The couple face possible Federal penalties as the state justice department says Hayes is subject to corruption charges.
BY JACOB PALMER | OB DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
Gov. John Kitzhaber announced he is stepping down Friday, but legal woes persist for him and his fiancee Cylvia Hayes.
The Oregon Department of Justice indicated Hayes will be subject to public corruption charges, despite her claim she was not a state employee.
From an OregonLive.com report:
The Justice Department concluded in an order last week that Hayes, though unpaid, acted as a policy adviser to Kitzhaber with authority over state employees. Hayes has maintained she isn’t a public official and that the Oregon Government Ethics Commission has no authority over her.
The significance of the Justice Department’s order is Hayes could face not only punishment for civil ethics violations but prosecution for official misconduct, the state’s primary public corruption statute. The crime is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail.
The Federal government has also launched an investigation, the Portland Tribune reports:
Among the records being sought are a long list of documents reported by news organizations starting last fall, before Kitzhaber was elected to a fourth term as governor Nov. 4.
The subpoena also seeks communications between state employees and Hayes’ consulting clients.
What’s next for Mahonia Hall?
Kate Brown will be sworn in Wednesday to assume Kitzhaber’s position.
Several publications examined what that could mean for the state. A Portland Tribune report indicates Brown would be more willing to fight for environmental regulations.
“We’re pretty confident that she is not only going to be a pretty strong advocate for the environment, but an even stronger one” than Kitzhaber, says Jessica Moskovitz, communications director for the Oregon Environmental Council. Brown averaged 87 out of 100 on environmental report cards issued by the Oregon League of Conservation Voters during her years in the Oregon House and Senate, Moskovitz notes. As Oregon secretary of state, Brown championed the creation of Benefit Corporations, which allows companies to legally prioritize environmental protections, even if it means they’ll be less profitable.
But Brown is more of an “open book” when it comes to environmental policies related to Oregon forests, says Sean Stevens, executive director of Oregon Wild.
The Statesman-Journal reported Monday that Brown will be tested early by Oregon Republicans on a fuel standard measure.
“I will ask (Brown) to abandon the failed and corrupted energy policy that seeks to extend the sunset for the Low Carbon Fuel Standard which will drive up energy costs, while simultaneously driving up unemployment and business failures, mostly in rural Oregon,” [Senate Republican Leader Ted Ferrioli] said during remarks at the cutting of Oregon’s birthday cake.
Republicans have long opposed the bill. What’s new is that strategists are now tying it directly to Hayes, whose reputation has been tainted by the scandal surrounding her and Kitzhaber.
