Ever since three senior members of Gov. Tina Kotek鈥檚 staff announced their, a clear narrative had emerged from those familiar with the governor鈥檚 office. It suggested that staff had grown increasingly concerned with First Lady Aimee Kotek Wilson鈥檚 expanded role in the administration.
Kotek and her spokespeople have consistently declined to answer detailed questions about the departures, but a in response to public records requests makes clear Kotek Wilson was a central reason for the shakeup.
Since Kotek took office in January 2023, public schedules show Wilson has held regular policy meetings on behavioral health issues and met with a broad range of state and local officials concerned with those matters. She also dabbled in other areas 鈥� confusing at least one high ranking public official who wasn鈥檛 expecting her at a meeting with the governor.
What surfaces in more that 6,000 pages of emails and documents released last week is a staff grappling with the implications of the larger responsibility Kotek Wilson was seeking. Beyond a small office space alongside other staff, she鈥檇 won approval from Kotek to have her own chief of staff, and began receiving regular protection from Oregon State Police.
All of those things raised questions and concerns among staff 鈥� and eventually led to the departure of three of Kotek鈥檚 top aides: Chief of Staff Andrea Cooper, Deputy Chief of Staff Lindsey O鈥橞rien and special advisor Abby Tibbs.
Here鈥檚 a timeline of some of the more notable exchanges revealed in the newly released emails.
Jan 17, 2024
Chief of Staff Andrea Cooper questions the use of the Oregon State Police Dignitary Protection Unit to transport Kotek Wilson to an event in Eugene, writing to OSP Sgt. Michael Bates: 鈥淲as there a security reason for y鈥檃ll to drive her?鈥�
The same day, Kotek sends an email to staff that is somewhat typical of her discussing the first lady. 鈥淚鈥檝e been catching up on my reading of reports, thinking about our behavioral health work for the year, and strategizing with the First Lady,鈥� she writes. In later emails she will make clear that Kotek Wilson has meaningful input in her official calendar as well, writing in a Feb. 13 email about her schedule, for instance, 鈥渢he [first lady] and I are still discussing how we want the year to go.鈥�
Jan. 25, 2024
Cooper sends a note to Deputy Chief of Staff Lindsey O鈥橞rien, after being alerted to public appearances by Kotek Wilson in which the first lady is requesting the possible presence of communications staff, an OSP bodyguard, and Vince Porter, a policy advisor. Cooper suggests she was barred from weighing in on how the office should approach those events.
鈥淪ince I was asked not to attend the scheduling meeting where these events were added to the [first lady鈥檚] calendar, I didn鈥檛 have the opportunity to weigh in on the staffing or speaking portions that will now impact comms staff,鈥� Cooper writes. 鈥淧erhaps you and I can try to brainstorm next steps to help support the comms team with workload, etc?鈥�
Jan. 30, 2024
O鈥橞rien gets a call from the office of Christina Stephenson, commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries. The office wants to know why Kotek Wilson has suddenly been listed as attending an upcoming meeting between Kotek and Stephenson.
鈥淚 just got a call from Commissioner Stephenson鈥檚 chief of staff about her meeting with the Governor tomorrow,鈥� O鈥橞rien writes to Kotek Wilson鈥檚 assistant. 鈥淪he noticed the First Lady had been added to the calendar and asked me if that was correct and if we wanted to shift the agenda at all. This was a rescheduled meeting from a few weeks ago, and I hadn鈥檛 heard anything about this change鈥︹��
Kotek Wilson鈥檚 assistant, Yasmin Solario, replies that 鈥渢his was one First Lady and Governor had a side convo during scheduling about her joining for lunch. I think it may be one she decides on last minute鈥︹��
The same day, Cooper expresses further unease with using OSP troopers to guard Kotek Wilson at official events in an email to Solario.
