Newly revealed Kitzhaber staff memo renews questions
New information was revealed Thursday about former Gov. John Kitzhaber. The Oregonian obtained a memo that could be construed as Kitzhaber telling his staff to follow his fiance, Cylvia Hayes’ policy.
Kitzhaber and Hayes are currently under investigation by the FBI and IRS to find out if the couple personally benefited from Hayes’ connection to the private sector because of her role in the Governor’s office.
The newly released August 2011 memo discusses Hayes’ role in Kitzhaber’s office. He also addresses potential conflicts of interest like her role as Clean Economy Fellow and as a private sector consultant.
Bend resident Emily Garcia said Thursday, “As voters, we put him in office, so we have a right to know what took him out of office.”
Oregonians have been waiting since his resignation in February to find that out. This memo could give an unofficial glimpse as to why.
“I’d love to know what happened. I think everyone would love to know,” said Carolyn Scofield, a visiting resident of Washington state.
In the e-mailed memo, the governor reportedly writes, “Cylvia needs to be advocating the same clean economy policy in her role as spokesperson for the Governor’s Office and her role as a Clean Economy fellow. There should be no daylight between the two.”
Political science experts tell NewsChannel 21 a “fellow” is not part of the private sector, and so that role falls in a gray area, when it comes to consulting for the governor.
“It’s problematic for him. It leaves the door open for interpretation, but I don’t necessarily see that as the smoking gun,” Judy Stiegler, a COCC political science professor and former Democratic state representative.
Laurie Gould, former chair of the Deschutes County Democratic Party, said, “When the lines get blurry, it raises questions, and situations like this develop.”
Kitzhaber says in the memo “there may be a qualitative difference between the ethics/conflict of interest issues” in Hayes’ three roles.
Oregonians will continue to speculate on what that means until the FBI announces the results of its investigation.
