Candidates For Oregon Treasurer Speak At City Club Of Eugene
October 1, 2010
By Angela Kellner, KLCC Radio

The 3 candidates running for Oregon Treasurer spoke at the City Club of Eugene Friday. Each was asked how they would approach the job. Walter Brown, with the Progressive Party, served in the Oregon Senate from 1975 to 1987. He's also a veteran and attorney.

Walter Brown: "The Treasurer's Office is on the front lines of what's happening on Wall Street and elsewhere. And it's a good thing for the Treasurer to be on top of the current economy which way it's going and why it's going there and see if we can invest more in Oregon."

The current Treasurer, Ted Wheeler, was appointed to the position earlier this year when Ben Westlund passed away. Wheeler is the former Chair of Multnomah County.

Ted Wheeler: "I want to help the Legislature find ways to actually improve our financial footing. For example, I'll be introducing legislation that will allow us to protect interest on the general fund and go into a rainy day fund. It doesn't cost taxpayers anything else and it doesn't take money out of existing programs."

State Representative Chris Telfer has been a certified public accountant for nearly 30 years and owns a CPA firm.

Chris Telfer: "The job of the Treasurer as the chief financial officer of the state is to provide financial strategies, planning and analyzation of trends and the current situations and moving forward. You know, as a CPA, that's exactly what we're trained to do."

The City Club of Eugene airs Monday night at 6:30 on KLCC. Note: The podcast, when ready, will be here: http://www.klcc.org/audio/cityclub2010_10_01.mp3