A pair of workers are on administrative leave as a result of leaked correspondence that may have violated attorney-client privilege.
BY JACOB PALMER | OB DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
A Willamette Week story about the emails former Gov. John Kitzhaber wanted destroyed has resulted in two state workers being placed on administrative leave.
The Associated Press reports that Michael Jordan, director of the Department of Administrative Services, has requested a police investigation into the release of correspondence between Kitzhaber and his fiancee Cylvia Hayes, as well as the ex-governor and his attorneys who were representing him against ethics allegations.
Oregon law generally requires public disclosure of government records, but certain records considered private or confidential are exempt from release. In an email last week to staff at the data center, Jordan said the “clandestine disclosure” to Willamette Week occurred before the emails had been reviewed for confidential information.
Among the records quoted in Willamette Week was a memo to Kitzhaber titled “Cylvia Game Plan: Dec. 2013-Dec. 2018.” It outlined ways for her to take a more active role in Kitzhaber’s administration and position herself to “land lucrative work making big positive impacts at end of term.” The newspaper also quoted emails outlining Kitzhaber’s legal strategy during an investigation by the state Government Ethics Commission.
The Statesman Journal’s Hannah Hoffman explained how Jordan has shaken up his department in the wake of the breach, including reorganizing management. Chief Information Officer Alex Pettit will now monitor the division and chief information security officer Stefan Richards will monitor security.
Michael Rogers, the interim administrator of ETS, and Marshall Wells, a member of the management team, are both on paid leave and are the primary focus of the HR review, Shelby said. Jordan informed his staff of the criminal investigation on Wednesday, shortly after Brown was sworn in as governor.
“Bottom line, this comes down to trust. Trust in our ability to securely store sensitive information; trust in our process to determine what information is public; trust that we can work with agencies to strike the appropriate balance between security and transparency. The recent breach has upset that balance. We’re working now to restore it,” Jordan wrote.
Kitzhaber to take a paycut in retirement
Ex-Gov. John Kitzhaber will lose about half of his income after resigning two weeks ago.
The Statesman Journal’s Hannah Hoffman reports that Kitzhaber made $98,600 last year.
It’s impossible to estimate exactly what Kitzhaber’s retirement will be. PERS does provide an estimate calculator, but it requires logging in to a member account to use it. Crosley provided the guidelines for the three calculations, and if Kitzhaber used the full formula, his pension would be about $42,812. However, it’s likely one of the other options would yield a slightly higher amount.
It is possible for the former governor to supplement his pension income. PERS retirees are allowed to work in the public sector part time (up to 1,039 hours per year) and still receive their retirement checks. Private employment will not impact his pension.
