Central Oregonian

Taylor elected to new State position

Ken Taylor was chosen for the position of Treasurer for the State Republican Party by more than 100 Republican Central Committee delegates

Jason Chaney

February 14, 2013

After leading the Crook County Republican Central Committee for four years, Prineville resident Ken Taylor will now add a new state level leadership role.

More than 100 Republican Central Committee delegates throughout Oregon recently chose Taylor as the new Oregon Republican Party Treasurer for the next two years.

“I’m responsible for oversight of the funds that we have,” he explained, “making sure we are reporting to the FEC (Federal Elections Commission) and Secretary of State, and that those reports are filed correctly.”

Taylor ran for treasurer as part of a four-person slate that included party chair candidate Suzanne Gallagher, Bill Currier, who ran for vice-chair, and secretary candidate Chris Barreto.

Gallagher has run for the Oregon legislature in the past and has an extensive history in conservative grassroots advocacy. Currier served on the League of Oregon Cities Board of Directors and owns an IT (information technology) company, and Barreto was elected as a Mitt Romney delegate in the 2012 Republican Convention.

“Suzanne actually chose us and asked us to run with her,” Taylor said. “We actually ended up calling the slate the Constitutional Values Slate. That’s our direction — we would like to see the party adhere to constitutional values.”

He said that the Oregon Republican Party abides by a general platform, but each administration makes adjustments in an attempt to improve it.

Taylor has held a couple jobs in the past that he believes made him a viable treasurer candidate. For example, he served as the general manager of California-based San Joaquin Crops, and he has compiled profit and loss reports as well. However, Taylor believes he was chosen more for the skills he has displayed as the Crook County Republican Party chair.

“Our team, we’re taking on a little more than just our specific roles. Our chair wants to see us get out there and get active,” Taylor said.

Consequently, he will spend much of his time meeting with Republican Party officials in smaller Oregon counties, helping them rally voter support. Taylor has already displayed an affinity for this type of work. In 2012, the Crook County Republican Central Committee helped register a greater percentage of new Republicans than any other Oregon county.

Taylor anticipates that his new role will benefit Republican interests in Crook County during his two-year term.

“It is one of the four top positions in the state in the Republican Party,” he said, “and I will have the ear of every Republican that comes into our state. You get a little extra credibility when you have the whole state vote for you.”