Tobias Read Says His Wife Would Play No Role in Policymaking

WW asked him to comment on the controversial role of first lady Aimee Kotek Wilson in crafting policy in the governor’s office.

Oregon Treasurer Tobias Read. (Brian Brose)
By Aaron Mesh

Drawing a bright line between himself and Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, State Treasurer Tobias Read tells WW that his wife would not hold any policymaking role in his office.

Read is running for secretary of state; if he wins, he’d be first in line to succeed the governor. During a Democratic primary endorsement interview Wednesday, WW asked him to comment on the controversial role of first lady Aimee Kotek Wilson in crafting policy in the governor’s office. Her involvement has led to the departure of three top Kotek staffers.

Read said he often consults his wife, Heidi Eggert, who is an executive at Nike. But he wouldn’t be comfortable with granting an office to “a person who didn’t undergo the same scrutiny of the same application process for a staff position.”

“It doesn’t make sense to me,” he said.

Read stopped short of criticizing Kotek or opining directly on her actions. “I’m talking about my wife and my situation,” he told WW.

Watch the full exchange below.

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