Recorded on: September 22, 2017
Air Date: September 25, 2017
Two high-profile former state office holders, Jack Roberts and Tony Corcoran, will reflect on how the political system worked in the past, and elucidate what is happening presently; what went wrong and what it will take to get the political system working better again, both on the national and local level.
These two self-described "old political has-beens" are both well respected for their long public service careers in Oregon. Both are known for their quick wit. This Forum promises to be both informative and entertaining. Expect a robust discussion on current politics and a good dose of Oregon political history based on their long involvement in Oregon politics.
Speakers:
Jack Roberts, a Republican, served as a Lane County Commissioner from 1989 to 1995. In 1994 he was elected as State Labor Commissioner, one of the five statewide elected officials in Oregon along with the Governor, Secretary of State, Treasurer and Attorney General. Jack served in that position as Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries from 1995 to 2003. For many years Jack was Director of Lane County Metro Partnership, a non-profit economic development agency. He also served as Director of the Oregon State Lottery from 2013 to 2016.
Jack previously wrote a bi-weekly column for The Oregonian from 2009 to 2013.
Tony Corcoran, a Democrat, represented Cottage Grove and the surrounding area in the Oregon House of Representatives from 1994 to 1998, until he was elected to the Oregon State Senate where he served through the 2003 legislative session. Tony was appointed in 2003 to a fulltime position on the Oregon Employment Appeals Board. His job entailed ruling on unemployment insurance appeals. Tony is a dedicated labor consultant and organizer. He worked for 15 years for Oregon Public Employees Union, SEIU 503, Service Employees International Union.
Tony currently writes a column for Eugene Weekly analyzing state politics and the state legislature.
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