The Liftoff: Oregon's new leaders take office
The Liftoff: Oregon's new leaders take office
PLUS: Kotek makes a round of hires; Wheeler's fall; new sheriff(s) in town; Oregonians respond to "slow motion train wreck" in DC; and another open primaries campaign gets ready to launch!
Welcome back to The Liftoff!
Today is a big day: it’s the day that power is (peacefully) transferred from one administration to the next. It’s the end of Kate Brown era, and the beginning of the Tina Kotek era. New presiding officers and legislators will be sworn in (including the first new senate president in decades). Political nerds (including many of the readers of this newsletter) will be buzzing as elected officials take the oath and move pictures and trinkets into their new offices.
We hope you enjoy this day of democratic transitions. If this newsletter lifts your civic spirits, please consider becoming a paying subscriber for just $10/month!
1. Gov-Elect sworn in today; transition update
This afternoon, Gov.-Elect Tina Kotek will be sworn into office and give her inaugural address. You can watch her remarks live on the Oregon Legislative Information System.
The Kotek Administration continues to take shape in advance of the formal transition of power. Here are some highlights from the week:
Kotek will keep Colt Gill, the Director of the Department of Education, in his position until he retires in June. A national search will be launched to replace him.
According to OPB, Kotek has also made several hires for key positions:
Annaliese Dolph as Behavioral Health Initiative director
Ebony Clarke as Behavioral Health director
Taylor Smiley Wolfe as Housing Initiative director
Melissa Goff as Education adviser
Pooja Bhatt as Education Initiative director
Outgoing Rep. Ron Noble (R-McMinnville) attended Gov.-Elect Tina Kotek’s first listening session in Yamhill County on her statewide tour. The rest of her tour will include stops in some deep-red parts of the state.
Outgoing Governor Kate Brown’s legacy has been the subject of two major pieces examining her legacy in the last week, both of which are worth reading:
Here’s the Oregonian’s headline: “Kate Brown: Unpopular governor leaves legacy of COVID safety, clemency, climate regulation, but also disappointment”
OPB’s was a bit more generous: “After leading Oregon through nonstop crises, Gov. Kate Brown leaves office with a complicated legacy”
In what will be one of her last op-eds while in office, Brown and her ODE Director Colt Gill, penned a piece about recently released “Supporting Gender Expansive Students: Guidance for Schools”, which is official guidance on supporting LGBTQ+ students in Oregon’s education system.
2. Oregon’s new congressional delegation responds to “slow motion train wreck” in DC
Congresswoman Andrea Salinas drew a strong number in the lottery for picking a House office. In other news, Salinas says she expects to work with the Republicans in Oregon’s congressional delegation. Meanwhile, the lawsuit filed against her by former opponent Mike Erickson still lingers.
Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer joined her GOP colleague Congressman Cliff Bentz in voting for Speaker Kevin McCarthy all 15 times. McCarthy visited Oregon to support and campaign for Chavez-DeRemer.
Congresswoman Val Hoyle had strong words for McCarthy and the multiple rounds of voting for speaker, calling it “cringeworthy”, “embarrassing.” Here’s how she described the situation to KVAL: “it’s like watching a slow motion train wreck over and over and over and over again.”
3. Oregon legislature gets ready to convene (and other state government news)
This morning (1/9/2023), the 82nd Legislative Assembly will meet for the first time to swear in legislators.
The Capital Chronicle profile of Senate President-Designate Rob Wagner includes an anecdote about him eating lunch with GOP Leader Sen. Tim Knopp after Knopp criticized Wagner’s leadership ability in the press. Wagner identified “housing, homelessness and support for mental health and addiction” as the top focuses of the legislature.
Willamette Week has a piece with details about Deborah Scroggin’s ouster from her role as State Elections Director in Secretary of State Shemia Fagan’s office. Here’s an excerpt explaining why Scroggin was asked to resign: “[Fagan] saw the Elections Division’s primary role as advising campaigns, while Scroggin preferred to police them.”
Fagan will fine the Democratic Party of Oregon for a late filing—but is still investigating a $500,000 contribution linked to FTX. Her office is not the only one—apparently federal prosecutors are looking into it as well.
Check your mail—if you had unclaimed property, Treasurer Tobias Read’s office could be mailing you a check up to $10,000. You can also check the state’s Unclaimed Property Database to see if you or your family has a chunk of the $880 million (!) in unclaimed property.
4. Activist and Moms Demand Leader Hilary Uhlig joins The Bridge to discuss the state of Gun Policy
Hilary Uhlig is the volunteer Oregon Chapter Leader of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, an organization that advocates for gun safety legislation. Moms Demand Action, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, and Students Demand Action are three component groups of Everytown for Gun Safety, a national nonprofit.
