It's sad that the mainstream journalists missed the point that this is the exact same form of political quid pro quo that Marks is asserting, just from a more "palatable" source than the disgraced La Mota folks. Great reporting Jeff.
Thanks! We're all just outsiders observing the behavior of the people in the Portland-Salem progressive industrial complex, whose behavior seems completely normal to them but extremely odd to us.
Great work Jeff! Hopefully the sheep in this state will start to put the pieces together. This isn’t just a sorry attempt at taking the fall, rather a clear picture of what goes on in the democratic controlled mob in Oregon.
Time to clean house. Let’s find a true leader to run this state for the people rather than the special interest folks.
It can be done, it just takes some backbone in November.
Yes. Capital Chronicle at least provided the additional context of Marshall bending Kotek's ear at a fundraiser for her at his house, which it appears they got via email pursuant to a follow-up question. Somehow Marshall left me off the list for his press release. :-)
Kotek nixed Oregon Recovers' bid for a 50-cent surcharge on hard liquor to fund recovery and mental health services. According to The Oregonian, "The surcharge would have doubled the tax on bottles of hard alcohol, raising $90 million over the next two years for behavioral health care and addiction services." Kotek, who doubtless got an earful from alcohol retailers, who hated the proposal, dropped it on the grounds it wasn't needed. https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2023/05/oregons-predicted-2024-kicker-rebate-grows-to-55-billion.html
Mike Marshall, who is executive director of Oregon Recovers and looked on as $90 million in funding vanished in an instant, might be making a heroic move to ingratiate himself to Kotek in hope of a better outcome during the next legislative session.
Further proof that marijuana is a mind altering substance. This guy has been on a long strange trip (Grateful Dead,1977) and is now seriously complicating his life and the future of his good friend the Gov.
So why did Marshall want a wholesale change of the OLCC commission and director ? I get the whole nexus of graft between our elected (aka democrat) official's and "non-profits" but fail to see the advantage of a new board/director unless Marshall also wanted less focus on the corrupt pot business in Oregon. Kind of cute how Tina screwed him on the $ 0.50/bottle after the nice fund raiser's
Good question. I don't know, but I suspect Marshall really did want Marks gone and OLCC reformed more generally, and really did communicate that to Kotek in 2022. I even buy that it was because he didn't like OLCC's approach to booze. I just don't buy that was the main thing that caused Kotek to do it.
It's sad that the mainstream journalists missed the point that this is the exact same form of political quid pro quo that Marks is asserting, just from a more "palatable" source than the disgraced La Mota folks. Great reporting Jeff.
Thanks! We're all just outsiders observing the behavior of the people in the Portland-Salem progressive industrial complex, whose behavior seems completely normal to them but extremely odd to us.
'Oh what a tangled web we weave/When first we practice to deceive,’ - Sir Walter Scott, Marmion.
Great work Jeff! Hopefully the sheep in this state will start to put the pieces together. This isn’t just a sorry attempt at taking the fall, rather a clear picture of what goes on in the democratic controlled mob in Oregon.
Time to clean house. Let’s find a true leader to run this state for the people rather than the special interest folks.
It can be done, it just takes some backbone in November.
Isn't it odd that Nicole Hayden at the rapidly-shrinking Oregonian didn't mention any of this in her brief story today? How convenient.
Yes. Capital Chronicle at least provided the additional context of Marshall bending Kotek's ear at a fundraiser for her at his house, which it appears they got via email pursuant to a follow-up question. Somehow Marshall left me off the list for his press release. :-)
Kotek nixed Oregon Recovers' bid for a 50-cent surcharge on hard liquor to fund recovery and mental health services. According to The Oregonian, "The surcharge would have doubled the tax on bottles of hard alcohol, raising $90 million over the next two years for behavioral health care and addiction services." Kotek, who doubtless got an earful from alcohol retailers, who hated the proposal, dropped it on the grounds it wasn't needed. https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2023/05/oregons-predicted-2024-kicker-rebate-grows-to-55-billion.html
Mike Marshall, who is executive director of Oregon Recovers and looked on as $90 million in funding vanished in an instant, might be making a heroic move to ingratiate himself to Kotek in hope of a better outcome during the next legislative session.
Further proof that marijuana is a mind altering substance. This guy has been on a long strange trip (Grateful Dead,1977) and is now seriously complicating his life and the future of his good friend the Gov.
So why did Marshall want a wholesale change of the OLCC commission and director ? I get the whole nexus of graft between our elected (aka democrat) official's and "non-profits" but fail to see the advantage of a new board/director unless Marshall also wanted less focus on the corrupt pot business in Oregon. Kind of cute how Tina screwed him on the $ 0.50/bottle after the nice fund raiser's
Good question. I don't know, but I suspect Marshall really did want Marks gone and OLCC reformed more generally, and really did communicate that to Kotek in 2022. I even buy that it was because he didn't like OLCC's approach to booze. I just don't buy that was the main thing that caused Kotek to do it.
Big pressure from Drazan at the time on taxes and lots the bourbon drinkers that would be outraged.