Tobias Read

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Tobias Read
Tobias Read 2017.jpg
29th Treasurer of Oregon
Assumed office
January 3, 2017
GovernorKate Brown
Preceded byTed Wheeler
Member of the Oregon House of Representatives
from the 27th district
In office
January 8, 2007 – January 3, 2017
Preceded byMark Hass
Succeeded bySheri Malstrom
Personal details
Born (1975-07-01) July 1, 1975 (age 46)
Missoula, Montana, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Heidi Eggert
Children2
EducationWillamette University (BA)
University of Washington (MBA)

Tobias Read (born July 1, 1975) is an American politician who is the current Oregon State Treasurer. He was a member of the Oregon House of Representatives, representing District 27 from 2007–2017, which comprises parts of Beaverton, southwest Portland, and unincorporated Multnomah and Washington Counties. He served as Speaker Pro Tempore, and was formerly the Democratic Majority Whip.

In 2016, Read ran for Oregon State Treasurer, to succeed State Treasurer Ted Wheeler, who was barred from running in 2016 by term limits. Read won the general election on November 8, 2016[1] and became the State Treasurer in January 2017. He was reelected in 2020 by a wider margin. As of September 2021, he is a candidate for governor of Oregon in the 2022 election.

Early life and education[]

Read was born in 1975 in Missoula, Montana. After attending high school in Idaho, he moved to Oregon where he graduated from Willamette University in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in politics and economics.[2] In 2003, he earned an MBA from the University of Washington in Seattle.[2] He and his wife, Heidi Eggert, have two children, Annika, and Ellis.[3]

Career[]

In 1997, he started working for Nike, Inc. in footwear development, where he remained until 2012.[2] He also worked for the United States Department of the Treasury as an aide to then-Secretary Lawrence Summers from 1999 to 2001. His immediate supervisor was Sheryl Sandberg.[4]

Read served in the Oregon State Legislature from 2007 to 2016 as the Representative from the 27th district. As a legislator, Read was a strong advocate for fully funding Oregon's full-day kindergarten;[5] supported state investments in green tech jobs and research through Oregon Inc and other initiatives;[6][7] worked to stabilize state funding and enhance the state's Rainy Day funds;[8] and sponsored legislation to redirect unclaimed funds from class action lawsuits to legal assistance for low income Oregonians;[9][10] rather than back to the original corporate wrongdoers. Throughout his legislative career, he sought to expand savings in Oregon's college savings program, and sponsored legislation to create additional options for retirement savings for Oregonians.

During his time in the Oregon House, Read served as House Majority Whip, and in 2015 he was elected Speaker Pro Tempore. He served as chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Economic Development and the House Committee on Higher Education, Innovation, and Workforce Development. He also served on the House Revenue Committee and the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, the committee of the Legislature primarily responsible for writing the state budget.

State Treasurer[]

Read speaking as a State Representative

In 2016, Read ran for Oregon State Treasurer, to succeed Ted Wheeler, who was barred by term limits from running again in 2016. He was unopposed in the primary and won the general election by a plurality in November 2016, defeating Republican Jeff Gudman[1] and became the State Treasurer in January 2017. Since the 2019 death Secretary of State Dennis Richardson, Read has been first in the line of succession for the office of Governor. As Oregon does not have a lieutenant governor position, the Secretary of State is normally the first to succeed the governor in the event of a vacancy. However, as Richardson's successor Bev Clarno is an appointee, she is ineligible to become Governor, making Read first in the line of succession.[11]

First State Retirement Savings Plan[]

In 2015, in an effort led by Read and organizations like SEIU and AARP, the Oregon Legislature enacted legislation which created the Oregon Retirement Savings Board and tasked it with establishing a state run retirement savings program and managing its oversight. The retirement program created was called OregonSaves.[12] In 2018, Finance industry publication Pensions & Investments and the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA) honored Read and OregonSaves with the Excellence & Innovation Award. The award recognizes public and private-sector efforts to enhance retirement security.[13] In 2019 Read was invited to speak to the United States Senate Finance Committee on the states innovative approach to retirement savings.[14]

Sale of Elliott State Forest[]

