In a stunning, far-ranging press conference this week, Gov. Tina Kotek said she no longer would pursue establishing an official state Office of First Spouse.
Will her wife, Aimee Kotek Wilson, still meet regularly with key players, attend policy meetings and take a role in decision-making?
We don’t know.
Kotek deflected such questions during her 43-minute press conference Wednesday. She implied that the public controversy has been about a first spouse office, not Kotek Wilson’s actions.
Here’s a play-by-play, with my approximate time notations, of the remarkable press conference, which is viewable on the governor’s YouTube channel.
0:00 – Print, radio, TV and online journalists are gathered in the State Library meeting room.
00:09 – Kotek walks in a few minutes after 3 p.m. “Hi, everybody,” she says. “It’s so quiet.”
It does seem eerily quiet, as if people await a somber event.
00:25 – Kotek opens with a 734-word statement: “… To my fellow Oregonians, I want you to know that my focus is doing the best job possible for you and your families. I take responsibility for not being more thoughtful in my approach to exploring the role of the first spouse. And I’m sorry, that the conversation between my office and you started the way that it did. …”
While awaiting advice from the Oregon Government Ethics Commission, Kotek says, “The first lady will continue to accompany me and attend events representing the Governor’s Office, such as tribal visits and ceremonial events, and she will listen to Oregonians about the issues most impacting them, especially in the area of mental health and addiction.”
06:21 – The first questions, from Lauren Dake of OPB, are about Kotek Wilson’s future role.
The governor reiterates what the first lady will do: “Going on visits with me, doing ceremonial events as needed, listening to folks.”
Kotek does not say what the first lady will not do.
08:49 – Lisa Balick of KOIN asks why it took so long to get to this point.
“We didn’t have this all worked out,” Kotek says. “I’ve been listening, trying to respond, trying to figure out what concerns people have. … I’ve been very clear today what she will be doing until we have further guidance. You know, sometimes it just takes time to hear what people are saying and make decisions.”
09:52 – Peter Wong of the Portland Tribune and Oregon Capital Insider asks what happens next with the 90-day fentanyl state of emergency in Portland.
Kotek says she can’t comment because that information is embargoed until Friday.
10:44 – Kotek responds to a question about the protests at Portland State University.
12:05 – Nigel Jaquiss of Willamette Week asks how Kotek Wilson’s role will be different in the future, pointing out that the governor has not said what the first lady no longer would do.
“… I can’t answer that question because we don’t know until we get the ethics commission guidance. …,” Kotek says.
13:23 – Kotek defends her decision to have a key aide call Cascadia Behavioral Health on behalf of one of the first lady’s friends who works there.
“When I am approached and when people express a concern about safety, particularly in this instance workplace safety, I think it’s my job to respond and respond accordingly and appropriately,” Kotek says.
15:00 – Kotek emphasizes there will not be an Office of the First Spouse during her tenure as governor, answering a question from Julia Shumway, deputy editor of the Oregon Capital Chronicle and president of the Capitol press corps.
15:06 – Isabella Warren of KTVZ asks whether Kotek’s expanding the first lady’s role is comparable to Gov. John Kitzhaber’s situation.
Calling it apples and oranges, Kotek says, “…I don’t think there’s any parallel with the previous situation.”
15:48 – I ask how this mess happened, given that Kotek is such an experienced politician.
“That’s a good question. So, let’s remember. I’ve gotten a lot done in my first year. …”, Kotek says. “We’ve hit some bumps. We haven’t, I don’t think, communicated well [about the first lady’s role]. And for those of you who know me, that’s not particularly on brand. I tend to have everything all lined out.
“But we are learning from the concerns that people are raising. I think that’s also on brand in the sense that I want to hear from people and make changes. And there’s no roadmap for this.
“Let me go back to my statement. It’s not like I walked into the office and said, ‘Here’s what a first spouse can do.’ We don’t have that. I have been trying to figure that out. …”
17:51 –Responding to a question, Kotek rebuts the inference that she has not been transparent.
19:32 – Asked again about the Cascadia incident, Kotek has little more to say.
20:13 – Kotek is asked about the Grants Pass homelessness case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
22:01 – Carlos Fuentes of The Oregonian asks why Kotek did not bring in a facilitator, as staff requested, to help work through issues raised by the first lady’s interactions and role.
Kotek says she doesn’t comment on personnel matters.
22:09 – Kotek is asked more about the Grants Pass homeless case.
