Oregon360 Media
The Bridge
Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Read | EP 9
0:00
Current time: 0:00 / Total time: -1:00:19
-1:00:19

Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Read, the "de facto Chief Financial Officer" of the state, has served in both the state and federal governments. He worked for Larry Summers and Sheryl Sandberg during the Clinton Administration before returning to the Pacific Northwest (he graduated from Willamette University and then earned an MBA from the University of Washington). He served in the State House before being elected Treasurer.

In this episode, Treasurer Read discusses his policy accomplishments at Treasury (like the national-leading OregonSaves initiative) and his views on the evolution of Democratic Party/where he fits in. He also discusses his op-ed in The Oregonian, which criticized the State Legislature and Governor for the lack of strategic reopening plan for Oregon's economy post-pandemic, saying: "We need to stop reacting and start leading." Treasurer Read is often cited as a potential candidate for Governor in 2022 -- we ask him about that, too.

Discussion about this podcast

Oregon360 Media
The Bridge
The Bridge, a podcast hosted by Ben Bowman and Alex Titus.
Our podcast explores how the nationalization of politics is reshaping Oregon’s political landscape and providing a platform for Oregon issues to garner national attention.
Our thesis is that we must understand the opportunities and limitations of a political environment increasingly driven by people and events at the national level if we want to create a more unified and productive political culture in Oregon.