The surprise race for state treasurer

Kari Chisholm

First, let's acknowledge one thing right off the bat: It is unseemly and awkward to be talking about a successor to Ben Westlund so soon after his untimely death.

However, the election calendar doesn't allow us the time we'd all like to reflect on Ben's life and career before moving on to the political gamesmanship. It's unfortunate, but there's nothing to be done about it. (We will, of course, continue to reflect on the loss of Ben Westlund in the coming days and weeks.)

Here's the deal: Because the office of state treasurer has been vacated in the first half of the term (Ben was elected in 2008), the seat opens up for an election this year. Candidates for treasurer will run in a partisan primary in May, with a general election in November. The timing is especially tough, because the filing deadline is tomorrow, Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Meanwhile, Governor Ted Kulongoski will make an appointment to fill the treasurer's job for the remainder of the year. He may, or may not, make an appointment prior to tomorrow's filing deadline. Of course, if the appointee hasn't filed by then, they'll be simply a rest-of-the-year placeholder. So far, the Governor hasn't made any announcement about who he's considering, when he'll make his pick, or even when he'll announce when he'll make his pick.

Already today, we've learned that Rick Metsger is running. Jeff Mapes:

Metsger, who unsucessfully ran for secretary of state in 2008 and is retiring from the Senate this year, said he is in the race regardless of whether he is appointed by Kulongoski or not.

"If you want the job, you go for it," said Metsger. He argued that his service on the State Debt Policy Advisory Committee and chairmanship of the Senate Business and Transportation Committee help qualify him for the job. Metsger has been a communications consultant and is a former TV newsman.

According to Mapes, Allen Alley - who lost in 2008 to Westlund - is not interested. Neither is Senate President Peter Courtney.

Yesterday, Willamette Week's Nigel Jaquiss speculated aloud about the possibilities:

In some ways the most logical person is ex-Rep. Greg Macpherson (D-Lake Oswego). Macpherson, a benefits lawyer, is an expert on the Public Employee Retirement System, whose complexities figure into the Treasurer’s job. And unlike some current lawmakers who may want the job but recently spurned Kulongoski’s plea to reform the kicker, Macpherson aided the governor by taking on the thankless task of implementing PERS reform in 2003. Macpherson’s role in PERS reform cost him dearly in the 2008 Attorney General’s race. In that contest, public employee unions punished him by throwing extensive financial support to the eventual winner, John Kroger.

The target on Macpherson’s back presents a risk: if Kulongoski appoints him, there’s a possibility the public employee unions could recruit and support another Democrat to oppose him in the May primary. Given the short time window, union financial support could be a decisive advantage, but it would be difficult to recruit a strong candidate by filing time and given the bad press around allegations of Democratic retribution during the February special legislative session, the unions may just let Macpherson alone.

Other Democrats mentioned as possible successors include Senate President Peter Courtney (D-Salem) and Senate Majority Leader Richard Devlin (D-Tualatin) and Sen. Rick Metsger (D-Welches). Metsger is retiring and thus available. Courtney and Devlin have planned to continue in the Senate but might be tempted by the post.

Discuss.

By Kari Chisholm March 08, 2010