Regional News

Governor Not Rushing To Choose New Sec. Of State

SALEM, OR -- Nearly two weeks after Oregon’s Secretary of State resigned amid a scandal involving a side gig with a cannabis business, the Governor says she’s still considering her options for filling the position. 

Governor Tina Kotek says she’s taking the appointment of the next Secretary very seriously, "I want to make sure that whoever takes that job, that they understand one of their primary goals is to restore confidence in the Secretary of State’s office."

Kotek says she’s talking with advisors about the type of person she wants in the job, "This is a crisis of confidence in the agency. And so most of my conversations have been about, ‘how do you handle that?’ right? How do you manage for the next year and a half to rebuild confidence and do the job." She told reporters this week, "I haven’t talked to anyone yet, I have no list, I am talking about criteria with advisors and saying, ‘what should we be looking for?’" Kotek added, "Let’s remember, this is an unprecedented situation. This isn’t like some of the previous appointments, when we had statewides who had passed away in office. This is a scandal." The last time the Secretary of State was replaced by appointment was 2019, when Dennis Richardson passed away in office. Then-Governor Kate Brown intentionally selected someone who wouldn’t run for election to the position. Kotek says that’s not her focus, "They have very important jobs: elections, supporting businesses, the audits division. So, I am still trying to figure out who that right person will be. That is my primary goal, not whether they want the job in the future."

She’s not announced a timeline for making a decision. 

 

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