Statesman Journal mini-questionnaire for 2012 General Election Thank you for responding to this questionnaire, which is for

use by Statesman Journal Editorial Board members in evaluating candidates for potential endorsements in the Nov. 6 General Election. Your answers also will be shared with reporters and may be published in the print newspaper and on StatesmanJournal.com. If you completed our questionnaire for the primary season, youll notice that some requested information is similar. We ask you to provide it again in case any of your previous data or answers have changed. (If you cant find a copy of your previous answers, let us know and well gladly send one.) Please answer each question and return this questionnaire to the Editorial Board via email as an attached Word document. The boards email address: Salemed@StatesmanJournal.com Deadline for submitting your questionnaire: 9 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12, or earlier.
Questions? Contact Editorial Page Editor Dick Hughes, 503-399-6727, dhughes@StatesmanJournal.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your name: Knute Buehler

Age: 48
(If your age will change before the Nov. 6 election, please indicate your birthday. We want to make sure we use accurate ages in editorials and news coverage. )

Political party (if this is a partisan office): Republican Party and Independent Party nominee

Position you are seeking (name of position, district number): Secretary of State

I plan to attend the editorial board meeting scheduled for: 10/15 @ 9am

Number of years living in the area you seek to represent: Lifelong Oregonian

Do you affirm that you are a full-time resident of that area? Yes

City/town of residence: Bend, Oregon

Family (name of spouse/partner, number and ages of children if at home, number of grown children): Dr. Patty
Buehler, two children, 15 and 18 sophomore in high school, freshman in college

Education: Rhodes Scholar, Oxford University, Masters, Politics and Economics; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Medical Doctor; Oregon Health and Science University, Medical Resident; Oregon State University, Bachelor of Science, Micro-biology; Roseburg High School

Current occupation and employer: Orthopedic Surgeon, The Center for Orthopedic and Neurosurgical Care and Research; Inventor/medical product design

Military service: None

Employment history: Physician, small business owner, inventor

Community involvement/volunteer history: Board of Directors, St. Charles Health Systems; Board of Directors, Ford Family Foundation; Board of Directors, Oregon League of Minority Voters; Advisory Board, Oregon State University-Cascades Campus

Please list all public offices to which youve been elected, and when: None

Please list any unsuccessful candidacies for public office, and when: None

Other prior political and government experience: Worked on a ballot initiative in 1994 to set

strict campaign contribution limits and co-authored a ballot initiative in 2008 to open primaries to all voters regardless of political party. Steering committee Ross Perot for President, Oregon Campaign, 1992.

How much your general election campaign will cost:

Key endorsements you have received: John Miller, President, Salem Chamber of Commerce; Norma Paulus, Former Oregon Secretary of State; Dave Frohnmayer, Former Oregon Attorney General; Harry Lonsdale, former Democratic Candidate, US Senate; Myrlie Evers-Williams, Civil Rights Activist; LeeAnn Larsen, Beaverton School Board Chair; Jack Roberts, Former Commissioner, Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries; Congressman Greg Walden; Independent Party of Oregon

How the public can reach your campaign (remember that this information may be published): Mail address: 1863 Pioneer Parkway East, Suite 610, Springfield OR 97477 E-mail address: info@buehler2012.com Web site URL: www.buehler2012.com Phone: 541-915-3322 Fax: 541-607-8605

Please limit your response to each of the following questions to about 75 words but be specific.

1. Have you ever been convicted of a crime, been disciplined by a professional licensing board/organization or had an ethics violation filed against you? If so, please give the details. No. 2. Have you ever filed for bankruptcy, been delinquent on your taxes or other major accounts, or been sued personally or professionally? If so, please give the details. No.

