In a victory for open and accountable government, former Oregon first lady Cylvia Hayes must allow a judge to review her personal emails in order to “determine which concern the public’s business and must be disclosed.” Hayes sought to withhold her personal emails, claiming she was not a public official and therefore not subject to the Oregon Public Records Law. In a desperate attempt to avoid public disclosure, she also claimed that the judge lacked jurisdiction.
Yet the disgraced first lady lost on both counts, as Marion County Circuit Judge Tracy Prall rejected her arguments. The Oregonian,
“The ruling amounts to a win for government transparency and also sends a message to officials who seek to keep government decision-making hidden from the public through the use of personal emails.
“The emails could also further shed light on how Hayes blended her money-making private work while playing a policy-making role in the governor’s office… They could include Hayes’ discussions with her employers and Kitzhaber about state policy.”
The judge cited previously released emails that exposed the Kitzhaber-Hayes corruption and the authority given to Hayes to support her ruling. Particularly, the judge pointed to Oregon’s adoption of the “Genuine Progress Indicator” (GPI) as a measure of policy outcomes as a result of Hayes’ work. She also pointed to Kitzhaber’s confirmation of her authority when he “directed his chief of staff to ensure that plaintiff had a role in defining and developing his policy around the clean economy initiative.”
It is worth noting, once again, that Hayes’ influence was not contained to Oregon. As Shift reported, Hayes attended four events with Washington state officials advocating for the use of a Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) (a non-economic alternative to gross domestic product that also takes into account a state’s social and environmental health). One of those meetings occurred in Jay Inslee’s office. Hayes had a contract to advocate for the GPI during that time, accepting money from outside green groups while using her connections as Oregon’s first lady to set up meetings.
The Inslee administration now uses both GPI and GDP as measurements of the state’s health. An email obtained by a recent public records request reveals that Trudi Inslee—wife of Jay Inslee—circulated an email to Inslee’s staff urging them to read a piece Hayes wrote advocating for a GPI.
According to the Oregonian, the judge granted Hayes 14 days to turn over her emails. The emails will then be reviewed privately. The judge will disclose those deemed to be related to public business.
Only time will tell if any of those emails will show further links between the former first lady in Oregon and the extreme environmentalists that surround the Inslee administration.
Chuck says
We shouldn’t be surprised if this also leads to our WSDOT Secretary of Transportation.
When Inslee appointed Lynn Petersen in February 2013 she was introduced as ….”Most recently, Peterson served Oregon’s Governor Kitzhaber as his
Transportation Policy Advisor where she oversaw transportation-energy
policy, statewide transportation funding….” She is a green energy advocate with no experience with ferries and minimal experience managing a highway system as complex as ours. And we know how well all of that is going.
Can’t believe she wasn’t in deep with Cylvia Hayes and Kitzhaber.