A8
State
Blue Mountain Eagle
Gov. Brown’s chief
of staff resigns,
effective Jan. 31
By Paris Achen
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Kate Brown takes oath as
Oregon’s elected governor
By Paris Achen
Capital Bureau
Kristen Leonard has resigned as Gov. Kate
Brown’s chief of staff after 14 months on the
job.
The resignation, effective Jan. 31, follows a
series of articles by Willamette Week revealing
that Leonard had failed to disclose at least two
conflicts of interest, as required by state ethics
law.
Chris Pair, the governor’s interim commu-
nications director, said the resignation was “a
mutual decision” unrelated to the alt-weekly’s
revelations.
“Her condition for accepting the job as chief
of staff was always to serve for one year,”
Pair said. “She extended that service (at Gov.
Brown’s request) to ensure the completion of
the budget and through the Governor’s inaugu-
ration.”
The governor praised Leonard Tuesday for
her service.
“Kristen was instrumental in building an ex-
ceptional team of agency heads, board commis-
sioners, and key administrators,” Brown said.
“During her tenure we increased Oregon’s min-
imum wage, advanced important environmental
initiatives, and delivered a budget that protects
Oregon’s K-12 schools despite a nearly $2 bil-
lion shortfall. Kristen executed this job with in-
tegrity and distinction, and I am grateful for her
dedicated service.”
WW reported in October that Leonard and
her husband, Kevin Neely, had a stake in a book-
keeping firm that worked for Brown’s election
campaign. Two months later, the newspaper re-
vealed that Leonard had failed to disclose two
conflicts of interest: Neely’s software company
had a $214,000 contract with the state that was
up for renewal and Neely works as a lobbyist
for the Oregon District Attorney’s Association.
She later disclosed her conflicts in writing, the
newspaper reported.
Leonard was hired to replace Brown’s first
chief of staff, Brian Shipley. Brown recruited
Leonard from her job as public affairs director at
the Port of Portland. When she took the position
in November 2015, the Port Executive Director
Bill Wyatt wrote in an email to staff that Leonard
was going “on official leave” and had accepted
a “limited-duration assignment,” according to
reports by The Oregonian at the time.
“This has been the most rewarding job of my
career; yet also the most demanding,” Leonard
wrote in her resignation letter. “In line with our
initial discussion upon accepting this position, I
must now return to the obligations that I put on
hold to serve in your administration.”
Capital Bureau
Gov. Kate Brown was sworn
in for the first time as elected
governor Monday, after serving
in the position for nearly two
years.
The governor used her inau-
gural address to unveil her legis-
lative agenda for the year.
“Under my leadership, we
will continue to move Oregon
forward,” Brown told an audi-
ence in the Oregon House of
Representatives chamber.
Brown, as secretary of state,
ascended to the governorship in
February 2015 when then-Gov.
John Kitzhaber stepped down
amid a scandal over consulting
contracts awarded to his fiancée,
Cylvia Hayes. In Oregon, where
there is no lieutenant governor,
the secretary of state is next in
line.
She became the first openly
bisexual governor in national
history.
Brown was elected in No-
vember with an overwhelming
majority to complete that last
two years of Kitzhaber’s four-
year term, defeating Republican
challenger, Dr. Bud Pierce of
Salem.
During her speech Mon-
day, Brown called on Oregon
lawmakers to set aside their dif-
ferences to work together this
session to tackle Oregon’s $1.7
billion revenue shortfall.
“We have to come together
and know that we are all on the
same side,” Brown said.
She also said Oregonians
should resist any attacks on civil
rights in the wake of New York
billionaire Donald J. Trump’s
election as president.
“We must guard against prej-
udice based on race, ethnicity,
religion or belief,” Brown said
to applause. “We must not allow
the rights of any one person or
class of people to be degraded in
any way. We must stand for our
veterans. We must defend the
Pamplin Media Group/Jaime Valdez
Gov. Kate Brown takes the oath of office Monday from
Oregon Supreme Court Justice Thomas Balmer. Brown
was elected in November to finish the remaining two years
of former Gov. John Kitzhaber’s term. She succeeded him
to the post when he resigned in February 2015.
rights of LGBTQ Oregonians.”
