Uncivil servants

From left: Murphy, Salaway, Mathews, West, Green.

The news in Oregon these days is filled with drama about people who were either elected or appointed to public office, and aren't (or weren't) working out.

Where do you start? How about Sean Murphy, the guy they brought in to run the state mental hospital in Salem? He lasted less than a month in charge of the cuckoo's nest.

Oregon Health Authority Interim Director Fariborz Pakseresht made a leadership change “after careful consideration” that resulted in the end of Oregon State Hospital Superintendent Sean Murphy’s trial period with the agency, according to a Wednesday agency news release. 

The move comes after the summer resignation of former OHA Director Sejal Hathi, who faced criticism over the state hospital’s struggles with staffing and reliance on restraining patients and seclusion. Hathi’s resignation took effect Aug. 1, and she has maintained that her decision was due to personal and family priorities.

Hathi appointed Murphy in June following a national recruitment process and his first day was July 13. But he faced scrutiny after he previously oversaw a Washington hospital that lost millions in federal funding due to compliance issues and patient safety concerns nearly a decade ago.

“Oregon State Hospital is a uniquely complex and important institution. It requires strong, trusted, accountable leadership, particularly given the needs of patients, families, employees, and the public,” the agency said in an unsigned statement. “Because of this, superintendents are held to the highest standards possible. OHA’s focus is on ensuring that an institution as important as the Oregon State Hospital has the leadership it needs to fulfill its mission and serve patients safely and effectively.”

Out he goes, leaving behind a salary of around $360K a year. Right behind the boss who hired him. No word on whether he gets a severance.

Speaking of hasty departures, one of the many suits who have been promptly jettisoned out the revolving doors at Oregon Health and Science University is in court seeking a big payday for alleged wrongful termination after about four months on the job:

The former CEO of OHSU Health has filed a lawsuit alleging that an investigation that led to his firing was tainted by bias, including racism, sexism and anti-Muslim sentiment.

Tarek Salaway, a healthcare executive with a $1.4 million salary who came to OHSU after a long career in California, was placed on an involuntary leave on March 10, less than three months after OHSU hired him. He was subsequently fired.

Salaway’s civil suit, filed on Friday in Multnomah County, alleges he was subject to wrongful termination, whistleblower retaliation and discrimination, and seeks $15.5 million in damages....

The investigation that led to the firing was set off by allegations that Salaway had made inappropriate and threatening statements about a colleague he was frustrated with, including a reference to strangling her and a statement that he was going to cut her throat.

In an anonymous witness statement released by OHSU shortly after Salaway’s firing, a hospital administrator who was leaving OHSU for another position reported learning of Salaway’s alleged threatening remarks about her. She told investigators that Salaway had frequently treated her with a lack of respect, failing to read her emails, talking over her without listening, and putting her down.

She reported feeling concerned about her personal safety and professional reputation, according to a witness statement she signed for OHSU’s internal investigation.

Salaway denies he ever made the threats, which he allegedly made in front of his executive assistant.

Still speaking of hasty departures, Ivory Mathews, who was running Portland's public housing projects, is not only out of that post but now also getting investigated. The Weed, who pretty much brought Mathews down, gleefully dishes the latest dirt thusly:

The Oregon Government Ethics Commission voted unanimously Aug. 14 to proceed with an investigation into the travel spending of former Home Forward CEO Ivory Mathews, who resigned in June.

Mathews resigned from her position this spring after WW reported she’d spent more than $100,000 on travel in the three preceding years, including dozens of trips to housing conferences and networking events across the country. Receipts revealed Mathews would sometimes extend her trips past the conference dates, blurring personal vacation with work-related travel. One such trip was to Hawaii in 2024.

Meanwhile, her agency sat on more than 900 vacant housing units and was flailing financially. Tenants across Home Forward buildings complained of persistent security, safety and cleanliness problems.

Ah, but shed no tears for Ivory, who's apparently already back in South Carolina:

Mathews will receive a severance package of six months’ pay—$171,424.80—as well as six months of COBRA health insurance and accrued vacation time. Home Forward also agreed to pay her up to $50,000 in outplacement services to help her find her next job.

It will be interesting to see what the ethics commission thinks of Mathews's junketeering, while we all keep an eye on the travel stylings of  Portland's new city administrator. When you're talking about "blurring personal vacation with work-related travel," that seems to be right up his alley.

Elsewhere on the investigation front, we turn next to elected officials around Portland way. A couple have been called out in recent days for dubious behavior. 

Down in the wilds of Clackistan, yet another county commissioner is in Dutch. He's not a fugitive from justice, at least not yet, but he's under scrutiny:

The Oregon Government Ethics Commission this month voted to open an investigation into Clackamas County Commissioner Ben West’s role in his father landing a temporary job with the county.

West’s father started a $33-an-hour job as a temporary building maintenance specialist in February after the commissioner told the county administrator that his father was looking for work.

Silas Patterson, an investigator with the state ethics commission, told the panel at a meeting last week that the agency had received a complaint about the hiring of West’s father. It alleged West used his position to help his father land a job, that the position was tailored to the senior West’s qualifications and that it was not publicly posted. The complaint also alleged that the county hired West’s father, Tom West, without considering other candidates.

Trying to get Dad a job? It's not the first time we've heard of a Clackistani politician doing something like that. At least he wasn't trying to steal the old man's money.

Which brings us to another "solon," Portland's own Burning Man, council member Mitch Green, who's catching flack in front of state officials for creating at taxpayer expense a video that looks like part of his current re-election campaign:

The video, posted on Instagram last week, features Green expounding on why he ran for office in 2024 and what he has accomplished. The complaint argues that the video’s campaign-style branding and messaging, along with a closing invitation to “join me” amounted to political advocacy and self-promotion supporting Green’s reelection.

The complaint also says the video was originally posted as a collaborative Instagram post, co-authored by Green’s official council account and by Portland DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) and Portland for All, politically active organizations. It appeared on all three accounts at once and was shared with all of their followers, improperly mixing government communications with self-promotion via political organizations, it says.

The complaint also says the credit linking the video to Portland DSA and Portland for All was later removed after some viewers commented that it was inappropriate and the video disappeared from the Instagram profiles of both groups. 

As one might expect, the NW Examiner has additional gory details, here. 

Poor Green. For all his diplomas, he doesn't have much common sense. He should ask his fellow socialist commando, Sameer Kanal, how it's done. You send out a direct-mail flyer, and you don't do it so close to the election.

As embarrassing as the complaint is for Tigard Mitch, it's hard to get too worked up about it. Even if Green had used campaign funds instead of City Council funds, it all would have come from Portland taxpayers anyway. City council wannabes get hundreds of thousands of tax dollars to pay for their campaign spam in every election. It's "clean money," you see.

Anyway, we sure know how to pick 'em, don't we?