Gov.-elect Tina Kotek, left, and her wife, Aimee Kotek Wilson, prepare to enter the inaugural proceedings at the Oregon Capitol in Salem, Ore., Jan. 9, 2023.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
The state ethics commission on Friday narrowly dismissed complaints made against Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek related to the government role she gave her spouse, First Lady Aimee Kotek Wilson.
Members of the Oregon Government Ethics Commission were evenly split on whether they should pursue a deeper investigation into the allegations or dismiss them.
Susan Myers, the director of the ethics commission, recommended the complaints be dismissed, noting she could not find any basis for moving forward with a formal investigation. Myers said there was no evidence Kotek Wilson would benefit financially from the role or that she violated any anti-nepotism laws. Myers said she based her recommendation on emails released by the governor’s office and media reports.
Shawn Lindsay, a former Republican state lawmaker who is now the chair of the ethics commission, said dismissing the complaints before speaking to the three top Kotek aides who left their jobs due to Kotek Wilson’s involvement in the office was “premature.”
Four members of the commission voted to launch a deeper investigation and speak directly with Kotek’s former staffers. The other four members of the commission sided with Myers, noting that without a clear financial benefit to Kotek Wilson’s volunteer role, no rules that fall under the jurisdiction of the ethics commission had been broken. Five votes were needed to move forward with the complaints.
Surrounded by security, Aimee Kotek Wilson (left), and her wife, Gov. Tina Kotek, prepare to enter the inaugural proceedings at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem, Ore., on Jan. 9, 2022.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
The governor’s office said in a statement she was “grateful” for the commission’s deliberation.
“The First Lady is a volunteer and public official with relevant professional experience that can provide tremendous value in furthering the Governor’s priorities,” Kotek said in a statement. “The Governor now looks forward to receiving formal guidance from the commission on the questions her office submitted regarding the role of a First Spouse.”
On March 22, Kotek’s office announced her chief of staff, Andrea Cooper, was leaving. After questioning by OPB and other outlets, the office acknowledged two other top aides were also leaving the governor’s staff: deputy chief of staff Lindsey O’Brien and special adviser Abby Tibbs. The governor has suggested it was normal for three-fourths of her executive team to leave at the same time in her first term. But emails and extensive reporting have made it clear all three departures were tied to Kotek Wilson and came after the staffers pushed for more clarity surrounding the first lady’s role.
The governor recently walked back an effort to create an office of the first spouse in her administration. Kotek would still like to carve out a role for Kotek Wilson in her administration and has asked the state ethics commission for guidance on how to do that. Now that the ethics commission has dismissed the complaints, they can consider the governor’s questions.
The governor’s office has asked the ethics commission to take up three main questions: Can the governor’s spouse participate in the development, advise and/or promote the governor’s priorities? If the first partner is performing duties as a public official in the governor’s office, can the first partner have staff or other office resources to perform the duties? And what other issues from an ethics view should the governor consider on the topic?
Three days after the public learned of the staffers’ departures, a staff member from the Department of Administrative Services, Meliah Masiba, joined the governor’s office on a six-month rotation to help plan the office of the first spouse and work for Kotek Wilson.
It’s unclear what work Masiba has done while the governor’s office has waited for the ethics commission to weigh in on her wife’s role. Her job description includes working on the manual for the first spouse’s office, work that was underway even before she was hired. Masiba is paid $11,984 per month.