Kitzhaber faces ethics questions

Gov. John Kitzhaber brushed aside ethical questions relating to first lady Cylvia Hayes at a Jan. 30, 2015, press conference. On Feb. 4, 2015, The Oregonian's editorial board called on Kitzhaber to resign.

(Michael Lloyd)

The editorial board for The Oregonian/OregonLive on Wednesday became the first in the state to call on Gov. John Kitzhaber to resign in the wake of an ethics scandal overwhelming his office.

In an editorial released just before 3 p.m., the five-member editorial board opined that Kitzhaber is now "less a governor than a source of unending distraction" who can "no longer lead Oregon effectively and should resign."

The Pulitzer Prize winning editorial board is separate from The Oregonian/OregonLive news operation, which represents the largest news team in Oregon.

The editorial board represents the collective opinion of Publisher N. Christian Anderson III; Erik Lukens, the editorial board editor; and three editorial writers, Mark Hester, Helen Jung and Len Reed.

The editorial board endorsed Kitzhaber in his November re-election bid for a record fourth term as Oregon governor. Kitzhaber easily won over Republican challenger Dennis Richardson despite an ethics investigation involving Kitzhaber's longtime companion, first lady Cylvia Hayes.

In an interview, Lukens said editorial board members began discussing whether to call for Kitzhaber's resignation after a much-maligned press conference Friday where the governor refused to answer many questions and likened himself to press-averse Seattle Seahawk Marshawn Lynch.

At that press conference, Kitzhaber said he would not consider resigning.

The final straw for the editorial board, Lukens said, came when The Oregonian's Nick Budnick and Laura Gunderson reported Tuesday evening that longtime Kitzhaber allies helped create private consulting jobs for Hayes. Those allies, who previously worked for Kitzhaber during his first eight years as governor, then returned to Kitzhaber's administration.

"There are just a lot of dots that add up to something damning," said Lukens, who wrote the editorial, adding that calling for the governor to resign after the latest news was an "easy decision."

Lukens said he didn't know what impact, if any, the editorial board's opinion would have on Kitzhaber or in the court of public opinion.

"I hope he thinks about it," Lukens said.

The Wednesday editorial is not the first time The Oregonian's editorial board has called on a top leader to resign.

In 1992, its writers urged then-U.S. Sen. Bob Packwood, R-Ore., to resign after allegations of sexual harassment against several women over the span of two decades.

In 2009, the editorial board called on then-Portland Mayor Sam Adams to resign following Adams' admission of a sexual relationship with a teenage Beau Breedlove.

And in 2011, the board recommended that then-Oregon Democratic Congressman David Wu resign as his political career and private life foundered.

In recent months, other editorial boards have also put pressure on Kitzhaber. On Dec. 28, The Register-Guard in Eugene recommended that the governor appoint a special prosecutor to investigate troubles around his administration.

The Oregon Constitution spells out the succession order if a governor dies or resigns. The secretary of state (currently Kate Brown) is first in line, followed by the state treasurer, Senate president and speaker of the House.

Voters would then elect a new governor at the "next general biennial election," the next of which is November 2016.

-- Brad Schmidt

bschmidt@oregonian.com

503-294-7628

@cityhallwatch