Both partys' candidates unopposed in District 29

The race for Oregon House District 29 is likely to be competitive again this election year, with three candidates expected to be on the November ballot.
The incumbent, Rep. Chuck Riley, 68, is running as a Democrat in the May 20 primary. Former farmer and business owner Jeff Duyck, 50, a newcomer to politics, is running as a Republican on that ballot.
Former Cornelius mayor Terry Rilling, 51, now a member of the Independent Party, plans to run for the seat in November.
Rilling, a corporal in the jail division of the Washington County Sheriff's Office, ran as a Republican for the District 29 seat in 2006 but lost to Riley. Rilling said he recently switched to the Independent Party because it's more in line with his views.
Rilling will compete only in the November general election because he does not represent one of the two major parties.
For now, the focus is on Riley and Duyck, both of whom list the economy and education as priorities.
The district, which encompasses Forest Grove, Cornelius and the southwest region of Hillsboro, has 24,588 voters. Democrats outnumber Republicans in the district, and that gap has widened since the 2006 election.
The district has 9,177 Democrats, 8,471 Republicans, 6,006 nonaffiliated, 158 in the Independent Party, and 776 in other parties, with the most in the Libertarian and Working Families parties.
Riley, who has served two terms, was first elected in 2004 after an unsuccessful run in 2002. Before that, he ran his own computer consulting business.
While in office, he said he has either advocated or supported a statewide health plan for teachers; creation of a commission that monitors whether agencies are following recommendations from audits; and preserving the kindergarten through 12th-grade education budget.
He also backed two controversial measures on the 2007 ballot -- Measure 50, a cigarette tax that would have financed health insurance for children, and Measure 49, a land-use law that limits the amount of development allowed under Measure 37. Measure 50 failed, and Measure 49 passed.
Duyck is a lifelong Washington County resident whose family has deep roots in farming. The second of 13 children, Duyck worked on his family farm in Cornelius until he was in his 30s. He then moved to Forest Grove and opened two stores in Cornelius selling farming supplies and fertilizer -- Pacific Harvest Supply Co. and Dutch Country Mercantile.
He sold them last year to Wilco, an Oregon farm-supply cooperative and plans to build a Wilco store in Forest Grove.
Riley, who lives in Hillsboro, said he supports extending Forest Grove's enterprise zone, a designation that gives tax incentives to eligible companies, to Cornelius. Hillsboro also has enterprise zones. Riley said he also supports Cornelius' request to add land to its urban-growth boundary to revitalize its struggling economy.
He said it's also important to nurture a skilled work force by funding colleges and apprenticeship programs.
Duyck said he will work to attract more jobs, particularly in technology, to Forest Grove and Cornelius, so that the cities are more competitive in the global economy and more residents can work where they live.
He said he supports tax incentives through enterprise zones, but he has to examine whether more areas in Cornelius should be developed before expanding the urban-growth boundary into farmland.
Neither candidate supports tax increases, saying instead that they want to ensure existing funds are spent more effectively.
Both also said they support a new state law requiring proof of legal residency to get a driver's license. Riley said he originally opposed the requirement but changed his mind after learning how driver's licenses are used extensively in identity theft.
Both candidates said the district's large Latino population enriches the area and supports the agriculture industry.
Duyck didn't want to discuss his opinions on Measure 49 but said he considered it the 'better of two evils,' compared with its predecessor, Measure 37. He also said he opposed Measure 50 -- as did a majority of voters in the district -- because he doesn't think the tobacco industry should be targeted to fund health care.
Duyck said people know him as a fair and honest person with a solid background in farming and business. 'I'm more in touch with what they want.'
Riley said he's been active in all three cities during his time on the state Legislature and knows how to get things done.
'As a professional problem-solver, I like to get things done right,' he said.