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Gov. Tina Kotek has released the three questions that she sent the Oregon Government Ethics Commission today about first lady Aimee Kotek Wilson’s role in her office.
The governor took the step after the departure of three of her top advisers, including chief of staff Andrea Cooper, on March 22. Although none of the staffers has commented publicly on their reasons for leaving, sources close to the governor’s office say they were unhappy with the role of Kotek’s wife, first lady Aimee Kotek Wilson, who has reportedly attended some staff meetings and offered opinions about policy.
Kotek decided to try to bring some structure to her wife’s role by creating an Office of the First Lady. To that end, she posed questions to the OGEC today, although that agency more typically examines possible conflicts of interest and questions of whether public officials are using their offices for private gain. (Unlike former first lady Cyvlia Hayes, whose private consulting contracts led to the resignation of her fiancé, Gov. John Kitzhaber, in 2015, Kotek Wilson has not been accused of seeking personal gain from her wife’s position.)
Here are the questions Kotek sent to the OGEC:
—”May the First Partner, as a public official, participate in the development of, advise on, and/or promote the Governor’s priorities, consistent with the ethical duties required of public officials?
—”If the First Partner is performing official duties as a public official in the Governor’s Office supporting the Governor’s priorities, may the First Partner be supported by staff and provided other office resources necessary to perform such assigned official duties?”
—“Many public officials are volunteers who serve Oregon without compensation, such as the thousands of individuals serving on state boards and commissions. The current First Partner is solely a volunteer. Given this set of facts, what other ethical considerations should we consider?”