Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
State Rep. Jeff Kropf has withdrawn from the race for House District 17 after learning that his candidacy would create difficulties for his employer, KXL radio station, because of federal laws requiring equal air time for political candidates.
He had already announced that he was running for his last term in public office.
Kropf, who represents Sweet Home, Lebanon, Stayton, Sublimity and surrounding areas, will continue as representative through the end of his term in January.
The decision comes, he said, after an extensive look at the current federal election laws and how his candidacy, if it were to continue, would affect KXL, the radio station where he has worked as a talk show host for more than two years.
Kropf began by filling in for Lars Larson after Kropf and another representative introduced a bill to start an Elvis Day. Kropf went on the show to answer questions. Larson began calling him for comments on a variety of issues, and eventually Kropf began filling in.
“You can characterize it as ‘I’m the accidental talk show host,'” Kropf said.
He started his own program on Sept. 5, 2004.
His show runs from 6 to 9 a.m. on 750 AM.
The current interpretation of the law states that an opponent of a candidate that works on a radio station and has air time, can then request equal air time or a cash equivalent from that radio station from the time of filing for candidacy, Kropf said.
“I am very disturbed that because of this discriminatory and unfair federal law, I am having to choose between the future of my family and fulfilling my commitment to run as the Republican nominee,” Kropf said. “This is not the way I wanted to end up. I wanted to finish it by running for a fifth term and continuing to advance certain ideas I think are important … for the people I serve.”
The law is unfair, he said, because it only applies to broadcast media and doesn’t apply to other forms of free media, such as the Internet and print media.
Kropf ran unopposed and won the Republican nomination in the primary election. He would have faced Dan Thackaberry, a Lebanon city councilman, in the November general election. He was running for a fifth and final term in the House of Representatives.
Republican precinct officials in Linn County and Marion County will select a new candidate to face Thackaberry.
As of Monday, three potential candidates had come forward, including Will Tucker, Rick Alexander and Clint Bentz, Kropf said.
Kropf came out backing Bentz, the first to offer himself as a candidate, Kropf said. “He’s the only guy that’s come to me over the years and said, ëI really want to run for your seat when you’re done.'”
“Had we known that this circumstance would have put KXL in financial jeopardy, I would have never filed for re-election,” Kropf said. “It has been my absolute honor and privilege to serve the people of District 17, and my wife and I will miss them.”
Kropf said he’s leaving office proud of his work in the state Legislature.
“We’ve had some great legislation we’ve introduced on behalf of the constituents,” he said. “Over the years, we’ve had some great ideas that we won’t be able to get finished. I’ll have to ahead and try to get those ideas done through other legislators.”
Among the work he is most proud is on behalf of soldiers serving in Iraq.
“I had a number of ideas our soldiers had given to me when I was in Iraq in 2004,” Kropf said. Most of them were rolled into a package. Among the features of the package was a $1,000 property tax forgiveness for any soldier deployed from the National Guard or reserves. The state renewed educational benefits, which had been taken away in 2002 budget cuts, and expanded them to include spouses and children.
Other things still need to be finished, Kropf said. Among them, the state needs rural doctors to take military patients. Reimbursement rates from the federal program are so low, veterans can have a hard time finding a rural doctor.
The Legislature was able to reform the Public Employees Retirement System, he said, but that program is still going to have a tremendous negative impact on taxpayers and still needs work.
He promoted bio-fuels and also got a tax credit passed for farmers who do not use a 35-foot buffer along streams with listed endangered species, he said, creating an incentive to control fertilizer runoff into streams.
“It’s things like that I will count as successes in my term of office,” Kropf said.
“I was already planning to leave public office,” Kropf said. “This, unfortunately, accelerated it.”
He is not sure what he will do, he said. “Frankly, I’m looking for some sensible alternative to go forward.”
Kropf is still running a small farm in Sublimity. He also is working with his son in real estate and leases some land to farmers.
“I would like to stay in politics to some extent so I can utilize all the things I’ve learned over the years, my experience, my understanding of the political process…. Lobbying doesn’t appeal to me, but yet I feel passionate about some things.”
He does plan to continue working behind the microphone, he said. “It’s my intention to find a way to be on the radio every day.”
During the week, he said, he looks at newspapers and sees two or three things that make him say, “I wish I was on the air.”
Until the end of his term, his office at the Capitol will still be available to help with constituents with any problems they have in the district. His Capitol phone number is (503)986-1417.