the portland trailblazers
- Thread starter phil
- Start date
im sure you guys saw on the news, but LOL
Chris Dudley declares GOP candidacy for governor
By Jeff Mapes, The Oregonian
December 16, 2009, 8:23PM
Former Portland Trail Blazers player Chris Dudley started work Wednesday on a goal never accomplished in modern Oregon history -- winning the governorship with zero political experience.
chris dudley.jpgChris Dudley
Dudley, 44, entered the Republican race for governor with a carefully worded speech that stuck to GOP orthodoxy on jobs, government spending and natural resource development, but that also tried to assure voters he cares about quality schools and strong environmental protections.
Dudley, now a financial adviser and Lake Oswego resident, said he wants to tackle such longtime problems as the high cost of the state's public employees retirement system.
He avoided offering specifics on how he would deal with the retirement system and, in a subsequent interview, generally declined to take specific stands on how he would reshape the budget or the state bureaucracy.
His announcement at North Portland's Self Enhancement Inc., attracted a diverse cross section of GOP legislators, activists and business lobbyists, hoping Dudley's celebrity and fresh political profile could be the formula that ends the Oregon Republican Party's 23-year losing streak in gubernatorial races.
"I think Chris is going to help energize a group of Oregonians who haven't been energized," said Sen. Bruce Starr, R-Hillsboro, noting Dudley was "not tainted by party politics."
That was a big theme in Dudley's 17-minute announcement speech.
"I believe it is a strength and not a weakness that I haven't spent the last 30 years in politics," he said. "Our state government has grown stale at the hands of insiders."
That could have been a reference to former Democratic Gov. John Kitzhaber, who is seeking to reclaim his old office this year and has been in politics for just over three decades.
Dudley dodged a challenge from another experienced politician Wednesday, when House Minority Leader Bruce Hanna, R-Roseburg, ruled out running for governor. Hanna said he wants to focus on gaining Republican seats in the House.
Dudley emphasized his opposition to the measures on the Jan. 26 ballot that would raise taxes on corporations and higher-income Oregonians, saying it's wrong to "overtax and overregulate the very people who are motivated to create jobs."
Similarly, Dudley said he would stand with farmers and loggers trying to use natural resources while insisting on a clean environment.
Those opinions don't vary greatly from positions held by the other Republicans in the race, high-tech businessman Allen Alley, former legislator John Lim of Gresham and tax activist Bill Sizemore.
Dudley did make one specific spending promise, saying he wants to find more money for higher education. He said Oregon's relatively low level of funding is a "death sentence for Oregon's future."
He also embraced former University of Oregon President Dave Frohnmayer's report calling for the state to loosen controls over the universities so they can be more entrepreneurial.
Generally, though, Dudley resisted being pinned down.
When asked how the Legislature should cut the budget to make up the loss of $726 million if voters reject the tax measures, Dudley said, "You have to look at all areas, you have to look at what is working and is not working and you have to prioritize."
He also declined to say how he would reshape the balance between natural resource development and environmental protection. "You have to go case by case," he said.
Dudley also shrugged off the abortion issue, which frequently comes up in Republican primary races.
"I'm not running for governor to change our abortion laws," he said. "I'm comfortable with where they are."
When asked whether he would support legislation on such issues as requiring parental notice for a minor seeking an abortion, he replied, "I would look at anything that is brought before me and make a decision based on how it is written."
Dudley said he was inspired by the example of several non-politicians who achieved high office, including California Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., and two former sports figures, former Sen. Bill Bradley, D-N.J., a onetime NBA star; and former Rep. Steve Largent, R-Okla., who had a long career with the Seattle Seahawks.
"I feel I am a strong leader. I know I am a strong leader. I embrace the challenges," Dudley said. He touted his experience helping to run a business, creating a foundation for diabetic children and serving as a negotiator for the NBA players union.
The one explicit nod to Dudley's two stints as a Blazer during his 16 years in the NBA came when he was introduced by Bill Schonely, the team's former announcer.
"If Chris makes his free throws, things will be right for us," joked Schonely, referring to the biggest problem that Dudley, a 6-foot-11 center had in the NBA: He was a notoriously poor shooter from the free-throw line.
