For those of you that don’t know Allen Alley, I would like to introduce a man that is working hard to be Oregon’s next Governor.  He is an engineer, venture capitalist, financial wizard, and former Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor.  He is also a diehard Boilermaker fan, which we should all forgive him for.  However, his best qualification for Governor may be the one that is talked about the least.  Allen Alley posses a unique brand of leadership that may be Oregon’s best kept political secret.  To illustrate this, I want to share two of my favorite Allen Alley stories.

The Famous Green Gold Story

The setting is Allen Alley’s trek across Eastern Oregon.  He began the walk in August 2009 and it lasted through September.  While Oregon’s unemployment topped 12%, Eastern Oregon had 25% unemployment in some places.  During a campaign stop, a group of miners approached Alley, and challenged him to open up state lands to help create additional mining jobs. He told the miners that he couldn’t win a fight to open state land for under two dozen jobs.

Oregon has been blessed with an abundance of natural resources.  For the last 30 years, Oregonians have been fighting amongst themselves over how to use those resources.  Do we manage those resources for economic growth or environmental preservation?  Is there a balance between growth and preservation?

Alley offered the miners a viable alternative.  He suggested that they partner with environmentalists to create a brand call Oregon Green Gold and sell that Gold in Portland to make wedding rings at a premium.  In Eastern Oregon, a majority of the miners work in dredge that the Corps of Engineers cleared from the streams in the last few decades.  A partnership between miners and environmentalists could help restore  these streams and build brand loyalty for their work in Portland.  Alley believed that Americans would rather purchase a green alternative for their wedding rings than Russian gold with no environmental standards.

With Alley’s leadership, Oregonians can expect that political leaders will be partners.  The green gold story shows that whether you’re a miner in Baker or a technology company in Beaverton,  you have a partner in Alley.  As Governor, Alley will be driven to find solutions that bring jobs to Oregon in a responsible way.

Passports and the Real Id Act

Another example of Allen Alley’s innovative leadership was his work with the Real ID Act, as the Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Kulongoski.  Basically, the Real ID Act would require that states issued driver licenses using standards that were roughly equivalent to US Passports.   During an early  meeting about the Real ID Act, ODOT priced the cost to the state to comply at $500 million.

Alley’s suggestion was that the state purchase passports for all Oregonians.  His point was that you could issue the passports at ½ the price that ODOT estimated for compliance thru the DMV.  Oregonians would get the benefit of having a passport, and the US government would have to do the work to comply.

When dealing with the Real ID Act, Alley didn’t accept the costly solution.  The solution that Allen Alley proposed was creative, cost-effective, and had a benefit to Oregonians.  Going into the next decade, that is the type of leadership that Oregonians need.

The Idea List

Here is a list of other ideas that I have heard  Alley speak about during his campaign.  Most of them have been without talking points in open discussions.

• Investing some of Oregon’s pensions dollars in Oregon businesses.  Our pension dollars are currently invested out of state.
• Leveraging technology to help drive down medical cost.
• Addressing Oregon’s high capital gains tax.
• Taxing Oregon’s other funds budget to help address school shortfalls
• Relying on modern forestry practices to manage state lands

Conclusion

Spend 5 minutes talking to Allen Alley, and you will find your head filled with ideas like these. Allen Alley is an idea guy.  He isn’t afraid to think out ideas in discussions.  He isn’t afraid to give you his opinion without checking with a focus group. Unlike previous Oregon Governors, Alley won’t be paralyzed by politically risky issues.  He is not afraid to take political risks. He understands that you can’t succeed without risk.  With Alley, Oregon will redefine success as progress to actual solutions.  Vote Allen Alley for Governor.