Oregon Governor Resigns from Office

To almost every Oregonian, the recent resignation of respected Governor John Kitzhaber was a shock and surprise. However, Kitzhaber was not brought down solely by his own actions, but also by the activities of his domestic partner. The Governor’s fiancé, Cylvia Hayes, had previously been a candidate Oregon state legislature, and was an activist for reducing the state’s carbon consumption. Recently, however, the First Lady has been in the spotlight for less flattering reasons. Last Fall, just weeks before Election Day, Hayes confirmed that while she was attending Evergreen State College she was paid $5,000 to marry an Ethiopian man who was at risk of losing his immigration status. Despite this stain in his fiancé’s past, Kitzhaber sailed to reelection last November. However, in the recent weeks Hayes professional activities, have come into greater conflict with her future husband’s position of power. Pressure has mounted for Kitzhaber to resign after allegations that Hayes had used her relationship with the governor to secure personal financial gains. According to recent investigations, members of the Governor’s staff secured positions for Ms. Hayes at companies that had direct interests in the state’s energy policy. Furthermore, questions are now swirling over whether or not the First Lady had properly reported her consulting work for these companies in her disclosures to tax authorities. Senior Democrats throughout the state’s government began calling for the Governor’s resignation last week, after the state’s Attorney General announced that she would begin to investigate the governor’s finances. Earlier in the month The Oregonian, a major newspaper in the state that had previously endorsed the Governor, also called for Kitzhaber to resign. Last Friday Governor Kitzhaber yielded to public pressure and resigned. In a statement Kitzhaber said, “I have always had the deepest respect for the remarkable institution that is the Oregon legislature; and for the office of the Governor, and I cannot in good conscience continue to be the element that undermines it. I have always tried to do the right thing and now the right thing to do is to step aside.” Unlike many states, Oregon lacks a position of Lieutenant Governor. In compliance with the state’s constitution the Oregon Secretary of State, Kate Brown, was sworn in as Governor after Kitzhaber’s resignation. Brown has made headline, by becoming nation’s first openly bisexual governor. In the coming months investigators and courts will continue to judge the actions of Kitzhaber and Hayes, in an effort to determine the extent of couple’s wrongdoing and the fate of their future.