Founder’s Speech
Dorchester 2013
Representative John Davis

E Pluribus Unum—Many, Uniting into One

Thank you.  It is an honor and a pleasure to be here.  Thank you to the Dorchester Board for the invitation, and thank you delegates for indulging me for a few minutes while we wait for the real action to begin.

It’s a painful time for the conservative and independent movements. We’ve been talking about it all weekend, and for nearly four months.  Nationally, we lost the Presidency, and have lost the popular vote in 5 of the last 6 election cycles.  We held the US House but lost the House popular vote.  And we again failed to elect a Republican to statewide office in Oregon despite having qualified candidates with strong endorsements.

We stand today looking back on some lean years:

1982 - the last year a Republican won an election for governor in Oregon.
1984 - the last year a Republican won Oregon in a presidential election.
2002 - the last year a Republican won a statewide election in Oregon.
2004 - the last year that Republicans won control of one of the chambers of the Oregon State Legislature.

Questions for our future abound: will conservatives and independents remain sidelined in Oregon indefinitely?  Equally important: will quality candidates from our movements turn away and seek success, relevancy, and service in the fields of business, nonprofit, and education, rather than politics?

Familiar remedies are proposed: change a few policies here, talk in more inclusive ways there, articulate our message more clearly, build a better voter database, get out the vote, increase registration, and wait for a better election year.  There’s a lot of truth in each of these solutions, and many of them have been addressed this weekend already and will be discussed as the conference continues.

OREGON REPUBLICAN PARTY

 OFFICIAL NEWS RELEASE

Oregon Republican Party Opposes Columbia River Crossing
ORP Executive Committee Issues Resolution Urging Legislators To Vote NO

Wilsonville, OR – Today the Oregon Republican Party announced its opposition to the Columbia River Crossing (CRC) Bridge Project.  Here is the text of the resolution passed by the Executive Committee that is being sent today to Oregon and Washington State Legislators urging a NO vote on the Portland to Vancouver Bridge:

Resolution of the Oregon Republican Party in Opposition to the
Columbia River Crossing (CRC) Bridge Project

Whereas, there is a clear necessity to increase vehicular transportation capacity from the Portland metro area to and from Clark County and surrounding areas across the Columbia River to and from Washington State; and

Whereas, the CRC design offers only three full span (entire length of bridge) vehicular lanes in each direction (the same as on the existing I 5 bridge); and

Whereas, light rail is an inferior transit option for Vancouver transit riders who enjoy the CTRAN express busses, since it is inflexible and would impose a commute time penalty of 125%; and

Whereas, TriMet is ineligible for further Federal light rail funding since it has reduced service by fourteen percent since 2009 and cannot make a commitment to operate any new trains for twenty years, as required by Federal law; and

Whereas, the “mega-bridge” concept of consolidating all future traffic down the I-5 corridor will never work, due to highway constraints south of the Fremont Bridge; and

Whereas, the CRC tolling proposal will use toll revenue to help pay for light rail, contrary to Oregon constitutional restrictions on the use of highway user fees; and

Whereas, the CRC bridge will have river clearance of only 116 feet, which will adversely affect at least four major Oregon employers and future economic development; and

Whereas, the bridge height of 116 ft does not have US Coast approval; and

Whereas, HB 2800-A authorizes debt financing in the amount of $450 million plus interest for the CRC project without providing any funds for repayment, which will require a future burden on taxpayers; and

Whereas, the Oregon Republican Party supports an efficient and cost-effective transportation system, essential to the movement of commercial and industrial goods and services; and

Whereas, the Oregon Republican Party supports a cost-effective alternative to the CRC project, without light rail; and

Whereas, the Oregon Republican Party recommends that the current I-5 Interstate Bridge should remain in use for the foreseeable future; and

Whereas, the Oregon Republican Party recommends that ODOT disperse traffic with two additional bridges, one West of the I-5 bridge and one East of the I-205 bridge, both with a height of at least 144 feet,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, on this day, March 3rd 2013,
That the Oregon Republican Party recommends a NO vote on the Columbia River Crossing (CRC) legislation, HB 2800-A, because it fails to be an efficient and cost-effective solution and fails to meet the needs of all Oregonians.

Click Here to download the ORP Executive Committee's CRC Resolution.

 OFFICIAL ORP NEWS RELEASE

SUZANNE GALLAGHER ELECTED TO CHAIR ORP
Party Unites Behind New Leadership,
Thanks Alley for his Strong Party Building Efforts

Salem, OR – At the 2013 Biennial Organization Meeting on Saturday, members of the Oregon Republican State Central Committee elected Suzanne Gallagher of Tigard, Oregon as the new Chair of the ORP.

Gallagher’s slate swept the other three officer positions as well. “Our slate of officers won these contested elections because the Central Committee wanted a team of officers which shared the same Constitutional values, worked together effectively and would turn our Party’s focus to attracting voters to the Party’s candidates,” Chair Gallagher said. Bill Currier, the new ORP Vice Chair and Chris Barreto, the new ORP Secretary, both won contested races for their offices. Ken Taylor, the new ORP Treasurer won by acclamation.

