Gov. Tina Kotek on Wednesday said she will seek guidance from the state’s government ethics watchdog about what is appropriate for the role of the first spouse in the governor’s office.
Kotek made the disclosure to reporters after a ceremonial bill signing for House Bill 4024, a campaign finance reform bill that will limit contributions to candidates starting in 2026. For Kotek, the celebration of the bipartisan passage of campaign finance legislation – long an elusive goal in Salem – was overshadowed by the sudden resignations of three top aides in her office and reported tensions about the role of Kotek’s wife in the office.
Kotek said the office expects to send the questions to the Oregon Government Ethics Commission on Friday.
“We have been trying to figure that out,” Kotek said. “And I know that there are questions. So I wanted to let you all know today that we are working on a set of questions.”
The announcement follows the resignation of Andrea Cooper, Kotek’s respected chief of staff and the departure of two other top officials: special adviser Abby Tibbs returned to Oregon Health & Science University, and Lindsey O’Brien, a longtime aide, is going on leave on Friday.
Some media outlets, like Willamette Week, reported that their departures are linked to an enhanced role in the office for Kotek’s wife, Aimee Kotek Wilson, who has a master’s in social work, has worked as a counselor and sits in on behavioral health meetings. Kotek Wilson, who is unpaid, has office space in the governor’s office, which is exploring the creation of a new “Office of the First Spouse.”
Kotek declined to comment on the resignations or confirm if they are linked to concerns about the role of her wife.
Kotek said she wants the ethics of Kotek Wilson’s role in the office to be reached “as transparently as possible.”
Under Oregon law, the governor’s spouse is a public official and required to submit a statement of economic interest that shows sources of income. Beyond that, Oregon law does not prescribe what the first spouse can do.
This is the first time that Kotek has questioned the commission about her wife’s role. She said the questions and answers will be publicly available.
Kotek declined to say what her spouse’s involvement in policy will be. “We are trying to figure out what that even means,” Kotek said. “What does it mean to be involved in policy?”
Asked why she didn’t question the ethics commission sooner, Kotek said her office wasn’t sure what questions they needed to ask. “So that’s why we didn’t do it,” Kotek said. “But we’re doing it now. And hopefully we’ll have something as quickly as possible.”
Though Kotek Wilson has an office in the governor’s office, Kotek stressed she’s unpaid. Kotek said work on important issues will continue while her office awaits answers.
“We can do both at the same time,” Kotek said.
And as governor, Kotek said she, alone, is the top policy-maker.
Campaign finance
The campaign finance law will end Oregon’s status as one of a handful of states with no limits on how much a person or entity can give a political candidate. The lack of limits has allowed well-heeled organizations to pour money into races, including the recent donation of $2 million to a Republican PAC by Nike co-founder Phil Knight.
The bill will take effect on Jan. 1, 2027. It will allow individuals and corporations to give up to $3,300 per election to a candidate, or $6,600 for a candidate who runs in the primary and general elections.
The law will allow unions to donate up to $26,400 per election to a statewide candidate and $13,200 per election to candidates in other races. Political parties can give up to $30,000 to statewide candidates and $15,000 for other candidates.
“I truly believe the bill and the new law that has passed will strengthen transparency,” Kotek said before signing the bill in a ceremony for photos.
Republican and Democratic leaders in the Legislature agreed to the limits in near record time. Had they not come up with a proposal, voters would likely have faced initiatives with stricter limits.
They hailed the adoption of the law in a joint statement that was signed by House Speaker Julie Fahey, D-Eugene; House Minority Leader Jeff Helfrich, R-Hood River; Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber, D-Beaverton; and Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend.
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Ben Botkin - Oregon Capital Chronicle
Ben Botkin covers justice, health and social services issues for the Oregon Capital Chronicle. He has been a reporter since 2003, when he drove from his Midwest locale to Idaho for his first journalism job. He has written extensively about politics and state agencies in Idaho, Nevada and Oregon. Most recently, he covered health care and the Oregon Legislature for The Lund Report. Botkin has won multiple journalism awards for his investigative and enterprise reporting, including on education, state budgets and criminal justice.
