Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 14, 2018)
Wednesday, February 14, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 13 Gov. choice to Oregon lawmaker resigns amid harassment allegations movement gained steam. against Kruse. gave lingering hugs to two lead veterans’ By Andrew Selsky Several politicians, includ- Kruse was accused of law students who used to ing Gov. Kate Brown, had harassment but generally not work for him, Republican agency SALEM (AP) — An called for Kruse’s resignation. of a sexual nature, though and non-partisan staffers, Oregon state senator resigned Sen. Sara Gelser, a an investigator found that he a former legislative aide Thursday after an investi- Democrat from the college touched and hugged women and a lobbyist, according withdraws gation determined he had town of Corvallis, said Kruse more than men, and the peo- to the 51-page investigative Associated Press SALEM (AP) — Gov. Kate Brown’s choice to lead the Department of Veterans’ Affairs has removed herself from consideration. The Oregonian/Oregon Live reports Sheronne Blasi, less than two months after the governor named her to the post, announced Tuesday she no longer wants to be in consideration to become the first woman veteran to head the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs. The agency says Director o f S t a t e w i d e Ve t e r a n s Services Mitch Spakers will replace Blasi as acting direc- tor “effective immediately.” Blasi was serving as an assistant director of the veter- ans department when Brown nominated her in December. The agency says Blasi “will remain in a leadership position within the agency, working to implement new programs and ensure the very best in benefits and resources for Oregon veterans.” harassed multiple women in the Capitol building with prolonged hugging, groping and other unwelcome physi- cal contact. Sen. Jeff Kruse said in a statement he denies the alle- gations, but is stepping down so his colleagues may focus on serving Oregonians with- out distraction. An investigative report released Tuesday documented allegations that he harassed female colleagues while talk- ing to them in public areas of the Senate. The investigation was one of many in statehouses nationwide following a wave of sexual misconduct allega- tions against men in power since an October expose of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein by the New York Times. In Arizona, Republican state Rep. Don Shooter was voted out of office on Feb. 1 after sexual misconduct alle- gations, becoming the first state lawmaker in the U.S. to be expelled since the #MeToo harassed many women in the Capitol through prolonged hugs and other unwanted touching. However, worried about causing a disruption and also about the impact a formal complaint would have on her relationships with other lawmakers, Gelser chose to file an informal complaint two years ago, which led the Legislature’s lawyers and human resources to warn Kruse not to touch women in the Capitol. But he didn’t stop, Gelser said. Last fall, Gelser pub- licly identified Kruse as her harasser following a wave of sexual misconduct allega- tions against men in power. She filed a formal com- plaint in November, which triggered a requirement that a legislative committee arrange for an outside investiga- tion of her claims. Another lawmaker, Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward, also made a formal complaint ple who complained were women. An investigative report made public late Tuesday said Gelser would try to move away or avoid Kruse but didn’t feel comfortable telling him that the conduct was unwelcome. Gelser said that when she was sitting at her desk on the House floor in 2011, where she first served in the Legislature, Kruse leaned onto her back and put his hands and arms down her shoulders and across her breasts. Kruse also groped or report by investigator and employment law attorney Dian Rubanoff. The other women cited in the report who complained weren’t named. Kruse told the investi- gator that he believed his behavior was “instinctual” and that although he wanted to change, “It’s not easy to change when you have been doing something for 67 years.” Kruse, who represents the former timber town of Roseburg, didn’t appear on the Senate floor when it con- vened Wednesday. Offering Aveda ™ Skin & Body Care! hair | massage | nails facials | makeup 541-549-1784 161-C N. Elm St.
