Alley picks up East Oregonian, Daily Astorian, Willamette Week endorsement

There probably aren’t too many things the editorial boards of the East Oregonian and Willamette Week agree on, but they have come to a consensus on who Oregon’s next treasurer should be.

Both papers, along with The Daily Astorian, have endorsed former Pixelworks CEO Allen Alley (R-Lake Oswego) to be the next steward of Oregon’s financial resources.

“He is an individual who, despite not being an insider in Salem, certainly knows his way around the business community,” the East Oregonian editorial board wrote. “That's a valuable bit of experience when one is looking at an executive to oversee Oregon's fiscal resources.”

Willamette Week agreed, writing that Alley’s business skill was of more value in the state treasurer’s position than political experience, an argument Alley has been making on the campaign trail.

“Managing the staff that makes investment decisions for the state’s massive portfolio requires an analytical approach,” Willamette Week's editorial board wrote. “Even though Pixelworks flamed out, Alley brings decades of experience in evaluating complicated financial propositions, first as a venture capitalist and later as a tech executive. At a time when financial markets are increasingly complex and volatile, we’ll take that skill set over Westlund’s superior political acumen.”

The Daily Astorian pointed to a long ago accusation of sexual harassment that resurfaced during the campaign this summer as a reason voters should be wary of Alley’s campaign rival, state Sen. Ben Westlund (D-Tumalo).

“Westlund's sexual harassment of a legislative aide, which The Bulletin of Bend reported, is a warning light. In the private sector, that would have bought Westlund a termination,” The Daily Astorian editors wrote. “Ben Westlund's political career is so freighted with opportunism that it's hard to know what he really is. Westlund began political life as a Republican and catered to the far right in one instance. He became an Independent to run for governor. Now he is a Democrat.”