A2 THE BULLETIN • FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2022
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RACE FOR OREGON GOVERNOR
Candidate Betsy Johnson questioned
over her handling of a 2013 car crash
HILLARY BORRUD
The Oregonian
Oregon unaffiliated gubernatorial
candidate Betsy Johnson is under scru-
tiny this week for her handling of a
2013 car crash in which Johnson, then
a Democratic state senator, rear-ended
and injured another driver who was
coming to a stop at a red light in Scap-
poose.
At the time, news reports focused
on Johnson’s serious injuries, which
caused her to miss more than a month
of the Legislative session and use a
wheelchair for six months.
It escaped notice that Johnson,
through her lawyers, subsequently
cited her position as a state lawmaker
to argue that the driver Johnson rear-
ended, Melissa Gallentine, could not
sue Johnson for personal injury be-
cause she was driving as part of her of-
ficial work duties.
Willamette Week first reported
Johnson’s efforts to avoid responsibil-
ity in the case on Wednesday, primar-
ily highlighting a different but related
argument Johnson made, that she was
shielded from being served with a law-
suit during a legislative session.
When Johnson pushed for a judge to
drop her as a defendant and leave only
her employer, the state of Oregon, to
answer for the crash, the Oregon De-
partment of Justice, then as now led by
Democrat Ellen Rosenblum, did not
object.
But Gallentine’s lawyers argued a
judge, not Rosenblum’s office, should
determine whether Johnson’s inatten-
tive driving in Scappoose was in fact
part of her official duties as a legislator.
Betsy Johnson, who
seeks to run for gover-
nor of Oregon as a non-
affiliated candidate,
poses in her campaign
office in downtown
Portland on May 27.
If she gathers enough
signatures and quali-
fies for the ballot, the
former lawmaker will
be in a three-way race
for the governor’s seat
in November.
Sara Cline/AP file
“A simple ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘I’m respon-
sible’ would have been greatly appre-
ciated,’” Gallentine said by phone on
Wednesday. “(Johnson) just kept forc-
ing more the other aspect, which was, ‘I
didn’t do anything wrong’ and trying to
win a case, to show zero fault.”
Johnson has pledged that if elected
governor, she will emphasize personal
responsibility — specifically for Ore-
gon’s homeless residents — and push
for more government accountability.
On Wednesday, Johnson did not
respond to a phone call seeking com-
ment, and her campaign declined to
comment and refused to answer ques-
tions emailed by The Oregonian.
Among the questions Johnson
would not answer: Why did she be-
lieve the state of Oregon and taxpayers
should take sole responsibility for her
car crash? Was Johnson aware of her
lawyers’ invocation of legislative im-
munity to defend against the $260,000
personal injury lawsuit? Did Johnson
take any actions following the crash
that demonstrated personal responsi-
bility or accountability?
Christine Drazan, the Republican
nominee for governor, weighed in
Wednesday on social media. “This is
a clear abuse of legislative immunity.
No one should be above accountabil-
ity or above the law, especially those
in power. Oregonians are tired of
self-serving politicians. We deserve
leaders who follow the law and tell the
truth,” she tweeted.
The Oregonian also asked Johnson’s
campaign to comment on why the
longtime state lawmaker has racked
up so many traffic violations: a dozen
since 1991, including failure to obey
traffic devices and basic driving rules,
speeding and failure to wear a seat belt,
according to court records. Johnson
was not wearing a seat belt at the time
she crashed into Gallentine in 2013
in Columbia County, but she was not
cited for that instance. All of Johnson’s
traffic citations were in Multnomah
County and only four occurred since
she was elected to the state House in
2000.
In lieu of answering questions or
commenting on Johnson’s actions,
campaign spokesperson Jennifer Sitton
questioned why news organizations
would report on the incident. “This is
literal ambulance chasing media do-
ing the bidding of the party opposition
researchers who are afraid of our cam-
paign,” Sitton said in an email.
On Johnson’s campaign website,
her “to-do list” includes “hold gov-
ernment accountable to deliver for
the rest of us.” She recently released a
campaign ad focused on homelessness
in Oregon, showing Johnson driving
past people and tents in Portland. “We
should expect personal responsibility,”
Johnson says.
Johnson is so far the most well-
funded candidate for governor, with
$8.9 million raised, thanks to $1.75
million from Nike co-founder Phil
Knight and plentiful six-figure checks
from other donors who typically sup-
port Republicans. That fundraising
and support has made Johnson a
threat to Democratic candidate Tina
Kotek, former speaker of the state
House, and Republican candidate Dra-
zan, the former House minority leader,
although both Kotek and Drazan can
expect support from national groups
including party associations.
Polling paid for and released by the
Johnson campaign on Wednesday
showed the candidate in second place
just slightly behind Kotek, with Drazan
in third.
