Statesman Journal mini-questionnaire for 2016 Primary

Election
Your name as listed on the ballot: Bill Burgess
Age: 64
City/town of residence: Salem, Oregon
Position you are seeking (name of position, district number, etc.): Marion
County Clerk
Are you currently a full-time resident within the boundaries of the specific
area (ward, district, county, etc.) that you seek to represent? Yes, I am a fulltime Marion County Resident residing in Salem, Oregon.
Number of current, consecutive years living within the district you seek to
represent: 36 years.
Family (name of spouse/partner, number and ages of children if at home or
number of grown children): Cindy Burgess and two grown children, one still
at home.
Your education (high school, trade, college, post-baccalaureate; indicate any
degrees you earned): Sunny Hills High School graduate; Fullerton Junior
College, A.A.; Oregon State University, BS-Pharmacy; Lewis & Clark College,
MPA. (also Certified Election Registrar Administrator, (CERA) graduate
through the Election Center and Auburn University 2014).
If employed, current occupation, employer and job duties:
Marion County Clerk
Previous employers and when:
Oregon Pharmacy Services and PRN from about 1980 though about 2012
Oregon State Hospital, pharmacist 2000-2004
Quisenberry Pharmacy pharmacist 1996-2000
Bi-Mart Pharmacy Manager, Salem 1979-1993
Bi-Mart and Tiffany Pharmacies in Eugene/Springfield 1976-1979
Military service and when:
Volunteer/civic/religious service and when:
Finance Committee Chair, Morningside United Methodist Church 2015 present.

Salem City Council 1990-1998

Salem Keizer Public Schools Bond Steering Committee 1998
Liberty Boone Neighborhood Association Chair about 1990-1992
Oregon State Pharmacists Association Board of Delegates, legislative
committee, convention committee, resolutions committee 1980s through
1990s
Marion Polk Yamhill Pharmacists Association President, Vice-President and
Treasurer various stints in the 1980s and 1990s
Sunday school teacher, Trinity Covenant Church sometime in the 1980s
Please list all public offices to which youve been elected, and when:
Marion County Clerk 2004, 2008 and 2012.
Salem City Councilor 1991 and 1995.
Please list any unsuccessful candidacies for public office, and when:
Marion County Commissioner 1998, 2000 and 2002
Other prior political and government experience: Student Body President,
Fullerton Junior College.
How the public can reach your campaign (remember that this information
will be made public):
Mail address:
E-mail address: billburgess@earthlink.net
Web site URL: electbillburgess.com
Phone: 503-884-7438
Facebook: Facebook.com/reelectbillburgess
Other social media:
Please limit your response to each of the following questions to about 75
words.
1. To an outsider, how would you describe the region you wish to represent
-- geographically, economically, politically and socially? Marion county is
both rural and urban with 20 cities, including Salem, Oregons capitol
city. We are the leading agricultural producing county in Oregon. We are
diverse in religion and heritage. We are united in striving to protect and
improve thriving communities.

2. What are the positives and negatives of this region (ward, district, county
or state) that you wish to represent? As an election official I see a higher
voter participation than national rates a positive, though it is not as good as
it should be. Conversely, Marion County has a higher percentage of eligible
to vote, but unregistered adults than many other Oregon counties.
3. What specific skills and experiences do you bring to the position,
especially ones that would help turn those negatives into positives? I have
eleven years of leadership experience as Marion County Clerk in enhancing
efficiency, accuracy and delivering great customer service in administering
elections (over 40 elections) and our licensing and recording operation.
Inquisitiveness, tenacity, communication skills and a commitment to
excellence have helped me deliver on improvements such as a better vote
tally system, 24/7 ballot drop sites, electronic submission of land records for
recording, digitizing 1.5 million images, and recording and marriage license
process upgrades. I also use these skills in regularly encouraging people I
meet to register and to vote.
4. What separates you from your opponent(s)? Be specific. Experience and
education which have and continue to deliver operational improvements. I
am committed to continuous quality improvement and to personal growth.
5. Please list five specific accomplishments that you have achieved in politics
or civic affairs:
As County Clerk:
Upgraded vote tally system increasing accuracy and improving
documentation of voter intent.
Instituted electronic submission of land records for recording
Digitized 1.5 million pages of records for easier searching and viewing.
Instituted secure 24/7 ballot drop sites and added other sites for voter
convenience.
Administered over 40 elections.
As City Councilor:
$20+ million bond for transportation improvements including sidewalks to
schools.
Riverfront Park (Staff advised against development) (I believe bridgehead to
Minto Island was a 5-4 vote)
Helped make citizens feel more welcome to testify and feel heard.
Speed zones around schools when yellow lights were flashing (Salem was a
demonstration project)
Speed berms on residential streets to reduce speed for resident and
pedestrian safety.
As Pharmacist:
Pharmacists allowed to interchange dosage forms to better serve patients.
Helped on enabling generic substitution through legislation.

Helped develop standards for use of pharmacy technicians.

6. How much will your Primary Election campaign cost? (be specific)
Probably $6,000 to $15,000.
7. 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
8. 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. Bankruptcy about 2002. Was late on paying property taxes once
sometime in the 1990s
9. What are the three most important issues you would address if elected,
and how? (75 words for each issue)
A. Continue to provide and improve on open, convenient, efficient, accurate
and transparent voter registration and election administration that upholds
public trust in the integrity of elections and citizen governance.
B. Continue to protect, preserve for posterity and make readily available our
land records, an underpinning of our American financial markets and
business capital, while shielding when possible, personal information. Adopt
best practices as knowledge and technology improve.
C. Move our secure 23,000 square foot archive facility to an appropriate
place.
10. What do you see as other important issues?
Improve voter participation through better communication.
Diversify workforce to better represent and serve our customers.
Encourage younger people to pursue public service.
Provide skill, knowledge and performance enhancement opportunities for
team members.
11. What online and/or print publications do you regularly read to keep
abreast of issues in the district you seek to represent? Statesman Journal,
Election Administration Reports, Election Line, Election Academy, Governing
Magazine, NACRC, IACREOT, PRIA, New York Times.
12. Any skeletons in your closet or other potentially embarrassing
information that you should disclose before it comes up in the campaign?
Anything (including health issues) that would affect your ability to serve your
full term? Any changes in your life situation that are contemplated or
expected before the election or before you would take office? No.

Thank you. Please return this questionnaire to the Editorial Board as an attached Word
document to Salemed@StatesmanJournal.com by April 20, 2016.