Editorial

Westlund provided leadership, example worth following

The Gresham Outlook, Mar 10, 2010

Like most Oregonians, we were shocked to learn Sunday that state Treasurer Ben Westlund had died at his home in Bend. His 2003 diagnosis of lung cancer, and subsequent recovery, was well-known. And the return of the disease last fall was hardly a secret. But the sudden end to his life, at age 60, left us reeling a bit over the weekend.

It is a loss not only for his family, but also the state.

In a toxic political environment in which every vote and every public statement is measured by its ability to promote one party or tear down the other, Westlund was a throw-back.

The guy didn’t care about party labels – literally.

After making a bundle in the bull semen market in Bend, Westlund was elected to the statehouse in 1996 and emerged as a rising Republican star.

He ended up co-chairing the powerful budget-writing committee in 2001, just as the last economic downturn decimated the state budget. Tired of cutting social services, he backed a failed effort to establish a temporary income tax hike and was subsequently stripped of his committee post by his fellow Republicans.

When the party tilted further right, he became an independent in 2006 and, later, after a brief gubernatorial bid, re-registered as a Democrat.

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