In this episode we talk about the state of gun safety in Oregon, including the passage of Measure 114, a significant (and controversial) ballot measure that creates a new permitting system for gun ownership and bans the sale of magazines over ten rounds. We talk about how the measure works and the current legal challenges that are playing out in court. We also talk about some major policies that have passed recently in Oregon and what policies the organization is working toward moving forward.
Some Measure 114 News: A Harney County Circuit Court Judge continues to block the implementation of Measure 114. There are some interesting new tidbits in this piece from The O, including that the judge will treat the permitting component and the background check change as “inexorably linked”.
5. Sponsored Message from Harrang Long Gary Rudnick: Harrang Long Welcomes New Shareholders
This message is from our sponsor, Harrang Long Gary Rudnick P.C.
Erica Tatoian and Julian Marrs have become shareholders of Harrang Long Gary Rudnick P.C. Erica is a former Oregon Court of Appeals clerk who is recognized as an excellent appellate lawyer. Julian is a former Alaska Supreme Court clerk who is recognized as an excellent business litigator. Together, they represent another generation of Harrang Long lawyers representing clients in matters at the intersection of law and public policy, whether it is in the courtroom, the hearing room, or the board room. To learn more about how Erica and Julian can serve your legal needs, please visit our website.
6. There’s a new sheriff in town (and other new leaders)
Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell has been sworn in as Multnomah County Sheriff—the first woman to ever hold the job.
Meagan Flynn is the new Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court—the second woman to hold the role in Oregon history. Martha Walters, her predecessor, was the first.
Jessica Vega Pederson, the new Chair of Multnomah County, answered questions from Willamette Week about housing and homelessness.
Karmen Fore will be Congresswoman Val Hoyle’s chief of staff. She previously worked for former Congressman Peter DeFazio and most recently was director of Oregon Solutions at PSU.
Hoyle told KLCC that much of DeFazio’s staff will remain on her team: “I feel very lucky because the vast majority of Peter DeFazio's staff agreed to stay on. I walked in with this incredibly competent and experienced team."
Melanie Kebler is the new mayor of Bend.
Former OHA Director Pat Allen is the new head of the New Mexico Department of Health, appointed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM). He’ll take a pay cut of roughly $80,000 in the new job.
7. Are Oregonians concerned about water?
Thanks to our friends at the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center for this week’s graphic showing widespread concern over our state’s access to clean water moving forward.
8. News Roundup: Tribute to notable Oregonians lost in 2022, Ted Wheeler’s fall, and the return of open primaries
Here is a tribute from The O to some of the notable Oregonians who passed away in 2022, including Bud Clark, Bob Stacey, Len Bergstein, Gerry Frank, and many others.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler slipped and fell on ice; he used crutches to get to the most recent council meeting.
Wheeler also gave out new bureau assignments to city commissioners.
An “open primary” measure is one step closer to making the ballot in 2024 after DOJ issued a draft ballot title. The campaign will be called “All Oregon Votes”. Useful context from WW: “The last time Oregon voters weighed in on open primaries, Measure 90 in 2014, they rejected the idea 68% to 32%.”
The ‘left coast’ continues its trend towards an electric future with California taking the 1st place spot and Oregon and Washington tying for second in the largest share of electric vehicle sales.
Horrific: The story of a man biting off an elderly man’s face and ear during a violent encounter on the MAX is making national news. The alleged attacker claimed that a robot was trying to kill him.
Oof: “Never-opened $300 million-plus biofuels refinery facing foreclosure in southern Oregon”
The Oregon Climate Change Research Institute released its yearly report which again predicted dramatic changes to the state given the impact of climate change.
Thank you for reading.
Tips? Feedback? Ideas? Corrections? We want to hear from you! Email benjaminwbowman@gmail.com.
If you value this newsletter, please become a paying subscriber today. Your support will help us grow and offer more opportunities to this community. It’s just $10 a month!
Interested in advertising with us? Get in touch!
About the Authors
Ben Bowman is the chair of the Tigard-Tualatin School Board and state representative-elect for Oregon House District 25 (Tigard and Beaverton). In his day job, he works as an administrator for a public school district. Previously, he worked as a legislative aide for former Reps. Margaret Doherty and Val Hoyle. He also co-hosts The Oregon Bridge podcast. In the newsletter and podcast, he speaks only for himself.
Alex Titus is a small business owner and consultant to businesses, nonprofits, and associations. Previously, he served as an Advisor in the Trump Administration and as a Policy Advisor to President Trump’s Super PAC. His writing has appeared in National Review, Fox News, The Hill, RealClearPolitics, and other publications.
One new elected leader you forgot to mention is Simone Rede, the City of Portland's new Auditor. She has great qualifications and I think we can expect good things out of her office.
Interesting how even this supposedly Neutral site refuses to address the fact that this New and improved Gov has appointed an even more progressive staff. Anyone who attends her visits around the state is merely her pawn. She will never govern from a consensus view in Oregon.