By now, the wave building toward the Salem beach has probably crashed.
In the biggest political crisis involving a seated servant in Oregon’s history, the resignation of Gov. John Kitzhaber seems imminent. If he hasn’t done so before the weekend, it at least spares the Friday the 13th bad luck association. But all signs point to Kitzhaber stepping down soon, and the factors involve not only the governor’s own actions but also public perception and the breakdown of faith. The riptide of mistrust has pulled this once-respected public servant into ever deep water.
If Kitzhaber has not resigned by the weekend, he should do soon. The tide has gone out for the governor.
It’s tempting to lay all kinds of blame at the feet of his fiancé, Cylvia Hayes. Her maneuverings within Kitzhaber’s household and office, and the disturbingly blurred lines that created, were one thing. Then the well-documented lack of income reporting along with lobbying efforts that, by appearance at least, point to Hayes’ capitalization on her insider status. Further, the rather sticky association it attached to the governor with regards to hiring and contracts going to people connected in some way to either Hayes or Kitzhaber.
Those matters contributed to the start of Kitzhaber’s slide, but other troublesome aspects of this are Kitzhaber’s inept communication in the heat of the controversy, his hasty and ill-timed request for an Attorney General investigation he had to have known was already underway, and his mysterious and urgent “come to Salem, quick” call to Secretary of State Kate Brown. All of this happened when it was dawning on the public that Kitzhaber would face ethical and possibly criminal investigations.
The most troubling development, however, was Kitzhaber’s request to review his emails, apparently to determine which amount to public business and which are private, as reported Wednesday by OregonLive.
Such a move indicates Kitzhaber either had something to hide or believed it might appear that way. Either that, or his request suggests he was trying to remember what he’d written in order to get his story straight.
The timing of his request is remarkably bad for a politician as experienced and savvy as John Kitzhaber, and it exhibits intolerably bad judgment at the very least.
If he does not resign, Kitzhaber’s future as governor would amount to beachcombing at low tide, and finding only the shell of leadership.
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