Oregon’s newly sworn-in Gov. Kate Brown on Wednesday pledged to restore the public’s confidence in government after longtime Gov. John Kitzhaber resigned due to an ethics scandal.
“We must restore the public's trust,” Brown, a Democrat, told the state legislature in her inaugural address. “I know that every representative and every senator in this chamber loves Oregon as much as I do, and I’m sure you will agree, in order to move us forward the first order of business is to regain the confidence of the people.”
As secretary of state, Brown was next in line to lead the state after Kitzhaber announced his resignation last week following allegations of public corruption. Kitzhaber’s fiancée, Cylvia Hayes, was accused of improperly using her relationship with the governor for personal gain.
Kitzhaber and Hayes are now under criminal investigation.
Brown pledged that she will not receive any outside compensation as governor. She also said her staff and members of her household will not receive any compensation for work related to state government.
“Oregon has been in the national news for all the wrong reasons. That changes today,” she said.
-- Andrew Rafferty