Area charities unhappy with Jensen campaign ads

Three Oregon charities were surprised to learn that a Republican primary candidate was running ads on their behalf on a Keizer radio station.

"You know, I think our reaction was we were disappointed that someone had decided to not ask for our consent," said Kyle Dickinson, on behalf of the Union Gospel Mission. "We were available, and we were not contacted to express what our needs were."

The 386 one-minute profiles of area charities were part of a settlement between the Barbara Jensen campaign and Keizer radio station KYKN. Jensen is running against former KYKN radio host Bill Post for the Republican nomination for House District 25. Jensen's campaign asked the station for equal access to its airwaves in March, citing Federal Communications Commission regulations.

Jensen's campaign chose to use the majority of her 566 minutes of airtime on the charity spots rather than traditional campaign ads because she wanted "voters to see my Christian values in action."

But Lou Jaffe, president of the Oregon World War II Memorial Foundation, said board members thought the ad could be misconstrued as an endorsement of Jensen.

"We just thought it was too close to the line, and we wanted the ad pulled," Jaffe said. "We're not comfortable with this."

KYKN did not immediately respond to a request to confirm that the WWII ad is off the air.

Jaffe was also upset that Jensen, who is a longtime supporter of the foundation, didn't get permission for the radio spot.

"Her tone of voice and what's said is terrific, but at the end of the day, what's this really about?" Jaffe said. "It sounded like we were endorsing a candidate. I frankly went ballistic."

The one-minute spots, which are read by Jensen, include a disclaimer at the end saying the ad is not an endorsement of any campaign.

"How many people are going to listen to that or pay attention to the very end and catch the disclaimer," said Lyndon A. Zaitz, president of the Keizer Heritage Foundation. "Perception is reality, and if someone thinks that a 501(c)3 organization in Keizer is promoting or endorsing one candidate over another, we just can't have that."

Non-profits are not legally allowed to endorse candidates.

The Heritage Foundation's board was meeting Thursday afternoon to decide whether to ask KYKN to remove their ad.

"The ads are clear that I am endorsing these wonderful charities, not the other way around," Jensen said in a statement. "I would hope that even though I am a candidate running for office now, that I still have the right to speak out in support of my favorite charities."

The Union Gospel Mission hasn't asked the radio station to pull its ad.

The charity appreciates people who want to raise money on its behalf, Dickinson said.

However, UGM wishes it had been given the opportunity to tell Jensen that the mission really needs specific food items like ground meats, hot and cold cereal and canned fruits.

Dickinson would also have told the campaign that the correct address to drop off food donations is 345 Commercial Street NE.

"The address that was given to bring the food donations is actually our donation warehouse where we process clothes and in-kind donations," Dickinson said.

The Jensen campaign told the Statesman Journal it spoke with a volunteer at UGM who gave them the incorrect address.

The UGM profile also incorrectly identifies the charity as a food bank.

"The fact that so many people have gotten so confused suggests to me that this crossed the line," Jaffe said. "It suggests at a minimum very bad judgment, and we just don't want to be associated with that."