3. Why should people vote for you? What separates you from your opponent(s)? I am the reformer in this race. As a doctor, I have been trained to diagnose and solve problems, not just win petty political arguments. I will use those skills to get Oregon working and address critical problems facing our state. 4. What are the three most important issues you would address if elected? How? (75 words for each
issue)

A. I will work with small businesses to help them create jobs. Ive started businesses and run a medical practice with 170 employees. I have a plan to reform the Secretary of States Corporation Division to streamline the business licensing process, remove outdated regulations, and help small businesses navigate government bureaucracy so we can get Oregonians working again. B. Ill eliminate government waste and increase efficiency so our government can deliver better services. Ill hold government accountable and be the leader in cutting waste, which will maximize funding for schools, law enforcement, and helping families in need build a better future. Ill be your government watchdog and I have a 6-point plan to reform Oregons Public Employee Retirement System (PERS), which will benefit PERS members, taxpayers, and improve our schools and other vital programs. C. I am a non-partisan reformer who will work to reduce the money in politics. Ive worked for 20 years to reform campaign finance laws and open primaries to independents. I have a plan to make candidates list their largest donors on campaign ads and limit campaign spending in order to appear on the voters pamphlet. I will advocate long overdue campaign finance reform and independent redistricting.

5. What do you see as other important issues? The biggest threat facing our schools and other vital public services is the $16 billion unfunded liability of our Public Employee Retirement System (PERS). My 6-point plan to reform PERS will put the system on stable footing which will benefit PERS members, our school children who see ever increasing classroom sizes, our law enforcement officials who have seen their budgets slashed, and those less fortunate who depend on our vital public services.

6. How would you describe your political style or for judicial candidates, your judicial temperament?

I am an independent thinker focused on solving problems in a pragmatic, common sense way. Too often we take partisans from the legislature and promote them into higher office only to see them continue their partisan ways. As Secretary of State, Ill push aside partisan thinking to address the critical issues facing our state, like making Oregon a better place to create jobs, helping small businesses navigate regulations, performing audits to help reduce waste, and reforming our campaign finance system to reduce the influence of money in politics.

7. If you are an incumbent, what have you achieved during your current term? If you are not an incumbent, how have you prepared yourself for this position? I have worked on two ballot initiatives to reform our election laws one to implement campaign contribution limits and one to open primaries to independent voters. As a successful business owner, I recognize that theres more that can be done to help small businesses navigate the many regulations imposed by government, and as the chair of the Strategy Committee within a major hospital in our state, Ive implemented performance auditing to increase efficiencies and control medical costs. These experiences directly relate to the important functions of the office. Finally, I was born in Roseburg and have lived in Oregon the vast majority of my life. I am an outsider to the partisan politics of Salem with an insiders knowledge of Oregon and its people.

8. What is the largest budget you have handled, and in what capacity? When I was the managing partner of The Center for Orthopedic and Neurosurgical Care and Research, I managed a company with annual revenues in excess of $35 million. Serving on the Board of Directors of St. Charles Health Systems, I help oversee an annual budget of $500 million.

9. What is the largest number of employees youve supervised, and in what capacity? While a managing partner at The Center for Orthopedic and Neurosurgical Care and Research, I managed 170 employees, approximately the same number of employees under the Secretary of States direction.

10. Who is your role model for this office the person/people you would most like to emulate? It is a cross between Phil Keisling and Norma Paulus. Both are independent thinkers who put the needs of their fellow Oregonians above partisan politics. Thats the type of leaders our state needs today; people who will put partisanship aside to get Oregon working.

11. Any skeletons in your closet or other potentially embarrassing information that you want to disclose before it comes up in the campaign? No

12. As a public official, your views on public issues are relevant to voters and potential constituents. Please indicate whether you support or oppose each of these statewide measures on the Nov. 6 ballot. (This question does not apply to judicial candidates.) Measure 77, catastrophic disaster Measure 78, separation of powers Measure 79, real estate transfer taxes Measure 80, marijuana legalization Measure 81, gillnetting ban Measure 82, allows private casinos Measure 83, authorizes Wood Village casino Measure 84, eliminates inheritance tax Measure 85 shifts corporate kicker to K-12 schools Yes No Yes Yes Yes No No No No

Thank you. Again, please submit your questionnaire as an attached Word document to Salemed@StatesmanJournal.com no later than 9 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012.