MAKING MONEY FROM THE
INITIATIVE SYSTEM
“Sizemore discovered long ago there are wealthy ideologues willing to pay
handsomely to have him turn Oregon's initiative system into their personal
playground. In this election, the millionaires behind the Sizemore curtain are Loren Parks, a former Oregon medical device manufacturer now living in Nevada, and Richard Wendt, founder of Jeld‐Wen, a Klamath Falls manufacturing company." Oregonian Editorial, September 14, 2008
[Click photo to see Loren Parks in action.]
Who is Loren Parks?
In the past decade, Nevada-based Loren Parks has almost singlehandedly bankrolled initiatives from Bill Sizemore, Kevin Mannix, and Russ Walker. In 2008, he contributed a total of $1.35 million to efforts to qualify initiatives to the ballot. He made his fortune selling medical equipment, and is now an amateur sex hypnotherapist.
Who Benefits From Parks’ Money?
Parks became involved in Oregon politics in 1990. After attracting controversy, he moved to Nevada, but continues to fund political projects, mostly from Kevin Mannix and Bill Sizemore. He set—and then subsequently broke—the record for the largest single contribution from an individual to a political campaign: first in 2000 with a contribution of $175,000 to Kevin Mannix, followed in 2002 with a contribution of $250,000, again to Kevin Mannix. This year, he almost singlehandedly funded Measures 58, 59, 60, and 64 from Bill Sizemore, and Measures 61 and 62 from Kevin Mannix. He’s since given more than half a million dollars to ballot measures.
This year, he almost singlehandedly funded Measures 58, 59, 60, and 64 from Bill Sizemore, and Measures 61 and 62 from Kevin Mannix. He’s since given an additional $175,000 to Mannix.
The Missing Millionaire
On October 2, 2008, Sizemore appeared in court to face allegations that he is using a sham charity set up in Nevada to launder political money and hide the identities of his donors. But the man at the center of Sizemore’s scheme, Loren Parks, evaded process servers for weeks in order to not have to answer any questions about his involvement. A website was established to solicit help from the public to find him. Please visit MissingMillionaire.com to find out more.
Breaking the Law?
In 2001, Parks was investigated for unlawfully spending more than $533,000 in taxexempt funds from his personal non‐profit family foundation on political campaigns. To settle the case and avoid going to court, Parks paid $50,000 to the state. As part of the deal, the Parks Foundation was banned from contributing to any political action committees and banned from paying for, producing, or distributing any political campaign materials including ads, reports, and public statements.
What In The World?
In addition to funding ideologically extreme ballot measures, Loren Parks is also an avowed amateur sex hypnotherapist who—we’re not making this up—likes to wear Mickey Mouse ears during his “hands-on” therapy with his patients. He also posts clips of himself bragging about his exploits on YouTube. See for yourself at his YouTube page . He believes he can cure you of everything from frigidity to migraines to cat allergies, all by staring into your eyes.
To learn more about Loren Parks' techniques, click here.
When Was He Sued for Sexual Harassment and Defamation?
Parks was sued in 1983 for professional misconduct when a patient claimed he had sexual intercourse with her while she was receiving hypnotherapy treatment from him. Although Parks is not a doctor, he began treating his patient for emotional instability, sexual dysfunction, depression, and enuresis. Soon the sessions became one-on-one. Her condition worsened as a result of his treatment. Her depression increased; she tried to kill herself. The case was settled in 1986.
In 1998, a Multnomah County Circuit Court jury fined Parks $135,000 for defaming a former employee had had fired two years earlier, after accusing her of embezzling.
He was sued again in 2001 by a former employee who said Parks forced her to have sexual intercourse during a business trip and created an otherwise hostile work environment. Parks claimed the woman had signed a contract agreeing to have sex with him on their trip. The contract signed by the woman and presented in court said: “We will be sleeping together on our trip for our mutual pleasure. Neither of us is obliged to continue an intimate relationship following the trip. All of this has been discussed with my supervisor…” She said she had signed a contract, but it had contained no sexual language when she signed it.
In 2002 she filed a sexual harassment suit against Parks, this time in the U.S. District Court in Portland. She felt pressured to have sex with then 75-year-old Parks because she had witnessed poor treatment of a female co-worker who had refused him, with ‘increasing hostility from other employees;’ the woman eventually resigned. The sexual harassment case was ultimately settled out of court.
DEFEND OREGON | 2027 Lloyd Center, Portland, OR 97232, Tel: 503-288-5918
Bill Sizemore photo by Northwest Labor Press
