Ben Westlund
Ben Westlund (born 1949) is an Oregon state senator representing District 27, which covers most of Deschutes County and includes the city of Bend, Oregon. He is running for governor as an indpendent.
A native of California, Westlund's family moved to Oregon when he was a teen. Westlund received a B.A. from Whitman College in education and history and pursued some graduate studies at the University of Oregon. He moved to Central Oregon in 1974 and now lives in Bend, running a ranch, with his wife Libby and two children, son B.J. and daughter Taylor. [1]
Westlund was arrested for drunk driving and possession of cocaine in 1982. He credits that incident with convincing him to stop drinking. Ironically, he would later serve in the Oregon Legislature with the arresting officer, Rep. John Minnis.[2]
Elected Office
In 1996, Westlund won election to the Oregon House of Representative as a Republican. During four terms in the House, his most notable work was done as co-chair of the budget-writing Joint Ways and Means Committee, to which he was appointed in 2001. He unsuccessfully argued for the creation of a state sales tax as a means to balance the budget during a revenue shortfall.[3]
That same year, he co-sponsored legislation to create the Oregon Cultural Trust,[4] and subsequently came under fire for seeking to head the newly created organization. He now serves on the Cultural Trust's board.[5]
In 2003, Westlund was appointed to the Oregon Senate to complete the term of retiring Sen. Bev Clarno. He ovewhelmingly won election to that same seat in 2004, gaining the local Democratic nomination and facing only token opposition on the ballot. [6]
During the 2004 election, Westlund endorsed Oregon Ballot Measure 36 (2004), which outlawed same-sex marriage in Oregon.[7] He subsequently endorsed a bill in the legislature to allow civil unions. That effort was defeated in part thanks to opposition by Speaker of the House Karen Minnis, wife of the officer who arrested Westlund in 1982.[8]
On February_14, 2006, Westlund dropped his Republican registration, registered as an indpendent and declared his candidacy for governor. It is unknown with which party he will caucus during the next legislative session or which party's candidate he will support for senate president if he does not win the governor's race. [9]
2006 Governor's Race
Westlund is running for governor in 2006 as an independent. He must gather 18,364 valid signatures by August 29 to earn a place on the ballot. [10]