Chair Gallagher thanked Allen Alley, the outgoing Chair, “for the fantastic job he has done in the last two years.” She went on to say, “Allen traveled all over this state to meet with Republicans in every county of Oregon. His superb fundraising has put our Party on a strong foundation for future success.”

Gallagher has been a state Legislative candidate and has a strong history of conservative grassroots policy advocacy, as well as fundraising and Republican organizing at the PCP level. She has an extensive business background in marketing, entrepreneurship and public service.

Gallagher campaigned on a platform of reaching out to women and youth, Hispanics, Asians and other voter groups through targeted communication efforts. PCP recruitment, voter registration and better internal and external communications are the top priorities of Chair Gallagher’s agenda for the ORP. On being elected as the second Oregon Republican woman Chair to the State Party, Gallagher said, “We have so much opportunity to make Oregon better for all Oregonians!"

Chair Gallagher went on to say, "as the Chair of our state Republican Party, I will look to our shared strengths and values of entrepreneurship, private sector job growth, personal freedom and responsibility, and accountable government to address the many problems that Oregonians face today. All Oregonians deserve a chance to make a better life for their families. I am honored to lead Republicans and all Oregonians toward a better, more prosperous future.”

The other Officers who joined Chair Gallagher as new Officers yesterday, will each serve two-year terms:

Bill Currier of Adair Village, the new ORP Vice Chair, is currently the four-term Mayor of Adair Village near Corvallis, has served on the League of Oregon Cities Board of Directors and owns and operates an IT services company.

Chris Barreto, the new ORP Secretary, is co-owner of Barreto Manufacturing in La Grande, Oregon and mother of eight children and grandmother of three. Chris was elected as a Romney Delegate to the 2012 Republican Convention in Tampa from CD 2 and also served as Oregon’s representative on the Committee on Credentials at the Republican Convention.

Ken Taylor, the new ORP Treasurer, is also Chair of the Crook County Republican Central Committee from Prineville, Oregon.  He is a Youth Minister and has been active for many years organizing Republicans in Crook County, as well as the Tea Party in Central Oregon.

New ORP Leadership Team - Pictured from Left to Right: Solomon Yue, Jr. - National Committeeman ('12-'16);
Chris Barreto - Secretary ('13-'15); Suzanne Gallagher - Chair ('13-'15); Bill Currier - Vice Chair ('13-'15);
Ken Taylor - Treasurer ('13-'15); Donna D. Cain - National Committeewoman ('12-'16).

OFFICIAL ORP NEWS RELEASE
Friday December 21, 2012

Oregon GOP Endorses Reince Priebus for 2nd Term

Lake Oswego, OR – Today the Oregon GOP announced its endorsement of RNC Chairman Reince Priebus for a second term:

We are proud to announce our full-fledged support and endorsement of Reince Priebus as he seeks a second term as Chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Chairman Priebus has earned back the trust and respect of the RNC through his hard work and integrity. His commitment and efforts in building relationships with committee members, grassroots leaders, and donors alike have helped him to rebuild the Party, as well as erase massive debt. He is an extremely effective and capable leader who deserves re-election now that the ship has been righted and he is able to focus on outreach and messaging,” said Oregon GOP Chairman Allen Alley.

"Now more than ever, America needs a voice for fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, economic growth and job creation," said National Committeewoman Donna Cain.  "Under Chairman Priebus, the Republican Party will remain America's foremost voice for responsible government."

"Reince is a man of integrity with the right vision and experience to lead our Party to victory.  The first step on the path to control of the Senate in 2014 and the Presidency in 2016 is the re-election of Reince Priebus as our Chairman," said National Committeeman Solomon Yue.

As Chairman Priebus stands for a second term, we are proud to stand with him.  We invite our friends and colleagues in the RNC to do the same.

Friends,

It has been a heart crushing few weeks for our community, state and our nation.  The loss of loved ones is always difficult but when they are taken senselessly and violently it is incomprehensible.  Words cannot heal our hearts, but prayers and friendships can.  These are the times when we need to come together as a community to support each other through this shared tragedy.

Please take time this season to acknowledge the sorrow, but also remember the wonderful things we have as an extended family of Americans.  That even though we have differences, we are at the core, the most noble, caring and community minded place on earth.

I am looking forward to spending a little more time with my family and my new grandson.  I look forward to teaching him about the wonderful traditions we have and about the great extended American family he was born into.  I hope each of you will do the same.

Also please include those who represent us in your thoughts and prayers that they make great decisions about how to deal with the social and economic issues we face.

Thank you all so much for your service and support during 2012.  I look forward to continuing to work with you in the future so that the Republican Party can provide the moral and economic leadership we so desperately need.

Christmas and New Year Blessing to All of our Friends,

Allen Alley
Chairman
Oregon Republican Party