# Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber resigns. **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 13, 2015, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-gov-john-kitzhaber-resigns/712604 "2015-02-13T20:36:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-gov-john-kitzhaber-resigns/712604/1 "2015-02-13T20:36:46Z")
[Story here](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/14/us/kitzhaber-resigns-as-governor-of-oregon.html?module=Notification&version=BreakingNews®ion=FixedTop&action=Click&contentCollection=BreakingNews&contentID=29892448&pgtype=article). My father worked with Kitzhaber years ago when he was an ER physician. My dad never was a huge fan of his politics (my dad is a fairly independent libertarian), but he always voted for Kitzhaber because he knew him and said he was a good, honest man who genuinely cared about people. I haven’t been following the news lately, so this came as a shock. My hometown of Roseburg, Ore. is overwhelmingly conservative and I’m sure there are numerous parties being planned tonight. Here in Portland, most people don’t care, as they know that a democrat will still hold the reigns. Kitzhaber has been somewhat famous for not succumbing to much pressure, from either party. During his first years as Governor he earned the nickname “Dr. No” due to his habit of wearing out his veto pen. I have no idea if he does this, but either way it’ll be interesting to see how Kate Brown will hold up. Oregon is a blue state and she’s a democrat, so I suspect it’ll be business as usual. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-gov-john-kitzhaber-resigns/712604/2 "2015-02-14T00:59:18Z")
To be honest I’m kind of surprised he stepped down. I figured he’d be another arrogant politician who wouldn’t voluntarily step down until this scandal drug out for a while. Yes I obviously think that he and his fiance are guilty as sin. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-gov-john-kitzhaber-resigns/712604/3 "2015-02-14T01:36:54Z")
If the SoS succeeds to the governorship constitutionally . . . this thread does not really belong in the Elections forum. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-gov-john-kitzhaber-resigns/712604/4 "2015-02-14T09:54:16Z")
I’ve seen a few threads in here that probably don’t belong. I think this one fits in as well as any. ---
**Author:** ![buddy431](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@buddy431](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddy431)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-gov-john-kitzhaber-resigns/712604/5 "2015-02-14T15:56:23Z")
So what all is he accused of? It looks like to me he was basically steering contracts to his girlfriend’s company. Is that mostly it? I see some news reports talking about how she didn’t report the money she made consulting. Would it have been OK if she had, or was it more egregious than that? ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-gov-john-kitzhaber-resigns/712604/6 "2015-02-14T16:09:09Z")
I’m from Oregon, and this is sad news. I always thought he was a decent guy, and was so excited when he made a “comeback” in 2010 as governor once again. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-gov-john-kitzhaber-resigns/712604/7 "2015-02-14T19:05:53Z")
I know nothing about Kitzhaber other than the (D) after his name, but after the revelations of the past few days, he was toast, pure and simple. I’m glad he didn’t drag it out any more than he did. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-gov-john-kitzhaber-resigns/712604/8 "2015-02-14T20:44:40Z")
Oh yes, [this guy](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737290&highlight=Cylvia). Too bad - half the entertainment has gone out of Oregon politics now. Or perhaps his bisexual successor’s husband will be involved in some other diverting shenanigans. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-gov-john-kitzhaber-resigns/712604/9 "2015-02-14T21:12:25Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Or perhaps his bisexual successor’s husband will be involved in some other diverting shenanigans. > > Regards, > Shodan What a pointless cheap shot (expected, but cheap); what does her sexual orientation have to do with anything? Kitzhaber did the right thing by resigning. I’m convinced that he knew he was stepping over the ethics line, as he asked some flunky to delete his personal emails from the server. Cylvia not reporting $118,000 dollars on her tax return is an intentional and criminal act, but it’s unknown if he was complicit or even knew about it. Certainly, he knew that he was helping her make money by her association with the Governor’s office. Resigning is no small matter. The man is not wealthy by any means, and by resigning, he loses the right to establish a defense fund. His income after expenses for mortgage, child support and alimony is about $1500/month, so hiring an attorney will likely bankrupt him. It’s a sad end to a productive public service career. The poor in Oregon owe him a huge debt of gratitude for supporting health care options before Obamacare was the law of the land. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-gov-john-kitzhaber-resigns/712604/10 "2015-02-14T22:39:37Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Too bad - half the entertainment has gone out of Oregon politics now. Please inform us how you find this amusing. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-gov-john-kitzhaber-resigns/712604/11 "2015-02-14T22:43:31Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Please inform us how you find this amusing. REPUBLICANS GOOD! DEMOCRATS BAD! REPUBLICANS GOOD! DEMOCRATS BAD! REPUBLICANS GOOD! DEMOCRATS BAD! REPUBLICANS GOOD! DEMOCRATS BAD! There’s no more thinking in it than that. Give the man an (R) after his name and Shodan (and his regards) would be leaping to his defense. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-gov-john-kitzhaber-resigns/712604/12 "2015-02-15T00:07:00Z")
