Oregon has always been a fairly low-key state when it comes to its elected officials. There's not a lot of pomp, formality or the need for personal attendants. When they have a meeting outside the office, for the most part, they hop in their Priuses and go.

Secretary of State Dennis Richardson, however, is looking to add his own driver and security when traveling on official or personal business around the state. Now his staff is working to overcome his conflict of interest in adding that benefit to his pay package.

It's a move that requires some administrative maneuvering. State ethics watchdogs have already informed his office that he can't simply add the driver/security person himself. It's a conflict of interest, because he'd be using his own office for personal gain.

Instead, Richardson is recusing himself and delegating the decision to his deputy. He's declared his conflict of interest and tied the decision to the pay equity review going on in all state agencies.

Richardson's staff offers a variety of rationales for the move: potential threats to his safety; efficiency; and his role as second in command to the governor, ready to take over at a moment's notice.

They stress that they are not considering 24/7 protection from the state police, which would be prohibitively expensive. Rather, they are interested in using an existing staffer or a contractor who is already certified as a private security professional, and only while Richardson is traveling to state or personal meetings outside his state offices.

Richardson's spokeswoman, Debra Royal, could not immediately say how much the addition would cost. She also said Richardson has not received any specific threats.

"We are just taking precautions because of the environment we are living in," she said, citing "an alarming increase in tension and polarization in the nation. Some of that is in Oregon too, so were taking precautions. He is a high-profile state official, and we would just feel good if he were to have that support."

Gov. Kate Brown has a round-the-clock security detail and driver from the Dignitary Protection Unit of the Oregon State Police. But neither the treasurer, nor the attorney general rate such staff. And Richardson's immediate predecessors didn't either. The last serious threats to the secretary of state may have come from the Rajneeshee religious sect to Norma Paulus in the mid-'80s, said Pacific University professor Jim Moore.

"The political culture in Oregon has not supported this in the past," Moore said. "He has to show there's a real reason for this to avoid this looking like he's just asking for a chauffeur."

Bill Bradbury, the Secretary of State from 1999 to 2009, said he typically switched off driving with staffers when on a long trip, say, to Eastern Oregon.

"I absolutely never felt the need for something like this, but I'm not the current incumbent," he said. "I never had a person whose job description was driver, and in my nine years, I never received anything I felt was a threat on my life," he said.

Deputy Secretary of State Leslie Cummings wrote to the Oregon Government Ethics Commission two weeks ago seeking guidance on the move. In the letter, she said that while the position's salary and benefits package are set in statute, the secretary has "inherent constitutional authority" to set compensation for everyone in the agency under a different statute that gives him the authority to set rules, policies and procedure necessary for personnel administration in the agency.

The response from Ron Bersin, the executive director of the ethics commission, was fairly straightforward: It's a personal financial benefit, as it would allow Richardson to avoid the financial burden of paying for his own transportation and security. And public officials have a conflict of interest when they take decisions that have a direct financial impact on themselves.

That doesn't stop the office from adding the driver/security staffer. But Bersin said Richardson would have to declare the conflict, avoid participation in the decision, and the agency would have to specifically approve the additional compensation "in a formal manner."

The agency took the first step Monday. Staff put a statement from Richardson on its website indicating that "due to new pay equity laws," the agency was performing a review of all staff positions, salaries and benefits "to ensure equity and fairness."

The statement made no mention of the driver or security question, but it appeared to directly address Bersin's concerns.

"Although as Secretary of State my salary and a portion of my benefits package is set by statute, I will not participate in any discussions or decisions related to those Secretary of State benefits not set by statute.

"In short, I am recusing myself from such discussions to avoid a conflict of interest, and I am providing this public notice to ensure full transparency, integrity, and accountability to the Oregon people."

- Ted Sickinger

503-221-8505; @tedsickinger