Buckley, Hoyle, Dembrow and Frederick Take on New Leadership Roles in House Democratic Caucus

Oregon House Democrats have chosen State Rep. Peter Buckley to be their nominee for Speaker Pro-Tem pending full House approval in February. Buckley adds these responsibilities to his role as Democratic Co-Chair of the Ways and Means Committee. He will replace State Rep. Tina Kotek, who was elected last June as House Democratic Leader, when she resigns as Speaker Pro Tem prior to the February session.

In other actions last night, House Democrats also named State Rep. Val Hoyle as Deputy Whip and elected Rep. Michael Dembrow and Rep. Lew Frederick as new assistant leaders. Those moves came as a result of Rep. Ben Cannon, the former Deputy Whip, resigning his seat to work as Education Policy Advisor for Governor John Kitzhaber and Rep. Jefferson Smith announcing he will seek election next year as Mayor of Portland.

“While we will miss the leadership and expertise of Reps. Cannon and Smith, we are very grateful that we have a very deep and talented pool of Democratic House members to fill their shoes,” said Kotek (D-Portland). “As has been the case for many years, we continue to see Democratic House members move on to bigger and better opportunities. We wish them well.”

Buckley said he is honored to be chosen as the Speaker Pro-Tem nominee and will continue Democratic caucus efforts to create jobs and carefully manage the state’s budget as Oregon continues to recover from the global recession.

“We need to continue to make smart, long-term investments that create jobs today. We need to continue to build the confidence of Oregonians that we will weather this recession and emerge in a strong position. We need to continue to carefully manage the budget to ensure struggling Oregon families, our seniors and our children are well-prepared for their futures,” said Buckley.