TALK TO AN EDITOR
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REDMOND BUREAU
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Bend, OR 97708
Phone ......................................... 541-617-7829
CORRECTIONS
The Bulletin’s primary concern is that all
stories are accurate. If you know of an
error in a story, call us at 541-383-0367.
LOCAL BRIEFING
Deschutes Historical
Museum seeks vendors
for antique fair
The Deschutes Historical
Museum is seeking vendors to
participate in its first outdoor
antique fair in August.
On Aug. 20, the museum
will hold an antique fair on
the shaded lawn at the De-
schutes Historical Museum
at 129 NW Idaho Ave. The
event will be free to the pub-
lic and will include an antique
identification event with food
trucks available, from noon to
3 p.m., the museum said in a
news release Thursday.
Vendors who offer a variety
of quality antiques and collect-
ibles, with no reproductions
or replicas, can apply on the
museum’s website.
For more information, the
museum can be reached by
calling 541-389-1813 or by
emailing info@deschuteshis-
tory.org.
Driver crashes into bank
downtown, cited for DUII
A 35-year-old Bend resident
was arrested Thursday morn-
ing on suspicion of DUII after
crashing her pickup truck into
a downtown bank, Bend Po-
lice said.
Jessica Anne Cufley was
taken by ambulance to St.
Charles Bend for treatment of
minor injuries after she was
cited on suspicion of DUII,
said Bend Police spokesperson
Sheila Miller.
Around 8:39 a.m., Cufley
allegedly left NW Wall Street
and drove her silver Nissan
truck into the Wells Fargo
Bank, at 960 NW Wall St., po-
lice said.
The crash caused minor
damage to the building. A fire
marshal determined there was
no structural damage, police
said. Miller said she could not
provide additional informa-
tion about what Cufley was
doing downtown.
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OREGON
CDC shows declines in
COVID community levels
Crook, Deschutes,
Jefferson counties
drop from high
to medium levels
Bulletin staff report
The Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention reported re-
duced COVID-19 community
levels in Oregon on Thursday,
with 14 counties at high and
15 at medium, including three
Central Oregon counties.
Seven counties dropped
to low levels of community
spread, according to data re-
leased Thursday.
A week ago, the agency
showed no Oregon counties
at low level, 12 at medium and
24 at high.
The CDC monitors levels
of COVID-19 to help com-
munities decide what preven-
tion steps to take based on the
latest data. Levels can be low,
medium or high and are de-
termined by looking at hospi-
tal beds being used, hospital
admissions and the total num-
ber of new COVID-19 cases
in an area.
The CDC listed the follow-
ing levels for Central Oregon:
Deschutes County: Me-
dium
Crook County: Medium
Jefferson County: Medium
Precautions the CDC rec-
ommends for communities
with medium levels:
• If you are at high risk for
severe illness, talk to your
health care provider about
whether you need to wear a
mask and take other precau-
tions.
• Stay up to date with
COVID-19 vaccines
• Get tested if you have
symptoms
— Bulletin staff report
“Unfortunately, we see
DUIIs in all parts of town, at
all hours of the day – morn-
ing, noon and night,” Miller
said.
Bend man cited for DUII in
Tuesday night fatal crash
A Bend man is facing a
drunken driving charge after
he allegedly caused a crash
Tuesday night that killed a
Terrebonne motorcyclist.
Evan Borden, 28, was unin-
jured in the crash that claimed
the life Rodney Miller, 51, ac-
cording to a statement by Ore-
gon State Police.
The wreck occurred around
8:35 p.m. Wednesday on state
Highway 126 about two miles
west of Redmond. According
to an OSP crash reconstruc-
tionist, Borden was travel-
ing east in a white Chevrolet
Impala when he attempted
to turn left into a pullout. He
allegedly cut off a Kawasaki
motorcycle driven by Miller,
who struck the Impala’s driver
side door as the car was turn-
ing.
Miller was pronounced
dead at the scene.
Borden was cited by OSP
for driving under the influ-
ence of intoxicants and reck-
less driving. On Thursday, he
was not listed as an inmate of
the Deschutes County jail and
no charges were on file against
him in Deschutes County Cir-
cuit Court.
Borden did not immedi-
ately return a call seeking
comment.
The highway was closed for
around five hours as police in-
vestigated.
— Bulletin staff reports
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SPECIAL REPORT COMING SUNDAY IN THE BULLETIN
Voices of Resilience: Indigenous women across the country
have endured disproportionately high rates of violence
stemming from systemic and cultural obstacles: Mistrust,
limited policing, a lack of resources for support services and
a dizzying array of jurisdictional issues for crimes committed
on tribal land are all factors. In a two-part investigative project
in partnership with Underscore.news, a non-profit publication
focused on Native American issues, the series will show how
those obstacles prompted Indigenous survivors to use their
stories of trauma to empower others,
initiatives encouraging change and the
policies shaping the legal landscape.