Shemia Fagan

Imagine you are Oregon’s Secretary of State Shemia Fagan. A campaign donor in the pot industry offers you a job moonlighting to help them with business opportunities.

What do you think they are buying?

You once sold cars. Could that be it? You used to work as a civil rights attorney. Could that be it? You are a person of drive and work ethic. Is that it?

Or are you putting a “For Sale” sign on your political power and influence as secretary of state?

Oregon’s ethics laws prohibit the use of public office for financial gain.

Fagan on Monday said she terminated a consulting contract she began in February. She insisted she followed the state’s ethics rules and, nonetheless, what she did was wrong.

“There is a difference between following all the rules and doing nothing wrong. And I broke your trust and that was wrong,” Fagan said Monday.

On Tuesday, she announced she would resign. It was some good judgment after bad judgment.

She worked about 15 hours a week for the business since February. Our first thought: Why wasn’t she working for Oregon taxpayers during those 15 hours?

“Oregonians deserve an all-hands-on-deck approach from their leaders. They will get that from me.”

That quote is from Fagan in 2021 shortly after being sworn in. There was no asterisk that it would be all hands — except for 15 hours a week for the founders of a cannabis dispensary chain, La Mota.

There were possible red flags waving all over the place with this contract.

It was consultant work for a campaign donor while serving in office. Possible red flag.

It was consultant work for a campaign donor regulated by the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission and the OLCC was under audit by the secretary of state’s office. Possible red flag.

It was consultant work for a campaign donor regulated by the OLCC under audit by her office with liens that had been filed against La Mota by the Oregon Department of Revenue. Possible red flag.

Fagan even began this contract within days of the scandal erupting at the OLCC over employees there taking advantage of their position for personal gain.

She was doing research on business opportunities. The pay was $10,000 a month with a $30,000 bonus for each additional cannabis license the company earned outside of Oregon and New Mexico. She mentioned Monday she was building a spreadsheet based on her research.

One thing she did was talk to the Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut, Susan Bysiewicz, to find out who a cannabis company should talk to in Connecticut.

Was it somebody named consultant Fagan on that call or Oregon Secretary of State Fagan? How can the two be separated?

We all make mistakes. Fagan’s motivation seems to have been money. She makes $77,000 a year as secretary of state and she said that was not enough to make ends meet.

The salary seems low for a public official with her responsibility. It’s low compared to similar roles in California or Washington. Can’t see people being inspired to adjust it now.

Oregonians need trust in the secretary of state to ensure our elections and audits are held to the highest standards. The secretary of state is also next in line to be the governor in Oregon, if the governor must leave office. Fagan was right to step down.