鈥淢y understanding of our agreed to policy from a few months ago was DPU would attend if there was a security need or risk (i.e.: going to the state hospital or a prison) and we would avoid having them take the place of being the driver as that is not their role,鈥� Cooper writes. 鈥淚 would say her attending things in lieu of the Governor is not the correct lens 鈥� the Governor has DPU with her at all times, including going to the grocery store, so that is opening a new can of worms.鈥�
Feb. 7, 2024
Tibbs sends an email to Juliana Wallace, a behavioral health aide in the office, with concerns about a recent incident where Kotek asked Wallace to call Cascadia Behavioral Health 鈥� a nonprofit where Kotek Wilson once worked 鈥� on behalf of a friend of Kotek Wilson鈥檚.
鈥淚 realize I never followed-up with you in writing about the situation we discussed about the Governor asking you to call Cascadia about a friend of the [first lady鈥檚] who is upset with her supervisor (I can鈥檛 remember the exact situation but not sure the exact details matter),鈥� Tibbs writes.
She notes that the situation 鈥渇elt awkward at best鈥� and caused confusion at Cascadia 鈥渁s to why the Gov鈥檚 office was calling.鈥� Tibbs suggests that a newly hired staff member be required to report any time Kotek or Kotek Wilson ask her to do something 鈥� and suggests that the governor and first lady have crossed the line with such requests in the past.
鈥淚 also want to just recognize again that requests, and actions by the [first lady] and/or Governor like the ones above are indeed highly inappropriate at best, and you flagging this and anything else that doesn鈥檛 feel right for me and Coop is totally the right thing to do,鈥� Tibbs writes. 鈥淭he Governor has been reminded several times now of the power she and the [first lady] hold in this office and externally and the appropriate use of their power.鈥�
Asked about this incident this week, Kotek said in a statement: 鈥淚 can confirm that I was made aware of a potential workplace safety issue at Cascadia Behavioral Health and directed staff to follow up. When Oregonians raise concerns about a safety issue, I will always consider the appropriate steps to address it.鈥�
Feb. 9, 2024
With Kotek pressing to give her wife a more formal role and job description, Cooper writes that she and other senior aides want to sit down to discuss, among other things, 鈥渉iring a professional facilitator to support you and the leadership team in working through next steps.鈥�
Feb. 19, 2024
In advance of an upcoming meeting on the subject of the first lady, Tibbs refers to a legal memo and formal job description that鈥檚 been created around Kotek Wilson鈥檚 expanding role. 鈥淚鈥檓 hoping [Gov. Tina Kotek] will share with us with as much clarity as possible what her reaction is to the legal memo and job description before we talk about next steps. I totally respect that this is ultimately her decision just think it needs to land.鈥欌��
March 8, 2024
The director of the Department of Administrative Services, Berri Leslie, tells Deputy Chief of Staff Chris Warner that the department鈥檚 legislative director, Meliah Masiba, has agreed to do a six-month rotation as Kotek Wilson鈥檚 chief of staff 鈥� another sign of the first lady鈥檚 expanded influence.
March 10, 2024
Tibbs notes in an email that, after advice from staff, Kotek has 鈥渃learly made a decision to move forward on the [first lady] role in her own way/direction including a [chief of staff] position out of the gate.鈥�
Tibbs goes on to flag concerns, wanting to ensure 鈥渢hat there is a written job description for this position and that the responsibilities are for a full time position鈥� and 鈥渢hat there are clear and transparent expectations about how the position fits into the office structure,鈥� among other things.
March 14, 2024
Shelby Campos, the operations manager of the governor鈥檚 office, asks top aides how to move forward with scheduling travel for Masiba, Kotek Wilson鈥檚 new chief of staff. The questions reflect the confusion that existed in the governor鈥檚 office about the change.
鈥淕iven we have not historically had an Office of the First Lady and Meliah is starting so quickly, I would like to get clarification on the structure and guiding principles for the new office,鈥� Campos writes, before listing a number of detailed questions about how Masiba鈥檚 new role fits into the office structure. 鈥淎re there any specific guidelines that govern the activities of the new office? How will this new structure be communicated to staff? Will there be clear guidelines provided to staff regarding their interactions and collaborations with the office of the [first lady]?鈥�
March 15, 2024
Tibbs responds to Campos鈥� email from the day before with a thorough and direct email clearly laying out the many concerns she has about the expanding Office of the First Lady.
