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East Oregonian
First lady’s $118,000 fellowship
overlapped state energy policy work
By HILLARY BORRUD
Capital Bureau
6$/(0 ² 2UHJRQ ¿UVW
lady Cylvia Hayes was paid
$118,000 for communica-
tions work for a clean econ-
omy organization at a time
when she was advising the
JRYHUQRU¶V RI¿FH RQ VLPLODU
topics.
The job is another in-
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dy’s paid private sector jobs
overlapped with her role as
a policy adviser to Gov. John
Kitzhaber, a situation that
prompted ethics complaints
against both Hayes and the
governor.
Hayes appears to have
been the only paid fellow at
WKH QRQSUR¿W :DVKLQJWRQ
D.C.-based Clean Economy
Development Center. It’s un-
clear what Hayes did for the
organization because neither
WKH ¿UVW ODG\ QRU LWV H[HFX-
tive director responded to re-
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.HQW 5HG¿HOG D SROLWLFDO
science professor at the Uni-
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said tangible evidence of
Hayes’ work for the Clean
Economy Development Cen-
ter is important, because there
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in which entities sought to in-
ÀXHQFHSXEOLFRI¿FLDOVE\RI-
fering no-show jobs
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their family mem-
bers.
“If there’s no
work product and
you’ve got a situa-
tion where you’re
hiring the gover-
nor’s spouse or
someone with a
close personal re- Hayes
lationship with the
governor, then you can cer-
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said.
The Clean Economy De-
velopment Center’s stated
purpose is to help public
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ects that create jobs, but it
also worked to shape public
policy. In 2014, the group
conducted polling and orga-
nized a coalition to push for
an Oregon low-carbon fuel
standard. That policy has
the support of Kitzhaber and
Democratic state lawmakers.
([SHUWV RQ JRYHUQPHQW
ethics and the intersection of
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Hayes’ job in particular rais-
es questions, such as whether
her compensation was rea-
sonable given the amount of
work she did and
whether Hayes’ em-
ployer sought to use
the connection to in-
ÀXHQFHVWDWHSROLF\
Hayes was on
the Clean Economy
Development Cen-
ter’s payroll from
2011 to 2012, at
the same time she
served as an un-
paid adviser to the
governor on energy and eco-
nomic development policies.
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was a named member of the
governor’s policy team that
produced a 10-year state en-
ergy action plan in December
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iations of other private sector
advisers, but it does not men-
tion Hayes’ connection with
the Clean Economy Devel-
opment Center.
5HG¿HOG VDLG +D\HV¶ HP-
ployment with the Clean
Economy
Development
Center could create a real or
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even if Hayes and Kitzhaber
already agreed with the orga-
nization’s policy positions.
“It may have been the po-
sitions were already there,
but you should avoid creating
situations where people ques-
tion whether you’re doing
something because it’s good
public policy or because it
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5HG¿HOGVDLG
While Hayes is vague as
to the details of her work,
she lists the fellowship in her
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included the center’s logo in
her email newsletter through
early 2013.
In a response to emailed
questions in December,
Hayes wrote that the nonprof-
it paid her $30,000 in 2011
and $88,000 in 2012, and that
her “primary work was to
implement communications
strategies promoting clean
economy development.”
A spokeswomen for the
governor also did not respond
to questions about whether
Hayes used the governor’s
mansion for an event associ-
ated with the Clean Econo-
my Development Center. On
April 9, 2012, a “Clean Econ-
omy dinner meeting” was
scheduled at the governor’s
mansion, according to public
records.
Contributed photo
Kayla, Elijah, Ezra and Casey McKinstry pose for a family photo several months before Ezra had a stroke and was
rushed to a Phoenix hospital.
EZRA: ‘Within 10 minutes, he was moving his right arm’
only hope and pray.
