Moratorium on death penalty to continue
Oregon’s new governor, Kate Brown, announced Friday that she will continue for now the moratorium on the state’s death penalty, instituted by her predecessor, John Kitzhaber.
In her first meeting with the media, Brown also said that she and her husband will move into Mahonia Hall, the governor’s official residence in Salem, full time. Kitzhaber split his time between Salem and Portland.
During the 20-minute press conference, Brown appeared relaxed, striking an often-jovial tone. She noted that she and Kitzhaber, who was known for being aloof and reserved, “have very different personalities.” She began her press conference by asking every media member to individually introduce themselves.
Brown was sworn in as governor on Wednesday, replacing Kitzhaber, who was forced out by an influence-peddling scandal centered around his fiancée, Cylvia Hayes.
Brown was cautious Friday about weighing in on specific legislation, the state budget, or outlining an agenda, though she said she will bring her “own imprint” to the governor’s office.
For example, Brown expressed support for implementing a low-carbon fuels standard in Oregon — which has been the most controversial issue of the session so far. But she stopped short of saying definitively that she would sign the bill if it reaches her desk.
“For me, clean fuels translates into cleaner air for Oregonians,” she said. “I think that’s a good thing.”
Brown said that her education priorities are reducing class sizes and closing the achievement gap between white students and students of color. She added that she supports Kitzhaber’s desire to bolster funding for early education.
Brown elaborated on her plans to give the Oregon Government Ethics Commission more power, saying that she would like to give the agency additional resources to conduct investigations and to remove the governor’s power to block commission appointees.
Asked about a backlog of public records requests from media organizations left behind by Kitzhaber, Brown said she hopes to release “as quickly as possible as many records as we are able to release.”
Asked about whether she would consider a pardon for Kitzhaber, should he be convicted of any crimes, Brown said it’s too early to speculate.
Brown said that her rapid ascent after Kitzhaber’s resignation was “a bittersweet moment.” Trying to take over as the state’s chief executive in a few days is “a bit like drinking out of a firehose.”
Brown also addressed a prepared statement she sent out on the morning of Feb. 12. That statement was the first in a string of statements by Oregon’s top elected officials that criticized Kitzhaber and pressured him to resign. The following day he announced his intention to resign.
In her Feb. 12 statement, Brown recounted how Kitzhaber, earlier that week, had asked her to return immediately from a Washington, D.C., conference for a one-on-one talk.
When she arrived in Oregon for the meeting with Kitzhaber, however, he asked her why she had returned from Washington, and then proceeded to say he would not resign. In her Feb. 12 statement, Brown termed the situation “bizarre and unprecedented.”
“It was really important for me ... that Oregonians knew the truth about what happened,” she said Friday.
Brown also said she met with Kitzhaber on Monday, before he left office. In what she called a “productive” meeting, Kitzhaber discussed his proposed agenda and initiatives with her, Brown said.
A special election will take place in 2016 to finish the last two years of Kitzhaber’s term. Brown said it’s too early to announce whether she will run in that election.
Brown also announced that she will name her replacement as secretary of state on March 7.
http://registerguard.com/rg/news/loc...7-75/story.csp
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