She indicates that she, Cooper and O鈥橞rien for months have been raising questions about 鈥渦se of public resources and office budget implications with [first spouse] staff/travel etc, the need for documented role clarity/job description for a [first spouse], an articulated plan to address power dynamics and reporting structure for a [first spouse], considerations for a [first spouse] directly/indirectly working with/directing [governor鈥檚 office[ staff (or agency staff) work鈥︹��
Tibbs contends that Kotek Wilson 鈥渟hould sign all the office policies and procedures ASAP since she has started to be in meetings with staff/time in the office again. We had requested that any movement in this direction (larger [first lady] role) be slow so as to not exacerbate an already complex situation and to mitigate risks to the greatest extent possible.鈥�
It doesn鈥檛 end there. Tibbs also lays out a litany of concerts about 鈥渓egal/ethical/workplace policy implications across a variety of areas even if the [first spouse] is a volunteer,鈥� and says Kotek has a duty to go above and beyond state laws and ethics rules if she wants her wife to take such an active role.
By this point, Tibbs may have little concern about voicing her concerns so forcefully in an email she surely knew would be releasable as a public record. The same day, emails reveal she鈥檒l be returning to Oregon Health & Science University, where she worked before taking on a temporary assignment with the governor.
March 18, 2024
Masiba announces in an internal email she鈥檒l be leaving her role as legislative director at DAS to take on a six-month role assisting Kotek Wilson. In the absence of an announcement of that decision to the staff of the governor鈥檚 office, the email sets off alarm bells.
鈥淚 haven鈥檛 been in the loop on this decision, their messaging, or the timing of any of these announcements,鈥� O鈥橞rien writes in an email that day to Warner. 鈥淚鈥檓 concerned [governor鈥檚 office] staff are hearing about this for the first time from DAS with no context from us 鈥� we probably need to address it in tomorrow鈥檚 team meeting.鈥�
March 20, 2024
Cooper appears to have been fired. Records show she signs a 鈥渢ransition agreement鈥� that will grant her an eight-month role as an senior advisor to DAS Director Berri Leslie. She will keep her $303,000 salary during that time. Current and former state employees have characterized the agreement as a stand-in for a severance agreement.
March 22, 2024
Kotek calls an all-staff meeting in the morning, before an announcement goes out publicly that Cooper has resigned from the office. Upon questions from OPB and other outlets, the governor鈥檚 office acknowledges that Tibbs is also leaving, and O鈥橞rien is going on paid medical leave. The news spurs complaints with the government ethics commission, though the substance of those complaints is currently confidential.
April 3, 2024
Though internal emails show that Kotek has been working to expand her wife鈥檚 role for months, she announces she only now plans to ask the Oregon Government Ethics Commission about the legality of creating an Office of First Spouse. 鈥淚 take feedback,鈥� Kotek tells reporters. 鈥淚鈥檓 always interested to know what people鈥檚 questions are and we want to do this as transparently as possible.鈥�
And despite emails clearly showing her senior aides were asking detailed questions about the new arrangement for some time, Kotek tells reporters: 鈥淲e weren鈥檛 sure what questions we needed to ask. We are now expediting that because of the public interest and so going to the Ethics Commission to try to figure that out. I hope we can ask all the questions we need to have answered.鈥�
Kotek says that news stories saying that Kotek Wilson鈥檚 role in the office led to the departures of Cooper, O鈥橞rien and Tibbs are just 鈥渁ssumptions鈥� and appears to characterize the shakeup as routine turnover.
April 26, 2024
The governor鈥檚 office releases 6,199 pages of emails, along with other records requested by news outlets. Kotek largely declines to answer questions posed by OPB, citing personnel issues.
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