“I realized the last time he
The family, which also said ‘Mama’ could have been
includes 23-month-old Eli- the last time,” Kayla said.
jah, moved from Pendleton
Ezra’s neurosurgeon said
WR3KRHQL[WKLVVXPPHUWREH the window was still open
near a pediatric vascular sur- for use of a clot-busting drug
geon who specializes in very known as tPA (tissue plas-
young children. Ezra had minogen activator), which if
been diagnosed prenatally administered within several
with hypoplastic right heart hours can improve chanc-
syndrome, which means his es of recovery by restoring
right ventricle and atrium are EORRG ÀRZ WR WKH DIIHFWHG
H[WUHPHO\ XQGHUGHYHORSHG part of the brain. About 25
The little boy has already minutes remained in Ezra’s
endured one open heart sur- window.
gery.
Casey McKinstry de-
In recent months “he’d VFULEHG ZKDW KDSSHQHG QH[W
been doing great,” Casey in a gravelly voice that re-
said. “When you have a child ÀHFWHGKLVODFNRIVOHHS
with a heart condition, you
“It was pretty crazy,” he
are aware of it all the time, said. “There were all sorts of
but he was gaining weight specialists in the room and
and acting healthy — it was about 12 or 13 people in all.”
easy to forget. This is a real-
Neurologist Dr. John
ity check — anything could &RQGLH H[SODLQHG WKH ULVNV
happen at any time.”
of hemorrhaging and inter-
With Sunday’s stroke di- nal bleeding. When the drug
agnosis, the couple could works, however, it is a mir-
Continued from 1A
acle of science. Casey and
Kayla gave the go-ahead
and the drug was immedi-
ately given intravenously to
an unhappy Ezra. The drug
worked quickly.
“Within 10 minutes, he
was moving his right arm,”
Casey said. “In 15 to 20 min-
utes, he started sucking his
binky. Everything was look-
ing a lot better.”
“Seeing that was a mira-
cle,” Kayla said.
The 30-plus electrodes
stuck to Ezra’s head and
monitoring his brain activ-
ity delivered encouraging
data. Both medical personnel
and parents breathed sighs
of relief. When the danger
was past, Dr. Condie shared
a shocking bit of news. To
his knowledge, Ezra was the
youngest person ever to get
tPA in the state of Arizona.
7KHZKROHH[SHULHQFHOHIW
Casey and Kayla both shell-
shocked and grateful. They
are only now starting to re-
OD[
“We’re breathing a little
easier now,” Casey said. “It
was probably one of the most
terrifying moments of both
of our lives.”
Ezra’s health issues have
VWUHVVHGWKHIDPLO\¿QDQFLDO-
ly. Casey, a contracted post
RI¿FH FDUULHU LQ 3HQGOHWRQ
now works for the 2M Com-
pany, a wholesale supplier
of irrigation equipment, turf,
wells and other water-related
products. Kayla, who once
did home daycare, keeps
busy taking care of her boys.
Those who wish to donate
to the McKinstry family can
visit www.gofundme.com/
kv8hcg. The GoFundMe
site, created by family friend
Emily Beason, has so far
raised is $825.
———
Contact Kathy Aney at
kaney@eastoregonian.com
or call 541-966-0810
PARKS: Fetter suggested adding a picnic shelter to Riverfront Park
Fetter said the department
has a few ideas for new park
SLHFHRISURSHUW\QH[WWR6XQ- locations. A piece of land
set Park on Northeast Fourth near Theater Lane and Eighth
Street, one of only three small Avenue has been promised
parks east of Highway 395. to the city as part of a new
Fetter said his department housing development. Fetter
plans to use the property to VDLG WKH ODQG LV QRW ÀDW DQG
double the park’s size, add QRWFRQGXFLYHWREDOO¿HOGVRU
play equipment, a picnic shel- a playground, but could pro-
ter and half-court basketball. vide 7 acres of wildlife view-
“Typical of Hermiston, I ing and nature trails.
wouldn’t be surprised if a ser-
Another option is 10 acres
vice club wants to help out,” of property for sale along the
Fetter said.
bank of the Hermiston Ditch
He said the parks depart- behind Wal-Mart.
ment tends to get a good
On the west end of the
amount of volunteer help not city, Fetter said the irrigation
only from service clubs but district has been interested in
also from the Boy Scouts, getting rid of part of a 40-acre
ZKR SHUIRUP IRXU RU ¿YH parcel off Elm Street near the
Eagle Scout projects a year Umatilla River and the north
for the department. The HQGRIWKH2[ERZ7UDLO7KH
most recent one was a wood- old Steelhead Park property
en bridge to cover a pipe south of Riverfront Park, now
stretching across the canal in owned by the Department of
Belt Park.
