They didn’t say much of substance, but Tina Kotek and Peter Courtney did acknowledge the governor’s troubles Thursday afternoon.
BY JACOB PALMER | OB DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
They didn’t say much of substance, but Tina Kotek and Peter Courtney did acknowledge the governor’s troubles Thursday afternoon.
The Statesman Journal reported on the legislative leaders’ statements:
Courtney issued this statement:
“The governor is facing serious challenges and he’s hurting. I want to be fair. I want to be compassionate. I want to do my job the best I can. I will not speculate on his future.
“As legislators we need to stay focused on providing money for our schools, taking care of our seniors, tending to our state’s transportation needs and balancing our budget. We have a lot to do and we need to get it done before July. We can’t let anything distract us.”
Kotek had this to say:
“This session is off to a productive start. As the Oregon Government Ethics Commission does its job, we must remain focused on our job as legislators, which is to serve Oregonians by advancing policies that improve people’s lives and strengthen our state.”
An activist from Oregon City was much less staid in his reaction to the governor’s issues as he fired the opening salvo of a possible recall.
The Portland Business Journal reported on Arin Marcus’ “prospective petition.”
In a Kickstarter page profile, Marcus described himself as a “37 year old Army Veteran, father of Owen Riley Alexander Marcus, friend to Marlin Starr and Dojie Starr (pronounced “dee” “oh” “gee”). Campaign Manager for Dojie’s Law For A Safer Oregon and Director For Safer Oregon PAC.”
Dojie’s Law “would introduce the legal mechanisms to prevent officers from attacking animals.” The animal after which it was named passed away last month.
PBJ editor Suzanne Stevens examined how the governor’s ongoing scandal could affect business interests in the state.
Stevens quotes Oregon Business Association Ryan Deckert’s reaction to the Oregonian editorial board calling for Kitzhaber to resign:
“Our concern is that we work closely with the governor,” said Deckert. “For a lot of our major initiatives, the governor’s office is the first stop. (During his previous term), it was the grand bargain, PERS, small business tax cuts. He deserves credit for championing and molding that package. As we move into (this term), we’re in a remarkably different environment.”
This session, OBA is pushing two major initiatives: a transportation and infrastructure package and a rural jobs package. Kitzhaber has been instrumental in shaping the policies around those packages that are surfacing now. While Deckert said Kitzhaber is in a “different circumstance” now, he’s uncertain whether the governor will be hamstrung in his ability to lead on these issues and others. “It’s unchartered territory.”
