Public official exaggerates his duty to engineer major pay raise from struggling public agency

Greg Smith, in his role as executive director of the Columbia Development Authority in Boardman, speaks at a function July 12, 2023, on the Army's former depot outside of Hermiston. He is joined by Kim Puzey, (left), chair of the CDA board and executive director of the Port of Umatilla. (JOHN HUGHEL/Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)

BOARDMAN ­ – A powerful state legislator who profits from work for public bodies recently arranged a 55 percent salary increase from a financially struggling agency, according to public records obtained by the Enterprise.

State Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner, serves as the paid executive director of the Columbia Development Authority. Based in Boardman, the authority is turning a former Army base in eastern Oregon into industrial property.

Some directors now feel Smith misled the…

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