Fish and Wildlife, could also
Continued from 1A
be an option.
There is a demand for play
equipment and more soccer
¿HOGVLQ+HUPLVWRQEXW)HW-
ter encouraged the city to
look at specialized parks as
well.
He said a good skate park
like the ones in Pendleton
and Irrigon can be a “point
of pride” and create a sense
of ownership for a population
that sometimes clashes with
the city. A high-visibility area
like the gravel parking area
DFURVVWKHVWUHHWIURPWKH¿UH
station and police department
would discourage crime and
vandalism.
Fetter said there is also a
demand for a dog park where
people can play with their
dogs or let them run loose
without running afoul of
leash laws.
“When they’re managed
well they can be very attrac-
tive,” Fetter said.
He said the city also needs
to build more picnic shelters
and suggested adding a large
one to Riverfront Park.
“We have four of them
and they’re booked starting
in January for some of the
more popular times in the
summer,” Fetter said.
Mayor David Drotzmann
thanked Fetter for his work
on putting together the pre-
sentation and said as the city
headed into budget-planning
season it was important to
keep in mind how new parks
and improved amenities
FRXOGEHQH¿WWKHFRPPXQLW\
“The Parks and Recre-
ation department is such a
critical component to the suc-
cess of our city,” he said.
———
Contact Jade McDowell
at
jmcdowell@eastorego-
nian.com or 541-564-4536.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
WOLVES: Phase II allows
ODFW to consider killing
after two livestock predations
of the Wolf Depredation
Compensation and Finan-
producer’s own property or cial Assistance County
allotment.
Block Grant Program.
Non-lethal deterrents
But Nash has previous-
DUH VWLOO HPSKDVL]HG ¿UVW ly said compensation is
and foremost by ODFW. a Band-Aid for ranchers,
Ranchers are not allowed and not a solution to the
to bait wolves, and must problem. The Cattlemen
report any lethal take with- Association passed a reso-
in 24 hours while making lution at its annual meeting
all reasonable attempts to in December that supports
preserve the scene for in- lethal control of wolves in
vestigation.
three cases: livestock loss-
Todd Nash, a Wallowa es, human health or safety
County rancher and chair- and when game popula-
man of the Oregon Cat- tions dip below manage-
tlemen Association wolf ment levels.
committee, said it is highly
Rob Klavins, northeast
unlikely for producers to 2UHJRQ ¿HOG FRRUGLQDWRU
actually catch a wolf caus- for the conservation group
ing trouble in the pasture. Oregon Wild, said mov-
The rule does, however, ing into Phase II of the
make them
wolf plan is
feel a little
a
positive
more
em- “We should look sign o`f the
powered than at these numbers species’ re-
they were be-
covery, while
in context, and the popula-
fore.
“ W e realize wolf re- tion remains
didn’t want
“relatively
wolves
to covery is moving small.”
begin with,”
O r e -
Nash said. in the right direc- gon had 64
“We’re try- tion. I think, at
wolves
at
ing to get
the end of
along as best this point, killing 2013.
The
we can in the
2014
pop-
wolves should ulation will
political cli-
mate we live still be an option be updated
in.”
ODFW’s
of last resort.” in
Another
annual wolf
change
in — Rob Klavins, field co- report, slated
Phase II low- ordinator for Oregon Wild for March.
ers the re-
And, de-
quirement for
spite reach-
ODFW to consider lethal ing
the
conservation
control of problem packs. benchmark for breeding
Previously, the department pairs in Eastern Oregon,
QHHGHGWRFRQ¿UPIRXUDW- Klavins said that does not
tacks on livestock within mean their work is done.
