Reports sweep Salem that John Kitzhaber planning to resign

[swag]

Source: The Oregonian

By Jeff Mapes

As Secretary of State Kate Brown cut short a trip to Washington, D.C. to return to Oregon Wednesday, reports swept Salem that Gov. John Kitzhaber was preparing to resign.

The governor's office did not respond to requests for comment but made no attempt to tamp down a series of reports that Kitzhaber was getting ready to leave office amid controversy over fiancee Cylvia Hayes' consulting contracts and how he and his aides handled them.

Brown's spokesman, Tony Green, also pointedly did not say why she was returning early to Oregon, further fueling speculation. Agency heads were also reportedly being summoned Wednesday to the governor's office.

Politicians on both sides reported hearing rumors of a pending resignation, which dominated conversations inside the Capitol.


Read more: http://www.oregonlive.com/mapes/index.ssf/2015/02/reports_sweep_salem_that_john.html

[Bluenorthwest]

1. Sec of State Kate Brown would become Governor with Oregon's line of succession

She's great. I'd actually be thrilled to see Kate Brown as Governor. She's been a terrific Sec of State.

[cascadiance]

4. According to a comment by a friend of mine Seth Woolley here, who ran for the Greens for SOS...

... Brown would have the power to appoint her own successor, and that she should pick him as the person best prepared with the most progressive support (probably jokingly!)! I would like her doing that though!

http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-23961-governor-in-waiting.html

Maybe if he were to be put in as SOS, we could get instant runoff voting here in Oregon, which would do far better in doing a good election systems change than the failed prop 90 did, which actually did even worse than the measure trying to give undocumented drivers licenses did... I think it would solidify the Dems with a lot more progressive voter turnout support in 2016!

Though Kate Brown has some big questions on her ties to Comcast (and what she'd do to support net neutrality as a result), her bigger support from unions might help us get more union and organized labor legislation through here in Oregon. And perhaps we might roll back some of the big tax breaks that Kitzhaber helped engineer for the likes of Nike and Intel in recent years too.

[swag]

2. If true, this is a good thing. He needs to get out and quit tarnishing the state party.

I'll take Kate Brown as governor any day over any of the Oregon Republican wackjobs.

[DeSwiss]

3. Eu Tu Blue?

- And I liked the 'ol hippie-doctor-governor too. Damn. Even the good 'um's spoil on ya if you keep 'em running too long.....



K&R



http://readingeagle.com/ap/article/oregon-gov-john-kitzhaber-faces-call-to-resign-amid-scandal-over-fiancee

[classof56]

5. Well, as many of us female state employees used to say about John back in the day...

Dayum, he does look good in a pair of jeans!

Sorry about what's going on with him now. Hope Cylvia was worth it!

Sigh...

[OregonBlue]

6. I like our governor and will be sorry if he resigns. On the other hand, I voted for Kate Brown too.

The state will be fine.

[fredamae]

7. Mapes loves a Drama over Speculation, eh?

http://www.oregonlive.com/mapes/index.ssf/2015/02/john_kitzhaber_says_he_has_no.html#incart_m-rpt-1

[McKim]

8. A Back Story

The Oregonian "newspaper" likes to destroy politicians. They used to be a reputable paper. But they became a tabloid tattler a while back. they have created a drumbeat of hate and innuendo against our governor for months now. They have stooped to some very personal and very nasty stories about his personal relationships. They have destroyed several decent politicians who made some missteps that would be barely worth a column in New Jersey. They are hoping that gov. Kitzhaber will resign after their relentless attacks, hence the "rumor" was started to push him over the edge. This "newspaper" has had a very negative effect on our body politic here in Oregon and in Portland. Now few decent people will think of running for office. We will get the megalomaniacs in the future.

Their real goal is to destroy any chance of getting environmental legislation through the state legislature. They are really working for big business, coal and oil. Any good hearted Democrat who really cares about this state will cancel their subscription, as I did. This is a sad story. We now have a Democratic dominated legislature and we were set to get some good legislation. But we have been weakened by this. Yes, it is a titillating scandal, but we must ask, qui bono?

[OregonBlue]

9. 100% correct. The Oregonian has become a right-wing scandal sheet.