“This behavior is wholly unacceptable. I will not tolerate wrongful violations of our government ethics laws,” Kotek said in her letter.
SALEM, Ore. — A thirst for rare bottles of bourbon appears set to cost the executive director and other top officials of Oregon’s liquor and marijuana regulating agency their jobs.
The officials were paying for the whiskey, which can cost thousands of dollars a bottle, but they had used their knowledge and connections at the commission to obtain them, and consequently deprived members of the public of the spendy booze, the investigation said. And that violated Oregon statutes, including one that prohibits public officials from using confidential information for personal gain, the commission’s investigation said.
“This behavior is wholly unacceptable. I will not tolerate wrongful violations of our government ethics laws,” Kotek said in her letter to the board of commissioners.In his responses to questions from the investigator, Marks denied that he had violated Oregon ethics laws and state policy. However, he acknowledged that he had received preferential treatment “to some extent” in obtaining the whiskey as a commission employee.
After taking office last month, Kotek, a Democrat who was a long-serving Oregon House speaker, asked for Marks’ resignation, but no reason was announced. Kotek said she learned of this business about the bourbon afterward.
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