Kotek praised former OLCC chair who requested case of rare whiskey while former employees under criminal probe
In the midst of Bourbongate, Oregon gov promoted Marvin Révoal to chair. He resigned after revelations he sought rare bottles too. Kotek wrote him letter of appreciation, and he landed a pot job.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek (D) demanded, and received, the firing and prosecution of six Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (“OLCC”) employees for using their state positions to obtain rare bottles of bourbon, but has praised or retained two OLCC commissioners, one of whom is a major campaign donor, who did the same.
It was February 2023 when news of the bottle scandal, sometimes referred to as “Bourbongate,” roiled the Kotek administration just as it was getting started. The Oregonian first reported that an internal OLCC investigation had in 2022 determined that then-OLCC director Steven Marks and five other OLCC managers had diverted rarely available bottles of bourbon for their own purchase. In Oregon, the OLCC manages the distribution and sale of all liquor. Some of those bottles are difficult or impossible to obtain for Oregonians not associated with the OLCC.
Kotek’s response to media interest in Bourbongate was unequivocal. In a February 8 letter to the OLCC commissioners, seven Oregonians who are appointed by the governor to govern the agency, Kotek called for the
After requesting the head of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission’s (OLCC) resignation, my administration became aware that leaders within the agency, including the director himself, abused their position for personal gain per their own admission in an internal investigation. This behavior is entirely unacceptable. I will not tolerate wrongful violations of our government ethics laws.
I urge the Commission to install new leadership and remove the managers and executive leadership who have taken advantage of their access and authority to benefit themselves.
I have asked the Attorney General to conduct an independent civil investigation to look into the extent of any wrongdoing and recommend stronger protocols to ensure ethics laws are followed by OLCC.
Kotek had already terminated Marks, who was seen as a foe by big Kotek campaign donor cannabis business La Mota and then-Kotek-ally and alcohol opponent Mike Marshall, earlier in February. The other five employees were, over time, fired as well: deputy director Will Higlin; Chris Mayton, distilled spirits program director; Kai Nakashima, director of the office of information services; budget manager Bill Schuette; and chief information officer Boba Subasic.
Just two days after Kotek’s letter, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum announced the Department of Justice, which she leads, would conduct a criminal investigation into Bourbongate. DOJ has not provided a publicly reported update on the criminal investigation since announcing it in February 2023.
Kotek demanded, and received, the resignation of Commission chair Paul Rosenbaum, who had defended OLCC’s internal investigation and employee reprimands arising from Bourbongate, replacing him with longtime commissioner Marvin Révoal. In appointing Révoal chair, Kotek said, “he is committed to leading the commission through this time of change and course correction.”
But the practice of OLCC officials requesting rare bottles of liquor extended beyond the six fired employees, and tainted the Commission Kotek hand-selected to right the ship. First, this here Oregon Roundup broke the news that Matt Maletis, an OLCC commissioner since 2017, had requested ten types of whiskey from Mayton in November 2022. Maletis, who along with his family’s beer distributor business, has contributed $5,000 to Kotek’s various election campaigns since 2016. Maletis personally contributed $1,000 to Kotek’s gubernatorial re-election campaign since news broke of his bottle request last summer.
Maletis continues to serve as OLCC commissioner.
Then, in August, The Oregonian reported that Révoal himself had requested from an OLCC employee, and apparently obtained, a case of rare Elmer T. Lee bourbon for a friend in 2016, while he was on the Commission. The request was discovered, according to The Oregonian, via emails turned up in the DOJ’s criminal probe. The following month, Révoal announced he would resign from the Commission, effective October 1. He did not provide a reason from his resignation.
Kotek wrote Révoal a glowing letter of appreciation dated December 12, according to a post on Révoal’s LinkedIn page, in which she thanked him for helping “guide the OLCC through some of the most challenging moments in its history.”
In the December LinkedIn post sharing Kotek’s letter, Révoal explained,
Governor Kotek’s letter arrived at a perfect time. Serving as a powerful reminder of the impact I played a part in on the liquor and cannabis industry fuels my confidence in my new journey that I will be publicly announcing soon!
Indeed, on December 28, cannabis licensing and compliance consulting firm CannXperts announced it had hired Révoal: “CannXperts welcomes former chair of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission, Marvin Révoal, as it looks to expand its suite of professional services into new markets.”
CannXperts, founded in 2018 by former OLCC marijuana inspector Andrew Shelley, helps owners buy and sell licensed cannabis businesses, and comply with state laws. Prior to December and while serving as OLCC commissioner, Révoal had worked in insurance in the Eugene area, according to his LinkedIn page.
Meanwhile, the the criminal probe into the six former OLCC employees appears to continue. It is unclear what, if any, investigation is under way into unnamed legislators who, reportedly, requested bottles of rare whiskey from OLCC.
another successful crooked SOB with the appropriate political patrons. And Elmer T Lee ain't all great
to care about corruption in government, first you have to hear about it. I no longer subscribe to the Oregonian, but then their only efforts to sniff out corruption have come long after you already brought it up. thank you.