Democrats leave Oregon governor Kitzhaber isolated in controversy
SALEM – Facing the biggest crisis of his decadeslong political career, Gov. John Kitzhaber finds himself increasingly isolated.
Few of Kitzhaber’s fellow Democrats are sticking up for him as he confronts a barrage of criticism, calls for his resignation and, potentially, a recall petition.
After simmering for months, influence-peddling allegations boiled over on Kitzhaber last week, when an editorial by the Oregonian newspaper calling for his resignation shined a national spotlight on the controversy. On Friday, another newspaper, the Yamhill Valley News-Register in McMinnville, followed suit, saying Kitzhaber has “ardently resisted coming straight.”
“While you have enjoyed many successes, your once-admirable legacy has become soiled by your refusal to recognize and rectify wrong turns,” the newspaper’s editorial team wrote in a letter to Kitzhaber.
A series of newspaper reports since October have revealed that Kitzhaber’s fiancee, Cylvia Hayes, did paid consulting work for organizations with an interest in Oregon public policy. During the same period, she worked as an unpaid adviser in the governor’s office on some of the same issues. Kitzhaber has said repeatedly that he and Hayes took care to avoid conflicts, and a state ethics commission will decide whether conflict-of-interest laws were broken.
Kitzhaber’s troubles overshadowed the first week of the legislative session as Democrats moved aggressively to advance some of their top priorities, including a measure to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions that Kitzhaber and Hayes strongly support.
In response to questions about the growing controversy surrounding Kitzhaber, legislative leaders demurred.
“This session is off to a productive start,” House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, said in a statement. “As the Oregon Government Ethics Commission does its job, we must remain focused on our job as legislators, which is to serve Oregonians by advancing policies that improve people’s lives and strengthen our state.”
Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, offered his compassion, but also said he’s focused on his own job. Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, a Democrat, called the allegations “very serious” and “troubling” and said she’s exploring her legal options.
Kitzhaber did get praise from one former rival, former Secretary of State Bill Bradbury, a Democrat who lost to Kitzhaber in the 2010 primary for governor. Bradbury told the Associated Press that the controversy has been “really quite overblown.”
“He’s going to be able to move forward effectively, and it’s just going to take a while to get over these humps,” Bradbury said.
Meanwhile, newly released public records revealed more details about Hayes’ work advocating a client’s agenda. Emails released to the Oregonian by the Department of Administrative Services showed she instructed state officials to help implement a policy known as the genuine progress indicator, which she was being paid to promote.
The genuine progress indicator is an alternative to the gross domestic product, which uses health and environmental data to help measure economic success. Hayes was paid by Demos, a New York-based nonprofit, to promote the policy.