Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan announced her resignation today, effective Monday May 8.

The Secretary will continue in her official duties until Monday, May 8, at which point Deputy Secretary Cheryl Myers will take on oversight of the agency until a new Secretary is appointed by the Governor. The Deputy has the power to perform any act or duty of the Secretary of State pertaining to the office of the Secretary (ORS 177.040) and is well positioned to help the agency maintain stability and continuity of operations during this transition.

The Oregon Elections Division and Oregon’s 36 county elections officials are fully prepared to administer the May 16 Special Districts Election. The Elections Division will work with counties to complete the normal activities involved with administering local elections.

The following is a statement from Secretary of State Shemia Fagan:

“While I am confident that the ethics investigation will show that I followed the state’s legal and ethical guidelines in trying to make ends meet for my family, it is clear that my actions have become a distraction from the important and critical work of the Secretary of State’s office. Protecting our state’s democracy and ensuring faith in our elected leaders – these are the reasons I ran for this office. They are also the reasons I will be submitting my resignation today. I want to thank the incredible staff in the Secretary of State’s office for their hard work and Oregonians for the opportunity to serve them. It has been a true honor to serve the people of Oregon.

“At this time, I believe it is in the best interest of our state for me to focus on my children, my family, and personal reflection so that the Secretary of State staff can continue to offer the exemplary customer service Oregonians deserve.”

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek -- who will appoint Secretary Fagan's replacement -- said, “This morning, Secretary Fagan informed me of her decision to resign. I support this decision. It is essential that Oregonians have trust in their government. I believe this is a first step in restoring that trust. During the upcoming appointment process, my office will do everything possible to support the hard-working staff in the Secretary of State’s office and ensure this will not disrupt the May 16 election.”

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

The Governor’s office will initiate the process to identify and appoint a replacement. Deputy Secretary Cheryl Myers will serve as acting Secretary of State in the interim.

“Secretary Fagan found herself in a web of ethical violations and it finally caught up to her. It is critically important that statewide elected officials exercise good judgement at all times. It is clear that Fagan has broken Oregon’s trust beyond repair. It’s time to return integrity to the Secretary of State’s office,” said Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp (R-Bend).

“Today’s resignation of Secretary Fagan reflects the level of corruption occurring in state government. Since the beginning of the year, I have said we need a transparent process. The level of abuse Secretary Fagan flaunted from her official position is just another example the extreme measures of one-party rule in Oregon,” said House Republican Leader Breese-Iverson (R-Prineville). “We encourage the Governor to use this opportunity to appoint a person who can restore trust and ethics in the Secretary of State’s office. Additionally, we suggest due diligence and thorough vetting in the consideration of potential appointees.”


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2023-05-02 13:10:30

Last Update: 2023-05-02 14:24:18