State Rep. Bill Post (R-Keizer) has called for Gov. Kate Brown to rescind the appointment of her former top attorney to a seat on the Oregon Court of Appeals, following his alleged misconduct in attempting to sway public records czar Ginger McCall, culminating in her resignation this week.
Post, whose District 25 also includes Newberg and rural Marion and Yamhill County residents west of Canby and Aurora, said in a statement by Oregon House Republicans that he is “asking, urging, demanding” that Isaak’s appointment to the bench be rescinded, in light of McCall’s claims that he asked her to secretly represent the governor’s interests in her role as public records advocate.
“There is far too much controversy now surrounding this appointment,” Post said. “It is in the best interest for ‘transparency’ to not go forward.”
Post said he had opposed the bill creating public records advocate in 2017, not because he thought the office was a “bad thing,” but because it placed the new position within the “umbrella” of the governor’s office.
“Ten fellow House members and 11 Senate members voted ‘no’ as well … for much the same reasons,” he said. “Now, in light of Ms. Ginger McCall’s resignation, we see that we were correct in our thinking. I am still very concerned that the public records advocate is a part of the governor’s office.”
Post said the public records advocate should have been placed under the office of the secretary of state — which has the job of impartially overseeing elections and auditing state government agencies — or made completely autonomous.
He said he will be working with other lawmakers this session on new legislation that would “redirect” the advocate’s office to a more appropriate place.
