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.
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