Oregon GOP files ethics complaint against Kitzhaber, Courtney

OREGONLIVE.COM, 6/21/2010 by Michelle Cole, The Oregonian - The Oregon Republican Party filed an ethics complaint Monday [last week] against Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Kitzhaber and Oregon Senate Democratic leaders over a $1,500-a-ticket campaign fundraiser. ∴ The June 29 event at Portland's Arlington Club is billed as a "private luncheon to discuss potential (legislative) session issues." The names on the invitation include Kitzhaber, Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem; Senate Majority Leader Richard Devlin, D-Tualatin; Rep. Peter Buckley, D-Ashland and budget committee co-chair, and Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose. ∴ No more than 15 guests will be allowed to attend the two-hour power lunch. In their complaint filed with the Oregon Ethics Commission Monday, Republicans claim Democrats are offering lobbyists a "quid pro quo." ∴ "This goes well beyond normal political campaign requests in that this makes a link between the contribution and consideration of legislation and the "session issues" and is therefore illegal...," the complaint says. ∴ Molly Woon, spokeswoman for the Senate Democratic Leadership Fund, declined to comment Monday. ∴ The Kitzhaber campaign did not return calls made late in the day. But last week Kitzhaber's campaign manager, Derek Humphrey, said his boss had nothing to do with putting the invitation together.