Gov. Tina Kotek names former Portland auditor as next secretary of state

Gov. Tina Kotek has appointed retired auditor LaVonne Griffin-Valade as Oregon's next Secretary of State.

Kotek made the announcement Wednesday morning. Griffin-Valade will serve the remaining 18 months of the current Secretary of State term beginning when she is sworn in June 30 in Salem.

As an appointee, Griffin-Valade isn't part of the line of succession for governor. If the governor position did need to be filled for some reason, state treasurer Tobias Read would be next in line behind Kotek.

She'll be tasked with restoring the office's reputation after former Secretary of State Shemia Fagan resigned in May.

“I told Oregonians in May that the primary objective of our next Secretary of State was to restore confidence in the office, Kotek said in a release announcing Griffin-Valade's appointment. "LaVonne Griffin-Valade has the professional background and ethical judgment to rise above politics and lead the important work of the agency forward."

Fagan faces ethical and criminal investigations after it was revealed she was being paid $10,000 a month by a cannabis company. At the same time, Fagan's office was overseeing an audit of the marijuana industry. Her deputy, Cheryl Myers, has been overseeing the agency in the interim.

In a news conference Wednesday, Kotek said she had no updates about the investigation but said she wants "the truth to come out."

Kotek said she felt strongly that Griffin-Valade was the right person to meet the moment and regain Oregonians' faith in their government. She said Griffin-Valade has built a strong reputation as a public servant and proof of her ability was in her "impeccable" track record holding government leaders accountable.

Regarding the process of appointing the next Secretary of State, Kotek said it wasn't as much about the person but rather what the office needed. She didn't have specific requests for Griffin-Valade's next 18 months but expects her to be focused on how things are running and will leave it up to Griffin-Valade discretion if changes need to be made, she added.

"What I said to LaVonne is, 'I need your expertise,'" Kotek said.

The secretary of state is still going to be dealing with the aftermath of the scandal, Kotek added.

"The public has lost confidence because of the actions of one elected leader," Kotek said.

Griffin-Valade worked as a performance auditor for more than 16 years according to the release, including eight years as an elected auditor. Specifically, served as a senior management auditor at Multnomah County's Auditor Office in 1998. She also served as the elected Multnomah County auditor.

In 2009, she was elected the Portland city auditor. She retired in 2014 and went on to earn a master's of fine arts degree in writing from Portland State University and has worked as a writer ever since.

“I have the experience to bring back credibility, accountability, transparency and trust to the Secretary of State’s Office,” Griffin-Valade said in the release. “It’s never been more important to have a leader who will focus on rebuilding the public’s trust in the Secretary of State’s Office, and that is exactly what I will aim to do every day.”

Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Reach her at dlugo@statesmanjournal.com or on Twitter @DianneLugo.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Kotek names former Portland auditor as next secretary of state