Hayes Faces Second Ethics Complaint
Friday, October 17, 2014
State Rep. Vicki Berger, R-Salem, filed the complaint on Thursday with the state ethics commission. Berger, who is not seeking re-election, is asking the commission to determine if Hayes used public resources for her private consulting business,, 3E Strategies, according to the complaint which GoLocalPDX obtained from Berger.
Berger's complaint comes the day after the state GOP filed its own complaint against Hayes, Gov. John Kitzhaber and unpaid advisor to the governor Patricia McCaig. That complaint questions whether there were “conflict of interest transactions, employment relationships, benefits from public contracts, usage of public buildings and staff for personal financial gain and business."
The filings come after the Willamette Week published an expose on Hayes, accusing her of ethics violations and stating that she has profited as a political consultant due to the access she has as the governor's fiancée.
Kitzhaber has also requested the ethics commission provide an opinion on whether Hayes is a public official and subject to the ethics laws.
His office has released the following statement:
"Earlier this week, the Governor directed staff to ask the Oregon Government Ethics Commission for an opinion related to recent questions on Cylvia Hayes's role in the Governor's Office and to confirm the office’s protocols and procedures related to potential conflicts of interest. The Governor believes the Ethics Commission is the appropriate venue for evaluating questions on conflicts of interest or any other ethical violations, and he welcomes any review and is confident the Commission will give his request and the requests of others a fair and thorough evaluation."
Related Articles
- GOP Files Ethics Complaint Against Kitzhaber, Hayes
- Ethics Investigation Could Cost Gov. and Hayes Tens of Thousands in Legal Fees
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