23:08 – Kotek is asked why, in the interest of transparency, she won’t release her counsel’s legal advice on the first lady’s proper role. “The policy of my office is not to release legal opinions,” she says, “no matter what they’re about.”
23:27 – Asked why as governor she won’t make an exception to that policy, Kotek says, “Whatever legal opinions come to me do not get released to the public no matter what they are.”
24:06 – Kotek declines to discuss an internal staff email from special advisor Abby Tibbs about the first lady overstepping her role.
24:49 – In response to a question about security for Kotek Wilson, the governor reads a statement from the Oregon State Police, which says they “provide dignitary protection services to Oregon’s governor and the First Family. …”
26:43 – Asked about ongoing problems with the Employment Department’s new computer system, Kotek expresses her displeasure with the situation.
28:19 – Kotek says she is in the process of responding to the complaints filed with the ethics commission about the first lady’s role.
28:45 – Asked about pushback from the public, Kotek says: “… I think there are valid questions that people are asking and we’re trying to answer them as we figure this out. So again, that’s why I think it’s important for me to say to folks I regret this hasn’t been really clear and it’s been a little messy. And it’s my job to provide clarity and today I’m like, ‘Here’s what we’re doing; here’s what we’re waiting for.’
“And I apologize to Oregonians that I haven’t been as good as I could possibly be making this a smooth conversation.”
30:21 – Asked about staff departures reportedly tied to the first lady controversy, Kotek said she continues to have a good team.
31:09 – Kotek, sounding a bit peeved, says she has not put the first lady ahead of the interests of Oregonians: “… We have been laser-focused on the work that is ahead of us, and we are doing the job, and I don’t discuss individual personnel matters.”
31:39 – Asked again about the PSU protests, Kotek says she and State Police are monitoring the situation.
32:23 – Kotek is asked more about the potential impact of the Supreme Court ruling in the Grants Pass case.
33:48 – Asked the fentanyl emergency question again, Kotek says she won’t comment until Friday’s event with Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson.
34:05 – I ask what Kotek has learned from the first lady controversy. “I think what we’ve learned is that people really are engaged and care about what we’re doing,” she says. “And we also learned that I think this is a conversation that needs a lot more discussion over time. …”
35:04 – Asked about the impact of staff turnover, Kotek reiterates that she has remained fully focused on her priorities: “… If you want to look at my calendar, I haven’t missed a beat. We are working on housing and homelessness, behavioral health and schools.”
35:56 – Reporters ask more questions about the first lady’s role and the public reaction.
39:20 – Kotek says the first lady’s future role was not something the couple talked about during her campaign for governor.
39:55 – Asked about nepotism and whether it’s appropriate for the first lady to have a policy role, Kotek says state nepotism law refers to financial gain. Kotek Wilson is unpaid.
40:22 – With the press conference winding down, I ask Kotek what vision or strategy she and her wife initially had for the first lady’s role.
“I think we had no vision. She had talent to bring to the table. You know, remember in the very first year, we did a lot of traveling and it was really important for me, for us to be there as a First Family … .” Kotek says.
She adds that many conversations with Oregonians were about behavioral health, in which the first lady has experience.
42:12 – Kotek responds to a question about Oregon’s pursuit of federal funds for a National Semiconductor Technology Center.
43:02 – Asked about competition with other states for that center, she says, “I’m ready to throw my elbows around like I want that center here.”
43:06 – The press conference ends: “Thanks, everybody. Appreciate it.”
(6) comments
It wasn’t a communication problem on the governor’s behalf, the whole concept was ill conceived and ethically compromised. Oregon didn’t elect a team. Despite my vote, Oregon elected one person as governor.
Tina Kotek was not elected because of her political prowess, she was elected because of her lifestyle choices. These were the exact same reasons Kate Brown used to get elected, 0% political prowess, 100% lifestyle choices.
The 'Status quo' in Oregon will never change until mail-in voting is dead and buried. Oregon was a rather decent state when in-person voting was the norm. But now since everyone can't be bothered to stand in line to vote, mail in voting has degraded Oregon into what we have now - a hot mess. One only has to look to the north and then to the south to see how mail-in voting has destroyed those states. Mail-in voting does not do Oregon any favors, it just contributes to to the states steady decline.
What nonsense.
Don't take my mail-in ballot away from me!
What a bunch of lazy people. Would rather trust their ballot to the post office or a drop box.
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