-Jeff Mapes
Chris Dudley declares GOP candidacy for governor
By Jeff Mapes, The Oregonian
December 16, 2009, 8:23PM
Former Portland Trail Blazers player Chris Dudley started work Wednesday on a goal never accomplished in modern Oregon history -- winning the governorship with zero political experience.
chris dudley.jpgChris Dudley
Dudley, 44, entered the Republican race for governor with a carefully worded speech that stuck to GOP orthodoxy on jobs, government spending and natural resource development, but that also tried to assure voters he cares about quality schools and strong environmental protections.
Dudley, now a financial adviser and Lake Oswego resident, said he wants to tackle such longtime problems as the high cost of the state's public employees retirement system.
He avoided offering specifics on how he would deal with the retirement system and, in a subsequent interview, generally declined to take specific stands on how he would reshape the budget or the state bureaucracy.
His announcement at North Portland's Self Enhancement Inc., attracted a diverse cross section of GOP legislators, activists and business lobbyists, hoping Dudley's celebrity and fresh political profile could be the formula that ends the Oregon Republican Party's 23-year losing streak in gubernatorial races.
"I think Chris is going to help energize a group of Oregonians who haven't been energized," said Sen. Bruce Starr, R-Hillsboro, noting Dudley was "not tainted by party politics."
That was a big theme in Dudley's 17-minute announcement speech.
"I believe it is a strength and not a weakness that I haven't spent the last 30 years in politics," he said. "Our state government has grown stale at the hands of insiders."
That could have been a reference to former Democratic Gov. John Kitzhaber, who is seeking to reclaim his old office this year and has been in politics for just over three decades.
Dudley dodged a challenge from another experienced politician Wednesday, when House Minority Leader Bruce Hanna, R-Roseburg, ruled out running for governor. Hanna said he wants to focus on gaining Republican seats in the House.
Dudley emphasized his opposition to the measures on the Jan. 26 ballot that would raise taxes on corporations and higher-income Oregonians, saying it's wrong to "overtax and overregulate the very people who are motivated to create jobs."
Similarly, Dudley said he would stand with farmers and loggers trying to use natural resources while insisting on a clean environment.
Those opinions don't vary greatly from positions held by the other Republicans in the race, high-tech businessman Allen Alley, former legislator John Lim of Gresham and tax activist Bill Sizemore.
Dudley did make one specific spending promise, saying he wants to find more money for higher education. He said Oregon's relatively low level of funding is a "death sentence for Oregon's future."
He also embraced former University of Oregon President Dave Frohnmayer's report calling for the state to loosen controls over the universities so they can be more entrepreneurial.
Generally, though, Dudley resisted being pinned down.
When asked how the Legislature should cut the budget to make up the loss of $726 million if voters reject the tax measures, Dudley said, "You have to look at all areas, you have to look at what is working and is not working and you have to prioritize."
He also declined to say how he would reshape the balance between natural resource development and environmental protection. "You have to go case by case," he said.
Dudley also shrugged off the abortion issue, which frequently comes up in Republican primary races.
"I'm not running for governor to change our abortion laws," he said. "I'm comfortable with where they are."
When asked whether he would support legislation on such issues as requiring parental notice for a minor seeking an abortion, he replied, "I would look at anything that is brought before me and make a decision based on how it is written."
Dudley said he was inspired by the example of several non-politicians who achieved high office, including California Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., and two former sports figures, former Sen. Bill Bradley, D-N.J., a onetime NBA star; and former Rep. Steve Largent, R-Okla., who had a long career with the Seattle Seahawks.
"I feel I am a strong leader. I know I am a strong leader. I embrace the challenges," Dudley said. He touted his experience helping to run a business, creating a foundation for diabetic children and serving as a negotiator for the NBA players union.
The one explicit nod to Dudley's two stints as a Blazer during his 16 years in the NBA came when he was introduced by Bill Schonely, the team's former announcer.
"If Chris makes his free throws, things will be right for us," joked Schonely, referring to the biggest problem that Dudley, a 6-foot-11 center had in the NBA: He was a notoriously poor shooter from the free-throw line.
-Jeff Mapes
