Cowboy boot wearing Governor John Kitzhaber of Oregon announced he’ll resign on February 18. Kitzhaber was sworn in for an unprecedented fourth term in January but now faces allegations of criminal wrongdoing. Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum’s office is investigating the role of the governor’s fiancée, Cylvia Hayes, in his office and “whether she used that role to obtain private consulting work.”
Hayes is the founder and CEO of 3EStrategies, a “clean economy” consulting firm. The Portland Tribune reported that she was paid $118,000 for communications work with the Clean Economy Development Center at the same time she was an adviser to Kitzhaber on renewable energy. That’s a big no-no. But political controversy isn’t new to Hayes. During Kitzhaber’s reelection campaign, stories about her past were addressed. Hayes admitted to once marrying an 18-year-old Ethiopian immigrant for money, and to buying land in Washington to start a marijuana farm.
