Kitzhaber Resignation Days After Denial

The Guardian and the Oregonian have both described the events of the past week "surreal". I have to say that I agree, though for more personal reasons. I used to often eat lunch alongside Kitzhaber and his team of officials, whilst I studied as an exchange Undergraduate at Willamette University. Our dinning hall was quite literally across the street from the State Capitol, and as a result of the high quality lunch on offer, many State officials including the Governor himself would often join staff and students for a bite.

I have therefore associated Kitzhaber, not only with his reforms of Oregon Medicaid, but as the silver haired, moustachioed man in front of me in the sandwich line. I would not have imagined the man I saw to have been embroiled in such political upset. I was clearly naïve.

However, he is, and John Kitzhaber will cease to be Governor of the State of Oregon on Wednesday. His resignation comes after months of pressure, pertaining to allegations of corruption involving his fiancé.

The 67-year old had recently been sworn in for a historic 4th term under Salem's Golden Pioneer, but controversy over both unpaid and paid roles given to Cylvia Hayes, including as Clean Energy and Economic advisor to Kitzhaber's office has led to this sudden resignation.

Hayes has previously been criticised for taking payment to marry an Ethiopian man in 1997, in order for him to attain US citizenship. In the same year, she had also been involved in a plan to buy property in Okanogan, WA, for the purpose of growing Cannabis. Importantly, these events took place years before Hayes met the long-standing Oregon politician, and though they may be adjudged to be indicative of her character, they are not directly relevant to the current case.

Ellen Rosenblum, Oregon's Attorney General has launched a criminal investigation into the possibility of a conflict of interest due to Hayes' roles within government. She has also demanded the realise of emails between Kitzhaber and Hayes. This move prompted Kitzhaber to attempt to delete many thousands of emails, according to The Willamette Week. Though the request was described as "routine" by an aide, this is obviously put into question due to the ongoing allegations of improper behaviour between the two.

Most interestingly, it seems as if Gov. Kitzhaber's exit was significantly more pushed than he would have liked. Although he was seen to be making moves towards this decision last week, by calling Secretary of State, Kate Brown, back from Washington, it then transpired that he had told Brown that he would not resign. However, as even Democratic Speaker of the House, Tina Kotek publicly announced that she thought resignation was called for, and the pressure on Kitzhaber rose, he fell.

But the stern looking man I knew from my days in Oregon, did not fall without dispatching a parting blow to the media, and his colleagues in Salem. Though he did not release this statement in person, it was his message was clear and unabashed.

He remarked that "it is deeply troubling to me to realize that we have come to a place in the history of this great state of ours where a person can be charged, tried, convicted and sentenced by the media with no due process and no independent verification of the allegations involved. But even more troubling -- and on a very personal level as someone who has given 35 years of public service to Oregon -- is that so many of my former allies in common cause have been willing to simply accept this judgment at its face value."

This nod to the ongoing investigation by Attorney General Rosenblum perhaps indicates that he believe he may be found innocent. Whatever the verdict may be, it is notable that is ire lies with his Democrat co-workers, who perhaps too quickly sided with the allegations of wrongdoing, rather than back their leader. Such a confident and long serving politician such as Kitzhaber might have been expected to put up more of a fight in the face of these allegations. However, it is clear that with little support in the House, even from his own side, this stand would have been short lived.

Unfortunate though it is that the longest serving Oregon Governor has left in a potential maelstrom of his own making, investigations like this do not often allow for continued and focused governance, and therefore his move to resign is seen by most as a correct decision.

It also opens the door for Oregon to maintain its mantel as one of the country's most progressive States. Kitzhaber's replacement under Oregon law will be the current Secretary of State, Kate Brown. She is already one of the most high profile LGBT women elected to a US government position, and with her ascension to Governorship, she will become the first self-identifying Bisexual leader of any State of the Union. She will join Tammy Baldwin, Senator for Wisconsin, as one of the highest positioned elected officials, self-identified as LGBT.

This may be a difficult time for Oregon, and it will certainly be a painful time for Mr Kitzhaber and Ms. Hayes. However, it is also an exciting time for Oregon, for Secretary Brown, and for the LGBT community in Oregon, and the Pacific-Northwest more generally.

 I hope she succeeds, and I hope to see her continuing Kitzhaber's tradition of dining at Willamette. Maybe I'll even get the chance to follow her in the sandwich line, one day.