Ben Westlund

Infobox State Representative
name=Ben Westlund


state_senate=Oregon
state=Oregon
district=27th
term=2002 -
preceded=
succeeded=Incumbent
party=Democratic
date of birth= birth date and age|1949|9|3
place of birth=Long Beach, California
date of death=
place of death=
alma_mater=Whitman College
occupation=rancher
spouse= Libby
residence=Tumalo, Oregon
religion=Episcopal|

Ben Westlund (born September, 1949) is a Democratic Oregon state senator representing District 27, which covers most of Deschutes County and includes the city of Bend, Oregon. He ran for Governor of Oregon as an independent in 2006, but dropped out of the race in August. In December 2006, Westlund became a Democrat. [ [http://www.benwestlund.com/insert_news_bulletin-democrat-12-12-06.html] ]

Early life

Westlund was born in in Long Beach, California; his family moved to Oregon when he was a teen. He graduated from Oregon Episcopal School in 1967, then received a bachelors degree from Whitman Collegecite news|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2008/09/financial_meltdown_figures_int.html|title=Financial meltdown figures into Oregon treasurer's race|last=Walsh|first=Edward|date=September 25, 2008|work=The Oregonian|accessdate=2008-09-26] 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. [ [http://benwestlund.com/content/documents/westlund_biography.pdf] Dead link|date=March 2008]

Westlund was arrested for drunk driving and possession of cocaine in 1982. He credits that incident with convincing him to stop drinking. He would later serve in the Oregon Legislature with the arresting officer, Rep. John Minnis. [http://www.pdxnorml.org/O_Petitioners_100497.html]

Elected office

In 1996, Westlund won election to the Oregon House of Representatives 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. [ [http://www.tsweekly.com/oregon_newspaper_archive/11-10-05archive/localnews1.asp] Dead link|date=March 2008]

That same year, he co-sponsored legislation to create the Oregon Cultural Trust, [http://www.culturaltrust.org/about/oregon_cultural_trust_history.php] and subsequently came under fire for seeking to head the newly created organization. He now serves on the Cultural Trust's board. [http://www.cagw.org/site/DocServer/Oregon_Pig_Book_-_Finalpdf.pdf?docID=161]

In 2003, Westlund was appointed to the Oregon Senate to complete the term of retiring Sen. Bev Clarno. He overwhelmingly won election to that same seat in 2004, also gaining the local Democratic nomination and facing only token opposition on the ballot. [ [http://mom.deschutes.org/election/archive/20041102.htm#State%20Senator,%2027th%20District Deschutes County,Oregon General Election November 2,2004 ] ]

During the 2004 election, Westlund endorsed Ballot Measure 36, which outlawed same-sex marriage in Oregon. [ [http://www.sos.state.or.us/elections/nov22004/guide/meas/m36_fav.html Measure 36 - Arguments in Favor ] ] After learning that research claims by Measure 36 proponents on which he had relied were rejected by the researcher, he personally called the researcher to apologize, expressing regret for supporting the measure. [ [http://www.yaleherald.com/article.php?Article=3783 The Yale Herald - November 12, 2004 - Gay marriage critics misuse Yale study ] ] He subsequently sponsored 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. [ [http://www.brainstormnw.com/archive/jul04_feature.html Brainstorm Nw ] ] Civil union legislation was later resurected and passed in the 2007 legislature, becoming law in 2008.

Westlund supports abortion rights and access to the morning-after pill. During his time in the legislature, however, he has supported some restrictions on abortion. In 2003 he backed House Bill 2547 [ [http://www.leg.state.or.us/03reg/measures/hb2500.dir/hb2547.a.html Relating to information that a health care provider must provide to a female at least 24 hours before performing an abortion in order to obtain the female's informed consent to the abortion; creating new provisions; and amending ORS 435.496 ] ] and in 2005 he backed H.B. 2532. [ [http://www.leg.state.or.us/05reg/measures/hb2500.dir/hb2532.intro.html Relating to the reporting of information about abortion; creating new provisions; and amending ORS 432.333 and 435.496 ] ] Both would have created a 24-hour waiting period for women wishing to receive an abortion and required doctors to read a statement to patients about abortion. In 2005, he also supported H.B. 2605, [ [http://www.leg.state.or.us/05reg/measures/hb2600.dir/hb2605.intro.html Relating to notification to a parent prior to performing an abortion on a minor ] ] a parental notification bill, and H.B. 2020, [ [http://www.leg.state.or.us/05reg/measures/hb2000.dir/hb2020.intro.html Relating to establishing an unborn child as the legal victim of a crime that results in harm to the unborn child; creating new provisions; and amending ORS 163.005, 163.095, 163 ] ] which would have expanded Oregon's criminal homicide law, redefining "human beings" to include fetuses and embryos at any stage of development.

Following his switch to the Democratic Party, there was speculation that Westlund would run against Republican incumbent U.S. Senator Gordon Smith. On October 3, 2007, however, in a press conference attended by Governor Ted Kulongoski, he announced his candidacy for the office of Oregon State Treasurer. He won the Democratic primary and faced Allen Alley in the November general election.

2006 Governor's race

On February 14, 2006, Westlund dropped his Republican registration, registered as an independent and declared his candidacy for Governor. [ http://www.ktvz.com/story.cfm?nav=news&storyID=3378] While Westlund gathered over 36,000 signatures [http://www.westlundforgovernor.com/documents/release_signatures_7-24-06.pdf] (18,386 valid signatures required by August 29, 2006 for ballot access), he withdrew from the race for governor on August 10, 2006, citing that he did not want to be a spoiler in the election. [ [http://www.salem-news.com/articles/august102006/westlund_81006.php Ben Westlund Withdraws From Oregon Governor's Race - Salem-News.Com ] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.benwestlund.com/index.php Senator Ben Westlund] official website
* [http://www.leg.state.or.us/westlund/ Oregon State Senate - Ben Westlund] official government website
* [http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=11041 Project Vote Smart - Senator Ben Westlund (OR)] profile
*"Follow the Money" - Ben Westlund
** [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=81785 2006] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=63782 2004] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=4948 2002] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=48839 2000] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=48639 1998] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=48389 1996] campaign contributions
* [http://www.westlundfortreasurer.com/home.php Westlund for Treasurer]
* [http://www.westlundforgovernor.com/index.php Westlund for Governor]
* [http://www.sos.state.or.us/elections/nov22004/guide/cand/westl_b.html Ben Westlund 2004 Voter's Guide]
* [http://mom.deschutes.org/election/archive/20041102.htm#State%20Senator,%2027th%20District Official 2004 Election Results Deschutes County Clerk]