> [@buddy431](#): > > So what all is he accused of? It looks like to me he was basically steering contracts to his girlfriend’s company. Is that mostly it? I see some news reports talking about how she didn’t report the money she made consulting. Would it have been OK if she had, or was it more egregious than that? [Here’s something more in depth.](http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/02/oregon_governor_john_kitzhaber_1.html) A few items, > [@](#): > > 2009 - Kitzhaber announces plan to run for governor again. He previously served two terms: From 1995 to 1999, and from 1999 to 2003. > > 2009 - Officials at Oregon Department of Energy steer $60,000 slice of a $200,000 consulting contract to Hayes, though her firm finished last among four bidders. > [@](#): > > 11/2014 Oregon Government Ethics commission opens investigations into conflicts of interest for Hayes. > > 12/2014 Lawyers for Kitzhaber and Hayes claim Ethics Commission has no jurisdiction over Hayes as she is not a public official, despite office, desk and computer at the capitol, attending staff meetings, etc. > [@](#): > > 12/12/14 Newly released documents illustrate how at times Hayes’ private work as a paid environmental consultant overlapped with her public work as first lady and adviser to Kitzhaber. Records also show state staffers tended pets and helped make arrangements for private work and activities. > [@](#): > > 1/28/15 Hayes confirms she collected $118,000 in previously undisclosed payments in 2011 and 2012 from Clean Economy Development Center of Washington, D.C., while she was advising the governor on clean energy policy. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-gov-john-kitzhaber-resigns/712604/13 "2015-02-15T03:47:12Z")
And the US Dept of Justice has launched a criminal investigation and issued subpoenas for records. The State of Oregon is also conducting its own investigation. [http://www.nwcn.com/story/news/politics/2015/02/08/democrats-leave-kitzhaber-isolated/23080399/](http://www.nwcn.com/story/news/politics/2015/02/08/democrats-leave-kitzhaber-isolated/23080399/) And the US House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is investigating the disaster that was the Cover Oregon health plan. A huge, expensive failure that had to be scrapped after millions were spent. [http://www.nwcn.com/story/news/2015/02/14/congressional-panel-cover-oregon-kitzhaber/23419729/](http://www.nwcn.com/story/news/2015/02/14/congressional-panel-cover-oregon-kitzhaber/23419729/) ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-gov-john-kitzhaber-resigns/712604/14 "2015-02-15T11:11:04Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > **What a pointless cheap shot (expected, but cheap); what does her sexual orientation have to do with anything?** > > Kitzhaber did the right thing by resigning. I’m convinced that he knew he was stepping over the ethics line, as he asked some flunky to delete his personal emails from the server. Cylvia not reporting $118,000 dollars on her tax return is an intentional and criminal act, but it’s unknown if he was complicit or even knew about it. Certainly, he knew that he was helping her make money by her association with the Governor’s office. > > Resigning is no small matter. The man is not wealthy by any means, and by resigning, he loses the right to establish a defense fund. His income after expenses for mortgage, child support and alimony is about $1500/month, so hiring an attorney will likely bankrupt him. It’s a sad end to a productive public service career. The poor in Oregon owe him a huge debt of gratitude for supporting health care options before Obamacare was the law of the land. That’s a question best asked of these people too: [https://news.google.com/news/story?ncl=dSQjoFkReRNehFMrDY4\_fay0rewTM&q=kate+brown&lr=English&hl=en&sa=X&ei=G37gVMn\_PJPuaJ6HgYAG&ved=0CCsQqgIwAA](https://news.google.com/news/story?ncl=dSQjoFkReRNehFMrDY4_fay0rewTM&q=kate+brown&lr=English&hl=en&sa=X&ei=G37gVMn_PJPuaJ6HgYAG&ved=0CCsQqgIwAA) ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-gov-john-kitzhaber-resigns/712604/15 "2015-02-15T14:08:31Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Please inform us how you find this amusing. Read the thread to which I linked. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-gov-john-kitzhaber-resigns/712604/16 "2015-02-15T14:25:53Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Read the thread to which I linked. > > Regards, > Shodan Son of a… I completely missed that there was a link in your original post. I withdraw my comment about blind partisanship in this case. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-gov-john-kitzhaber-resigns/712604/17 "2015-02-15T17:17:39Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > That’s a question best asked of these people too: > > [https://news.google.com/news/story?ncl=dSQjoFkReRNehFMrDY4\_fay0rewTM&q=kate+brown&lr=English&hl=en&sa=X&ei=G37gVMn\_PJPuaJ6HgYAG&ved=0CCsQqgIwAA](https://news.google.com/news/story?ncl=dSQjoFkReRNehFMrDY4_fay0rewTM&q=kate+brown&lr=English&hl=en&sa=X&ei=G37gVMn_PJPuaJ6HgYAG&ved=0CCsQqgIwAA) Not even close to the same context. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-gov-john-kitzhaber-resigns/712604/18 "2015-02-15T18:11:28Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Read the thread to which I linked. > > Regards, > Shodan Odd. The thread to which you linked seems to be about debates and fan things in Florida. There is brief mention of some stuff in Oregon in its OP, but none of the responses make any direct reference to the content of the OP. So I guess that much is amusing. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-gov-john-kitzhaber-resigns/712604/19 "2015-02-15T18:16:14Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Not even close to the same context. I know, because her sexuality can only be mentioned in a positive or neutral light. I get it. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2015, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-gov-john-kitzhaber-resigns/712604/20 "2015-02-15T18:45:52Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > I know, because her sexuality can only be mentioned in a positive or neutral light. I get it. No, I’m afraid you don’t. Try again. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-gov-john-kitzhaber-resigns/712604.md?page=2)