Kitzhaber Calls It Quits!

Since Oregon's Secretary of State was called home earlier this week, it has been clear that the torch was being passed.

Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber has resigned. Photo: KATU

(SALEM, Ore.) - Oregon's only Governor to be elected for a fourth term is resigning.

Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber resigned effective next Wednesday, Feb. 18, in a letter submitted to Secretary of State Kate Brown. He met with his staff late this morning, then released this statement just after noon today.

It said:

"I am announcing today that I will resign as Governor of the State of Oregon.

"It is not in my nature to walk away from a job I have undertaken - it is to stand and fight for the cause. For that reason I apologize to all those people who gave of their faith, time, energy and resources to elect me to a fourth term last year and who have supported me over the past three decades.

"I promise you that I will continue to pursue our shared goals and our common cause in another venue."

This follows an incredibly awkward and difficult time for Oregon, as more light is shed on the goings on of the Governor's so-called "first lady", and his level of involvement, creating unique ethics questions.

On Thursday, Secretary of State Kate Brown had issued a statement on Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber:

"Late Tuesday afternoon, I received a call from the Governor while I was in Washington, DC at a Secretaries of State conference. He asked me to come back to Oregon as soon as possible to speak with him in person and alone.

"I got on a plane yesterday morning and arrived at 3:40 in the afternoon. I was escorted directly into a meeting with the Governor. It was a brief meeting. He asked me why I came back early from Washington, DC, which I found strange. I asked him what he wanted to talk about. The Governor told me he was not resigning, after which, he began a discussion about transition.

"This is clearly a bizarre and unprecedented situation.

"I informed the Governor that I am ready, and my staff will be ready, should he resign. Right now I am focused on doing my job for the people of Oregon."

And so it is. Next Wednesday, February 18th, we will have a new Governor.

"What should be a day of celebration (for Oregon) is turning into a day of reflection and mourning," said Senate Minority Leader Ted Ferrioli, R-John Day, to the crowd gathered in the Capitol.

Though he was asked to attend Brown's swearing in as a sign of solidarity, he refused.

Instead, Ferrioli said he would "grieve for the departure in disgrace of one governor and to hope for the healing that can only come if the next governor turns away from policies that put symbolic gestures ahead of the real needs of our citizens."

Great goal. At this point, Oregon is just going to take it....one step at a time.