Brown also released her pri-
orities for the 79th legislative
assembly, which convenes Feb.
1. Top priorities are the state’s
high school graduation rate, a
transportation funding package,
measures to keep firearms out of
the hands of high-risk individu-
als and expansion of health care
subsidies to all children.
Revenue
Her agenda omitted specific
proposals to raise taxes to ad-
dress the state’s $1.7 billion rev-
enue shortfall, an issue expected
to be at the center of lawmaker
debate during the 2017 session.
However, she continued her call
for better management of state
pension investments, and she
called on lawmakers to work to-
gether to find solutions to reve-
nue problems.
Voters in November rejected
Measure 97, which would have
raised $3 billion a year in corpo-
rate sales taxes.
Brown said she has been hav-
ing “informal conversations”
with members of the business
community and labor commu-
nity about potential tax reforms.
“I believe we cannot move
Oregon forward without ade-
quate and stable revenue for key
basic services, and I will tell you
that members of the business
community that I have spoken
with over the last several months
agree, so now we have to figure
out the right solution that doesn’t
provide further burdens for our
working families across the state
and also ensures that our econo-
my continues to thrive in every
single corner,” Brown said.
Education
Brown’s agenda includes cre-
ating a $20 million graduation
equity fund to replicate success-
ful practices from around the
state and address chronic absen-
teeism and expanding mentoring
and professional development
for teachers.
“My top priority will be to
work to improve Oregon’s high
school graduation rate,” Brown
said.
About 74 percent of Oregon
students graduate within four
years, the third worst rate in the
nation.
Gun control
In July, Brown announced
she would attempt to close two
loopholes in state law on firearm
possession.
One proposal would close the
so-called “Charleston” loophole,
which allows a gun purchase to
move forward if law enforce-
ment hasn’t determined the buy-
er’s eligibility within three days.
She also is seeking to close the
“boyfriend loophole,” which ex-
pands the types of relationships
that qualify for gun disposses-
sion when convicted of domestic
violence charges.
Her agenda does not include
another proposal she unveiled in
July to ban the future purchases
of expanded capacity gun mag-
azines.
“I was committed to work-
ing with community activists
and gun control advocates that
believe in common sense legis-
lation, and frankly we struggled
to get broad support to move
forward on that legislation, but
it doesn’t mean that I am giving
up,” Brown said.
Call for bipartisanship
Brown opened her speech by
invoking Republican Gov. Tom
McCall’s call during his 1967
inaugural address to govern in a
spirit of bipartisanship.
“It is in that spirit that I ad-
dress you, the members of the
79th Oregon Legislative As-
sembly; and it is that spirit that I
address all Oregonians,” Brown
said.
Her comments came shortly
after Republicans cried foul over
Brown’s decision to change her
proposal to place a public re-
cords advocate in the secretary
of state’s office after Republican
Dennis Richardson won election
to the position. Instead, Brown
decided to propose placing the
advocate in the Department of
Administrative Services, which
is under her control.
Brown was sworn in at about
noon by Oregon Supreme Court
Justice Thomas Balmer. In her
subsequent inaugural address,
she gave a nod to elected offi-
cials in the chamber and singled
out state Rep. Vic Gilliam, who
has continued his service as a
state representative despite his
battle with ALS and confinement
to a wheelchair.
Words just do not seem enough to give this county, but they are all we have to give
back. This year, the Carrie Young Memorial raised a total of $28,092.17 to aid the
elderly throughout Grant County. Because of your generosity, many folks in this
county and four different care centers received the help they needed.
We want to thank everyone for their donations (monetary and auction items) along
with those who helped with set up and clean up. We would also like to thank all the
businesses for their donations as well as the kitchen crew, shopping crew, the Grant
Union and Prairie City students who wrapped the gifts, the John Day Elks Lodge
and anyone who supported the auction and dinner for making the 23rd annual Carrie
Young Memorial a huge success.
We truly live in the best county in the world!
May God bless you all and again
THANK YOU!
Lucie Immoos, Christie Winegar and Delores Young
In memory of Carrie Young
7/13/1961-9/15/1992
05085