
These included alleged money laundering involving both Sizemore and Americans for Tax Reform founder Grover Norquist, as well as falsification of federal tax returns and state campaign finance reports.
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During the trial Becky Miller, Sizemore's top aide, under protection of state and federal immunity deals, testified in detail about allegedly unethical and illegal practices of Oregon Taxpayers United. Sizemore was not named personally as a defendant or party to the case. In July 2000, the Oregon Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers filed a civil racketeering lawsuit against two of Sizemore's organizations: Oregon Taxpayers United and the OTU Education Foundation. Sizemore won 30% of the vote, to Kitzhaber's 64%. Sizemore lost the November general election to incumbent Governor John Kitzhaber, a Democrat. Sizemore said he did not check the boxes on the loan application relating to bankruptcy and that the loan officer who submitted the application did that on his own. These included one about a "Trail of Debt" he had allegedly left behind, one of which involved an outstanding loan from a fellow church member, which Sizemore says was eventually repaid one about a fishing club on a private lake, to which he tried to sell memberships before obtaining state permission and one about an apparently falsified loan application on which he claimed not to have declared bankruptcy when, in fact, he had done so. During the general election, The Oregonian ran three major articles detailing Sizemore's alleged shady business practices, both in private business and in the operation of his political action committee and non-profit educational foundation. He won his party's primary, defeating the Republican Party Chairman and three other candidates who had little or no name recognition. Sizemore ran for Governor of Oregon as a Republican in 1998. A similar measure, 2004's Measure 37, subsequently passed, and was amended by 2007's Measure 49. Oregon voters approved Measure 7, but the Oregon Supreme Court later nullified it. In 2000, Sizemore drafted and placed on the ballot Measure 7, which required governments to pay just compensation to property owners when a government-imposed regulation reduced the fair market value of their property. With Sizemore's assistance, the Oregon Legislative Assembly amended some of the provisions of Measure 47 in 1997, and referred the amendments back to the voters as Measure 50, which also passed. Measure 47 also mandated a double majority for ballot measures increasing taxes. The measure rolled back property taxes to 1995 levels. Sizemore's most notable success was passing Measure 47 in 1996. Sizemore added several initiatives in 2008. One of the first measures Sizemore was involved in was a referendum which stopped Portland's $3.4 billion light rail expansion. He is noted as the author and driving force behind a number of ballot initiatives in Oregon. In 1993, Sizemore founded Oregon Taxpayers United and became its executive director. For four years he hosted the Bill Sizemore Show, a two-hour daily news/talk program on Great Talk 1150 AM.
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After graduating, Sizemore taught Old Testament History and Systematic Christian Theology at Portland Bible College and ran a series of businesses, including a retail carpet business, a toy manufacturing company, and two Portland radio stations. He earned a degree in theology from Portland Bible College in 1976. He graduated from Montesano High School in Montesano, Washington where he played varsity basketball and was voted by his teammates as the best defensive player and most inspirational player. Sizemore was born in Aberdeen, Washington on June 2, 1951. The charges were later amended to failure to file tax returns. He also announced his intention to run for governor in 2010, but was indicted by the state on charges of tax evasion. Sizemore made an unsuccessful run for Governor of Oregon in 1998. Oregon Taxpayers United, a political action committee he founded in 1993, has advanced numerous ballot initiatives limiting taxation, and has opposed spending initiatives. He is considered one of the main proponents of the Oregon tax revolt, a movement that seeks to reduce taxes in the state. Sizemore has never held elected office, but has nonetheless been a major political figure in Oregon since the 1990s. Bill Sizemore (born June 2, 1951) is an American political activist and writer in Redmond, Oregon, United States.
