candidate profile". CBS News. October 6, 1998. Retrieved 2007-03-17.
  4. Official Results: State Measure No. 47, November 5, 1996 General Election. Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved January 9, 2008.
  5. Official Results: State Measure No. 50, May 20, 1997 Statewide Special Election. Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved January 9, 2008.
  6. Official Results: November 3, 1998 General Election, Governor. Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved January 9, 2008.
  7. "Teachers union files lawsuit against OTU". Northwest Labor Press. 2000-12-15. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
  8. McIntosh, Don (2002-09-20). "Union lawsuit whittles away at Sizemore's credibility". Northwest Labor Press. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
  9. American Federation of Teachers-Oregon v. Oregon Taxpayers United. Archived 2007-07-03 at the Wayback Machine Oregon Judicial Department, October 4, 2006. Retrieved January 9, 2008.
  10. "Sizemore WON For the most part". NW Republican. 2006-10-06. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
  11. 1 2 Lehman, Chris (2006-11-02). "Measure Opponents Focus On Bill Sizemore". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on September 26, 2007.
  12. "Almost Two-thirds of Ballot Measure Cash Comes from Out of State But Campaigns Vary in Terms of Local Control" (Press release). Money in Politics Research Action Project. October 18, 2006. Archived from the original on January 9, 2009. Retrieved 2007-02-27.
  13. Edward Walsh (December 1, 2008). "Bill Sizemore jailed for contempt of court". Oregon Live. Retrieved 2008-12-02.
  14. AP and KGW Staff (December 2, 2008). "Activist Bill Sizemore released from jail". KGW Newschannel 8 Portland. Archived from the original on 2008-12-05. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
  15. Peter Wong (November 24, 2009). "Sizemore files for governor". Statesman Journal. Retrieved 2009-11-24.[ dead link ]
  16. Peter Wong (Aug 5, 2011). "Sizemore pleads guilty, signs deal". Statesman Journal. Retrieved 2011-08-06.[ permanent dead link ]

Sizemore has written three books, Escape from Jonestown, which was written under the pen name Billy Rivers, The Fractured Church, and Hell on Church Street, both of which were written under his own name. He continues to be a featured writer on a number of Web sites, such as

Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Governor of Oregon
1998
Succeeded by