Bev Clarno’s back in Salem: ‘I don’t fit molds very well’

As she makes the rounds on her return to Salem, this time as Oregon’s new secretary of state, you might say this about hog farmer-turned-lawmaker Bev Clarno: It ain’t her first rodeo.

“I’m delighted to be here, representing Central Oregon, and I hope I make folks proud,” Clarno told NewsChannel 21 on Wednesday, shortly after her ceremonial swearing-in by the Oregon Supreme Court’s first female chief justice, surrounded by not just other state officials but several generations of family and friends.

She actually first took the oath a few days earlier, at her Redmond home, from an old friend, Judge Michael Sullivan.

Clarno said she had read in the paper about the passing of Secretary of State Dennis Richardson after a tough battle with brain cancer, and that the governor was looking for other Republicans interested in being appointed to succeed him and finish out his term.

Richardson was the first Republican elected to statewide office in quite a while, and Gov. Kate Brown had to pick another Republican, by state law. But she also said she wanted to choose someone for the post — which oversees state elections, among other things — who would not be running for office next year.

Another high-profile part of the job is for the secretary of state’s office to conduct audits that go way beyond the numbers, looking at the efficiency, effectivness and issues of other state agencies. Holding their feet to the fire, so to speak.

“I thought, ‘I was chair of the Audit Committee in the Legislature, I used to, a long time ago in my life, work for the (state) Corporations Division. I just felt that I could do this job,” Clarno said.

So she left her name with the governor’s office and had three or four interviews with staff before a final interview with Gov. Brown herself.

“She never said anything to me” about promising not to run for a full term during that job interview, Clarno said — though she made clear Wednesday, “I’m not going to run” — nor, as elections overseer, will she endorse anyone in next year’s race.

“It’ll be my practice to be transparent, to have all the accounting of government expenditures,” Clarno said. She added that during her years in Salem, including House speaker, she was “always kind of a watchdog, so that’s important.”

While vowing not to make decisions based on party or politics, Clarno said she also looks forward to bringing “a rural perspective” to the three-member state Land Board, which also includes Brown and state Treasurer Tobias Read (the only male remaining in the ranks of elected statewide officials, which also include Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum and Labor Commissioner Val Hoyle).

To those nervous about her dismissal of Richardson’s three top aides on her first day in Salem (followed by a statement that she couldn’t publicly discuss personnel matters), Clarno tried to reassure those who have supported Richardson’s style and actions that some key things won’t change and there should be “no surprises.”

“I plan to do the same things Secterary Richardson was known for,” Clarno said, adding that she’s “extremely pleased with all the staff I’ve met with.” She vowed transparency in her office, though added that she “may have different legislation that I would be interested in” supporting.

She did explain the dismissals a bit in Salem, telling Oregon Public Broadcasting, “I need to build my leadership team, and I need to have positions filled that are people of my own choosing. Even when I had the hog farm, I had to have people that I trusted to do the job.”

Amid a renewed public spotlight and reports noting that she’s become Oregon’s oldest secretary of state, Clarno told her audience that ageism belongs in the dustbin of history, like racism and sexism.

Besides, as those who know Clarno well can attest, labels and pigeonholes are just not her thing.

“I don’t fit molds very well,” she said.

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Here’s the first news release from her office:

Oregon Secretary of State Bev Clarno Takes Ceremonial Oath of Office SALEM, OR — Today, Secretary of State Bev Clarno took her ceremonial Oath of Office in the Governor’s Ceremonial Office of the Oregon State Capitol.

“I am honored by the confidence you have placed in me in appointing me to serve as Secretary of State,” said Secretary Clarno in her opening remarks.

“My priorities as your Secretary of State are to listen, to ensure that the office in which I serve is fulfilling its responsibilities in a professional and non-partisan manner, and that hard-working Oregonians’ tax dollars are spent in the most cost-effective way possible.”

The oath was administered by the Honorable Martha Walters, the first woman Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. In addition, brief remarks were given by Oregon Governor Kate Brown and Senators Jackie Winters and Betsy Johnson–senators who served with Secretary Clarno in the Oregon Senate.

“I’m so honored to be here supporting my friend,” said Winters, former Senate minority leader.

“She is strong as nails, and she leads with a firm hand. And with that firm hand, there is a sense of fairness that you and I wish we could permeate all throughout this building.”

Secretary Clarno is a third-generation Oregonian with a diverse professional career and historic tenure in Oregon elected politics. She was the first woman Republican Speaker of the House and the first Republican woman to serve as her party’s leader in the Oregon State Senate. She was the first woman to hold leadership positions in both the Oregon House and Senate.

During her tenure in the legislature, Secretary Clarno was known as a leader on issues of importance to rural Oregonians, farmers, ranchers and children. She supported a strong state auditing function as spending tax dollars effectively and efficiently was a priority for her out of her respect for hard-working Oregonians.

“It is my firm belief that there is not a Republican way or a Democrat way to oversee elections or audit state agencies–there is only a fair, thorough and honest way,” said Secretary Clarno.

“As your Secretary of State, I will administer the key functions of this office in a way that will earn the trust and faith of all Oregonians.”