Oregon Dept. of Justice investigates Portland Marathon

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – The Oregon Department of Justice has announced it is investigating conflicts of interest between the Portland Marathon and two for-profit companies.
 
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (http://bit.ly/2wiFkI9 ) the department in June began questioning the marathon’s corporate structure and its relationship with for-profit company Next Events, which is run by the same two people who operate the marathon – Les Smith and Mamie Wheeler.
 
The department demanded the marathon hand over “all financial statements, budgets reports, balance sheets” and other documents dating back to Jan. 1, 2014.
 
The marathon’s legal representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
 
The department is also concerned that the marathon’s 990 tax forms show it has had two board members since 2011 – Smith and Wheeler – even though Oregon law requires nonprofits to have at least three board members.