Allen Alley

MINNEAPOLIS -- State Treasurer candidate Allen Alley (R-Lake Oswego) received a ringing endorsement from two Oregon mayors Thursday, who said that his experience was what the state executive office needed.

MINNEAPOLIS -- State Treasurer candidates Allen Alley (R-Lake Oswego) and state Sen. Ben Westlund (D-Tumalo) spent Tuesday and Wednesday fighting over who’s tax violations had been more egregious.

Perhaps the most eye-catching policy proposal in state Treasurer candidate Allen Alley’s (R-Lake Oswego) “Oregon 2020” plan, released on Tuesday, is his goal of increasing the federalCorporate Average Fuel Economy standard to 100 miles per gallon.

Shortly after the May 20 primary, Oregon state Treasurer candidates Allen Alley (R-Lake Oswego) and state Sen. Ben Westlund (D-Tumalo) talked of their hopes to schedule debates around the Beaver State. First there were five debates. Then the dream grew to 10 debates. Westlund thought it would be great fun to travel to the debates together in the same car. He even invited Bob Eckstrom, the Constitution Party’s state Treasurer nominee, to come along before he dropped out of the race. Both candidates believed that through joint appearances, Oregonians would come and learn the finer nuances of the state Treasurer’s office, they would cast their vote, and the best man would win.

State Sen. Ben Westlund: Campaign photoThe Oregon State Building and Construction Trades Council announced Wednesday that it will be endorsing State Sen. Ben Westlund (D-Tumalo) for treasurer.

“As a legislator, he offered common-sense solutions to some of our biggest challenges,” said Bob Shiprack of the Council. “As State Treasurer, he will champion investment in our infrastructure to build our economy and create jobs.”

Building and Construction Trade Council represents 21 different construction crafts and over 30,000 of Oregon’s construction workers and contractors.

The first time state Sen. Ben Westlund went to Denver, it was January 1981 and he had to drive 24-hours through a Rocky Mountain winter to make it to the National Western Stock Show, the biggest cattle show in the country. He arrived at four in the morning, completely exhausted and hoping to get some sleep. Instead, he spent the next six hours outside of the Denver Coliseum, next to the railroad tracks, chipping frozen dung out of a pen, so his prize-winning bull, Reggie, would have a place for the night.

The Allen Alley campaign responded on Thursday to the anti-Alley website Oregon Democrats launched by taking a more of a glass-is-half-full approach toward the candidate's business history at Pixelworks, the Portland-based technology company that Alley founded.

The Oregon Democratic Party launched a new website Thursday aimed at bringing to light some of the business practices of Republican State Treasurer candidate Allen Alley.

Since the last elected Republican governor of Oregon, Vic Atiyeh, took office in January of 1979, it doesn’t look good for the party’s 2010 prospects.

State Sen. Ben Westlund (D- Tumalo), a candidate for treasurer, has hired Ivo Trummer as his campaign’s new finance director.

In an email to PolitickerOR.com, Stacy Dycus, Westlund’s spokesperson wrote: “Fundraising professional Ivo Trummer has joined Westlund's team for Oregon State Treasurer.  Trummer got his start in fundraising on Bev Stein's unsuccessful bid to defeat Kulongoski for the Democratic nomination in 2002, despite raising $1.78 million in the primary. For the 2004 and 2006 cycles, Trummer was finance director for FuturePAC, Oregon House Democrats, raising $1.2 million the first cycle and $1.95m in 2006, setting a new record for Oregon caucus fundraising.”