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Allen Alley's Corporate Practices Become Issue In Race For Treasurer

Alley has History of Working Against Accountability for Wall Street

(October 29, 2008)--Portland, OR--Allen Alley, the Republican candidate for State Treasurer has a record of poor corporate practices including lobbying against accountability and transparency measures; first, as a Bush appointee and later as a corporate CEO.  Mr. Alley also was in the practice of outsourcing Oregon jobs to China and when he was forced to leave Pixelworks, he received the same type of executive compensation, also known as a "golden parachute", that is common practice on Wall Street.

Allen Alley worked against corporate transparency in 2002 when he was appointed by President Bush to the U.S.-Japan Private Sector/Government Commission.  In November of that year, the private sector Commissioners recommended a rolling-back of new Securities and Exchange Commission rules regarding audits, financial reporting, and shareholder rights.

"We encourage the SEC to expeditiously make . exemptions to these rules"

In 2004, according to the Oregonian, Alley continued his work against corporate accountability by lobbying Congress and the SEC to oppose a proposal from the Financial Accounting Standards Board requiring companies to report executives' stock options on corporate income statements.

As the CEO of Pixelworks, Mr. Alley also outsourced over 200 Oregon jobs to China, the same year he was paid over one million dollars which the Seattle Times called "pay for dubious performance".

In 2006, when Alley was forced to resign as CEO of Pixelworks due to his management decisions that drove down the company's value by hundreds of millions of dollars, he received a "golden parachute" that pays him over $50,000 a year and health care benefits.

"Allen Alley has been engaged in the same corporate practices that have caused this financial crisis," said Stacey Dycus, campaign manager for Ben Westlund. "He has the wrong experience and the wrong priorities to be trusted with public money, voters deserve to know that he's just too risky."

Allen Alley's NEGATIVE political ad full of misrepresentations

(September 30, 2008)- Salem, OR-- Oregon Democratic and Independent nominee for State Treasurer Ben Westlund has released an online video correcting several misleading statements in his opponent's first television ad.

"If Mr. Alley insists on misrepresenting his record to voters, it's our responsibility to set the record straight, so voters can make an informed choice based on the facts." says Stacey Dycus, Westlund's campaign manager.

In the video, posted on YouTube hours after Allen Alley's ad first aired on television, the ad is run normally while a "fact check" is superimposed after each claim.

In one instance after Alley claims to have created jobs, the fact check notes that "Allen did create jobs: 90% outside of Oregon and mostly in China."

"Mr. Alley has made his entire campaign about half-truths and out-of-context claims," says Dycus.  "The idea that a Bush-appointed Wall Street CEO is going to bring change to our economic system and fight for middle class families is laughable.  Allen Alley is more of the same, and wrong for Oregon."

The video can be found on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqK-tzYmNVo

Westlund launches re-designed website

Featuring Web Videos Focusing on Westlund's Priorities

(September 23, 2008) - Portland, OR - The campaign of Oregon Senator and Democratic and Independent nominee for State Treasurer Ben Westlund (D-Bend) launched a re-designed website this week at www.benwestlund.com featuring web videos from people who know and have worked with him on his priorities of making health care affordable, investing in renewable energy, public safety, fiscal responsibility and quality eduaction. 

"Ben shares the priorities of Oregon families and I know he has what it takes to make the financial decisions that will move Oregon and Oregon's families into the future," said Representative Sara Gelser (D-Corvallis) who has a featured clip on the home page and on the education priority page.

The Fiscal Responsibility priority page features Bend businessman Mike Hollern. "He's been fiscally responsible, he understands finance, he's a businessman," said Hollern in the video. "I think he'll be very effective."

Other people featured are Doctor Senator Alan Bates (D-Ashland) on the Meet Ben page, consumer health care advocate Maribeth Healey of Clackamas on the priority page for affordable health care, senior advocate Phyllis Rand of Salem, and Liz Cruthers of Woodburn on the public safety priority page.