D VL[PRQWK SHULRG DQG
“We should look at
each of those incidents had WKHVH QXPEHUV LQ FRQWH[W
to satisfy an additional set and realize wolf recovery
of criteria in order quali- is moving in the right di-
fy. No pack ever reached rection,” he said. “I think,
the threshold, though the at this point, killing wolves
Umatilla River wolves should still be an option of
came close last year.
last resort.”
Instead, Phase II allows
The transition into
ODFW to consider killing Phase II also marks the ini-
wolves after just two live- tiation of de-listing wolves
stock predations without in the eastern third of Or-
a set time limit. Nash said egon. Wolves remain fed-
lethal control is critical for erally protected in western
livestock producers as the Oregon.
wolf population continues
ODFW will begin con-
to grow.
ducting a full status review
“Dealing with problem DQG SUHVHQW LWV ¿QGLQJV
wolves is an absolute must to the Fish and Wildlife
moving forward,” he said. Commission in April. The
Ranchers are currently commission could make its
compensated by the state decision as early as June,
for livestock losses caused following input from the
by wolves. The Oregon public.
Department of Agriculture
———
awarded $150,830 in 2014
Contact George Plaven
— along with $63,125 at
gplaven@eastorego-
from the U.S. Fish and nian.com or 541-564-
Wildlife Service — as part 4547.
Continued from 1A
MARIJUANA: Kitzhaber
opposed Measure 91
other qualifying conditions
under the law and patients
Recreational use will can indicate multiple rea-
be legal July 1, although sons for medical use.
OLCC licensing of retail
Kitzhaber supported the
VDOHVLVH[SHFWHGLQDQRWK- 1998 ballot measure but
er year or so, after it starts opposed Measure 91. Al-
accepting
applications though he called legaliza-
Jan. 4, 2016. A special tion “inevitable,” Kitzhaber
House-Senate committee said during the campaign
also will focus on legal- that Oregon should await
ization, which voters ap- lessons from Washington
proved as Measure 91 on and Colorado, where voters
Nov. 4.
approved legalization mea-
Kitzhaber said he favors sures in 2012.
a merger of systems for
Among the questions
medical marijuana and rec- Kitzhaber will raise is the
reational marijuana.
number of plants the law
Measure 91 made no allows someone to grow
changes in the 1998 law al- for personal use — four —
lowing marijuana for medi- weighed against the eight
cal uses, but some lawmak- ounces under the law that
ers have said they want to someone can possess at
consider changes.
home. Public possession is
“I think you need to put limited to one ounce.
them together,” Kitzhaber
“Allowing homegrown
said. “It’s easier to ask simply seems to be out of
questions when you do not sync with a regulated mar-
have two separate systems ket,” he said.
operating.”
Kitzhaber also wants
Kitzhaber said lawmak- OLCC and lawmakers to
HUVKDYHVLQFHH[SDQGHGWKH show how a regulated mar-
list of conditions that qual- ket will reduce the black
ify for medical marijuana market for recreational
use. Among the conditions marijuana, and what can
in the initial law were glau- be done to devise a test —
coma and nausea associat- comparable to a breath test
ed with chemotherapy.
for alcohol — for deter-
“It’s strayed quite a bit,” mining whether a driver is
said Kitzhaber, a former XQGHUWKHLQÀXHQFHRIPDU-
emergency-room
physi- ijuana.
cian.
Supporters have said the
Of the almost 70,000 VWDWH WD[ VHW E\ 0HDVXUH
patients registered with the 91 should be low enough
Oregon Medical Marijuana to encourage conversions
Program as of Jan. 1, more from the black market, and
than 64,000 use it for se- that the measure requires
vere pain; 9,379 for nausea, RI¿FLDOVWRVHWXQGHUWKHLQ-
3,633 for cancer and 1,074 ÀXHQFH WHVWLQJ UHTXLUH-
for glaucoma. There are ments.
Continued from 1A