Kitzhaber Will Resign Effective Wednesday

February 13, 2015, 1:10 pm

(SALEM, Ore) — Governor John Kitzhaber, Oregon's 37th Governor will resign in disgrace. He announced today that he will resign effective Wed. Feb. !8.

Senate President Peter Courtney had this to say,“He served in the Oregon House as a Representative. He served in the Oregon State Senate.

He was the President of the Oregon State Senate for a record number of years.

He was elected and served as Oregon’s governor for more than 12 years – longer than anyone else.

No public servant has given more to Oregon. “And there is another side. He is a friend. He is a son. He is a brother.

He is a father. He is a human being.

“It is all of these things for which I hope he is remembered.

I hope all of these things are his legacy. He deserves that. Governor John Albert Kitzhaber, MD. I am sorry.

“I know that together Oregon and her people will get through this.”

The Safer Oregon PAC says it will continue the recall petition "in the event the Governor should reverse his resignation."

State Treasurer Ted Wheeler said in a prepared statement, “A great Oregonian, Steve ‘Pre' Prefontaine, once said that ‘to give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."

This captures a value that I consider core, and it guides me as I do my part to serve the people of our state.

“Katrina and I have a young daughter who represents the seventh generation of my family to call Oregon home.

Our state has achieved many things of which Oregonians are justifiably proud.

Yet we also know that our state has not lived up to its full potential: outcomes in our public schools lag the nation, our rural economy is hurting, basic infrastructure is crumbling around us, and too many of our citizens suffer with mental health issues, poverty, hunger and homelessness.

“Our failure to meaningfully confront these issues puts us in danger of sacrificing the gift handed down to us by previous generations of Oregonians.

“The events of the last several months have tested the confidence of Oregonians in our government at a time when we need to focus on the challenges facing our state.

I know there is much more that I can, and must do at this critical time to help our state realize its full potential.

In the immediate-term, this means ensuring that Governor Brown is as successful as possible during her transition.

I have offered to help in any way I can.

“I have been around long enough to know that the resignation of Governor Kitzhaber and the constitutional mandate for an election in 2016 will set off a flurry of speculation about what happens next.

There will be a time for politics, but now is not that time.

In the coming days, Oregonians should pull together to support Governor Brown and her team in their efforts to bring stability to the Governor's office.

“I thank Governor Kitzhaber for his many years of service to our state.

I wish him the very best in the years ahead. Oregonians are a resilient people, and I am certain that we will emerge from this difficult period as a stronger and more unified state."

Secretary of State Kate Brown will take over the Governors duties on Febuary 18.