State Treasurer candidates set for first debate

State Treasurer candidates Ben Westlund (D-Tumalo) and Allen Alley (R-Lake Oswego) will have a chance to address the growing concern about Oregon’s financial future when they meet for their first debate Friday at the Portland City Club.

As Washington D.C. lawmakers will be struggling to get the country through the mortgage lending crisis, both candidates will be able to share their views on how they will manage Oregon’s $80 billion in investments and how they will be able to help the Beaver State overcome an uncertain economic future.

“We’re hoping the debate will be a dignified conversation about how Oregon can make its way through these difficult times,” Westlund chief of staff Stacey Dycus said.

Westlund has been leading the race since he filed his campaign papers, according to the polls. The state Senator grabbed support of 34 percent of Oregonians, to Alley’s 22 percent in the latest numbers show. That gives Westlund the largest lead of any Democrat running a statewide campaign. Dycus said that Westlund, who served as co-chair of the Ways and Means Committee in 2003, already saw the state through one of its worst budget crises and would be able to lead the state through further financial challenges.

“Ben has experience leading the way in tough times,” Dycus said. “His experience leading the Ways and Means Committee will shine though.”

But Westlund isn’t the only candidate in the race with experience in tough times. Alley’s campaign manager Eric Wareham said that Alley had experience navigating his business, Pixelworks, through difficult financial times. And with 40 percent of Oregonians still waiting to make up their mind for this race, Wareham said that Alley had one trait that would be most appealing.

“Business experience, business experience, business experience,” Wareham said. “We want to focus on how Allen’s experience in dealing with a crisis is best for Oregonians.”

The debate is one of two that will be held in this statewide race. It’s not nearly as many as the candidates were hoping for. Back in May, Alley challenged Westlund to five debates so that they could let voters around the state see them side by side. Westlund countered that if they wanted to get their message out to the entire state, five debates wouldn’t cut it.

“I believe that five joint appearances are far too few to really reach ‘the entire State of Oregon’ as you indicated.  In the spirit of your proposal, I propose that we conduct, at a minimum, ten joint appearances, at least two in each congressional district and at least two in each month, beginning in June," Westlund wrote in a letter to Alley. "I would further like to suggest that we emulate the example of two of Oregon's great statesmen, Bob Straub and Tom McCall who, when running as opponents for Governor, traveled to their appearances together in the same car."

The second debate will take place at the League of Women Voters in Bend on October 14.