Former House Speaker, Senate GOP Leader Becomes Secretary of State

Central Oregon Federated Republican Women is thrilled to congratulate honored member Bev Clarno for her appointment as Oregon's next Secretary of State.

Clarno succeeds beloved Secretary of State Dennis Richardson who passed away from brain cancer in February.

Clarno entered politics in 1989 as a state representative for Central Oregon, then became House Speaker in 1995. In 2001, she won a seat in the state Senate. During the 2003 legislative session, when the Senate was split evenly, she served as the Republican leader.

In 2003, she resigned from the Senate to accept an appointment from President George W. Bush to a position with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Her colleagues on the other side of the aisle have praised her, saying, "She has strong values and is very credible. But more importantly, she's fair, very fair."

Bev's recent book, "From Pigs to Politics," has been a huge hit. She recounts how she became interested in policymaking when state regulators began visiting her pig farm.

http://www.opb.org/news/article/oregon-secretary-of-state-bev-clarno-dennis-richardson/