GOP replacement chosen for open state rep seat

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Marion County commissioners have selected a replacement for a vacant Republican seat in Oregon’s House of Representatives.

Commissioners announced Tuesday that Raquel Moore-Greene will become the next state representative for the area covering South Salem and Turner. She will replace former Republican Rep. Denyc Boyles, who resigned her seat after she was tapped to fill a vacancy in the Senate.

Moore-Green previously worked as a staffer under current Marion County Commissioner Chairman Kevin Cameron when he represented House District 19 in the Legislature. A spokeswoman for the county commissioners’ office said Moore-Green has also worked as a contractor for Cameron’s campaigns and his private business.

The spokeswoman said Cameron was able to vote on Moore-Green’s appointment and that conflict-of-interest rules didn’t apply because “there is no family relationship and he does not stand to benefit financially from the appointment.”

Cameron said in a statement that Moore-Green was chosen for her volunteer work and her experience in the non-profit and business sectors. Moore-Greene was one of three Republicans nominated to fill the seat.

The secretary of state’s office did not immediately say when she would be sworn in. She will fill the position through 2020.