FILE - Aimee Kotek Wilson listens to her wife, then Oregon’s governor-elect Tina Kotek, speak during Kotek’s press conference on Nov. 10, 2022 at the Salmon Street Springs in Portland, Ore.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Oregon’s first lady Aimee Kotek Wilson will lose her full-time staffer sometime next month.
Meliah Masiba was initially hired for a six-month rotation from the Oregon Department of Administrative Services on March 25. The state-funded adviser was hired as Gov. Tina Kotek considered establishing the “Office of the First Spouse.”
Three of the governor’s top aides left her office after raising concerns about the role Kotek Wilson was playing in the administration.
Gov. Kotek walked back her decision to create the official office, but Masiba stayed in her role. It’s unclear what work Masiba has done for her state taxpayer-funded salary of $11,984 per month.
When the governor’s office was asked what Masiba accomplished in her tenure, they responded with her job description, which includes coordinating Kotek Wilson’s “staffing, scheduling, logistics, internal and external communications.” The Oregonian first reported Masiba’s six-month rotation was coming to an end.
The first lady’s calendar shows periodic weekly check-ins with Masiba noted as “Meliah desk time.” Kotek Wilson’s role in the office has been scaled back and she’s primarily attended ceremonial events and visited Native American reservations with the governor.
One of Masiba’s tasks was to assemble a First Spouse Manual to “spell out policies and procedures related to that role, including protocols for addressing any staff concerns or complaints.”
The work was well underway when Masiba started in her role, according to public records. It has yet to be finished. The governor’s staff said it should be complete by the end of this month.
