Liane Richardson
L
ADMINISTRATING THE COUNTY
iane Richardson is one of only two female
county administrators in Oregon, according to
Anne Marie Levis, Lane County’s public infor-
mation officer. Levis says Richardson was out of
town and unavailable for an interview with EW,
but she answered questions via email.
Richardson, in a document sent through Levis,
writes that as a child she dreamed of different
professions — doctor, veterinarian “and finally as an
advocate for those who didn’t have a voice.”
Richardson says that in high school, “I learned what
attorneys could do to help provide that voice, both
[for] victims of crime and the underrepresented, and
that sparked my interest in law.”
Richardson started at Lane County as an attorney
before becoming acting, and then “permanent,”
county administrator. In the past she has worked in
the Lane County District Attorney (DA)’s office,
been chief deputy district attorney in Benton County
and assistant dean for student affairs at the UO
School of Law — and she won Mrs. Eugene
International 2007 and competed in the Mrs. Oregon
International beauty pageant that year.
She writes, “During my time with the DA’s office, I
was named DUII prosecutor of the year and the whole
experience really opened up my eyes to the limitless
potential to make a difference at the county level.”
She adds, “While I’ve worked with the law and
government in several different capacities, I feel like
they’ve all helped prepare me for my current role and
they’ve all helped me pursue and maintain my goal
of helping those who need help.”
Richardson has been surrounded by controversy
since her official appointment as county administrator
in May 2011. Progressive commissioner Pete
Sorenson and former commissioner Rob Handy
voted against her appointment. Sorenson said at the
time that he felt there should have been an open
recruitment process for the position, which paid
$149,200 plus $71,400 in other compensation.
Handy and Sorenson’s no votes on her hiring were
cited by Richardson in complaints later in 2011 in
which she alleged that they were retaliating against her.
Those complaints were determined to be unfounded by
an investigator, who pointed out that voting on hiring
was part of the commissioners’ jobs. The investigation
cost the county more than $20,000. One of the com-
plaints was that Handy’s “body language and facial
expressions” were “demonstrating retaliatory behavior
toward Ms. Richardson in board meetings.” The inves-
tigator found no evidence of that in his finding of fact.
A 2006 Corvallis Gazette Times article said that
Richardson accused a judge, whom she argued in front
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of as deputy DA in Benton County, of being
“disdainful” of her in court and showing it through
“eye-rolling and impatient sighs.” Richardson resigned
from her position, she said in the article, because of
the animosity she felt the judge directed toward her.
The most recent controversies surrounding
Richardson include clashing with activists when she
closed down the county “free speech” plaza to
protesters who were working to call attention to the
plight of Eugene’s homeless. Then came the proposal
in January to increase her base salary to $175,656
with a possible increase to $221,874.
The Human Resources Department said that the
salary increase was needed for “a competitive salary
range to recruit and retain professional leadership
skills.” Richardson tabled the compensation for a
later date, after a maelstrom of protests about raising
salaries during a time when the county’s poor
finances have led to letting criminals out of jail due
to a lack of jail beds.
In December 2012, former county attorney Marc
Kardell wrote in a tort-claim notice letter that he was
fired after he raised concerns about misuse of county
funds and that Richardson’s actions were causing “a
multitude of problems” within the county. Kardell also
alleged possible age discrimination in his firing, a con-
cern that has been echoed by others concerned about
terminations at the county under Richardson’s tenure.
Levis calls Richardson “humble,” saying she
thinks people don’t really know Richardson and
“judge her harder as a woman.”
When asked about the controversies, Richardson
responds that her position “carries with it a lot of
responsibility; to the board, to young women who are
looking to pursue leadership positions and of course,
to the people of Lane County” and writes though
“often times there are no easy answers” she tries to
make decisions that represent “all groups of people
equally and fairly.”
She writes that despite seeing herself as a “tom-
boy” she competed in the Mrs. Oregon International
Pageant “to see if in fact it was really as demeaning
to women as I had thought back when I was younger”
and also because she “didn’t see a lot of representa-
tion from individuals with my demeanor, background
and goals.” She writes that her experience didn’t feel
demeaning or insulting to women.
When asked where she sees herself in 10 years,
Richardson responds, “Hopefully still at the county,
having worked with our board, our employees and the
community to bring the county back to a place where
we can provide all of the services our residents need at
a level that is reasonable.” — Camilla Mortensen
March 21, 2013 • eugeneweekly.com
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