Elections officials find no wrongdoing in Brown-Nike deal

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Oregon elections officials have found no wrongdoing and have closed an investigation into a ballot initiative agreement negotiated by Gov. Kate Brown, Nike and public employee unions.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reported Tuesday that elections director Steve Trout sent letters Oct. 19 notifying the governor, Nike and public employee union leaders that he was closing the case.

Trout wrote that statements from them outweighed information provided in the complaint filed by Portland resident Richard Leonetti alleging that the initiative deal was illegal.

Nike approached the governor in June about keeping the unions’ “corporate transparency” initiative off the November ballot. The unions then decided to drop the effort, and Nike threw its support behind campaigns to defeat several conservative ballot initiatives and re-elect Kate Brown.

The unions’ initiative would have required large companies to disclose their taxes in state filings or pay a fine.

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Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com