In 2017, Read voted to sell 82,500 acres of the Elliott State Forest to a Roseburg-based timber company for $221 million. Revenues from the sale would have been added to the state's education fund.[15] Following pushback from environmentalist and other Oregon Democrats, Read withdrew his support for the proposal.[16][17]

Oregon College Savings Plan[]

As Treasurer, Read oversees the Oregon College Savings Program (OCSP), which helps tens-of-thousands of Oregonians save for education after high school.[18]

Read worked with the Oregon State Legislature to pass the Education Savings Credit which changes the tax advantage from a deduction to a refundable credit.[19] Begun in 2020, the Education Savings Credit makes it easier for low-to-moderate income families save for education after high school. Read worked with a diverse group of organizations including the Latina Network, Stand for Children, and the Oregon Student Association[20] and legislators[21] to pass the Education Savings Credit.

2022 Oregon gubernatorial run[]

On September 27, 2021, Read officially announced that he is running for governor.[22]

General elections[]

2016 results by county
2020 results by county
Oregon State Treasurer election, November 8, 2016[23]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Tobias Read 828,354 44.11%
Republican Jeff Gudman 776,513 41.35%
Independent Chris Telfer 176,892 9.42%
Progressive Chris Henry 92,663 4.93%
Write-ins 3,497 0.19%
Total votes 1,877,919 100%
2020 Oregon State Treasurer election[24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Tobias Read (incumbent) 1,166,703 51.68% +7.57%
Republican Jeff Gudman 936,916 41.50% +0.15%
Independent Chris Henry 99,870 4.43% -4.99%
Constitution Michael Marsh 51,894 2.30% N/A
Write-in 2,072 0.09% -0.10%
Total votes 2,257,455 100.0%
Democratic hold

References[]

  1. ^ a b Marum, Anna (November 8, 2016). "Tobias Read elected Oregon treasurer". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon: Oregonian Media Group. Archived from the original on 2016-11-12. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
  2. ^ a b c Brettman, Allan (June 8, 2012). "State Rep. Tobias Read leaves Nike to focus on legislative work". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon: Oregonian Media Group. Archived from the original on June 14, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  3. ^ Inaugural Address Archived 2017-02-24 at the Wayback Machine, Tobias Read, January 6, 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  4. ^ Jaquiss, Nigel (September 27, 2016). "Five Things You Didn't Know About Tobias Read". Willamette Week. Portland, Oregon: City of Roses Newspapers. Archived from the original on September 29, 2016. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  5. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2019-12-16. Retrieved 2019-12-16.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2019-12-16. Retrieved 2019-12-16.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2019-12-16. Retrieved 2019-12-16.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2019-12-16. Retrieved 2019-12-16.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2019-12-16. Retrieved 2019-12-16.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-12-16. Retrieved 2019-12-16.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2020-08-01. Retrieved 2020-09-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2019-12-16. Retrieved 2019-12-16.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2019-12-16. Retrieved 2019-12-16.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2019-12-07. Retrieved 2019-12-16.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ^ Urness, Zach (February 23, 2017). "Oregon Treasurer Tobias Read defends vote to sell Elliott State Forest". Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  16. ^ Urness, Zach (March 28, 2017). "Treasurer Tobias Read now open to keeping Elliott State Forest public". Statesman Journal. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  17. ^ Mapes, Jeff (March 28, 2017). "Oregon Treasurer Backs Away From Move To Privatize Elliott State Forest". OPB. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  18. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2019-12-16. Retrieved 2019-12-16.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  19. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2019-12-16. Retrieved 2019-12-16.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  20. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2019-12-16. Retrieved 2019-12-16.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  21. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2019-12-16. Retrieved 2019-12-16.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  22. ^ "Treasurer Tobias Read announces run for governor". KOIN.com. 2021-09-27. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  23. ^ "UNOFFICIAL 2016 GENERAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 8, 2016". OregonVotes. Oregon Secretary of State. Archived from the original on 7 February 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  24. ^ "November 3, 2020, General Election Abstract of Votes" (PDF). Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved December 3, 2020.

External links[]

Oregon House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the Oregon House of Representatives
from the 27th district
2007–2017 		Succeeded by
Sheri Malstrom
Political offices
Preceded by Treasurer of Oregon
2017–present 		Incumbent
Retrieved from ""