LaVonne Griffin-Valade, the former Portland city auditor and one of my favorite local politicians of all time, has been appointed the new Oregon secretary of state, replacing Shemia Fagan. LGV used to try to talk sense to the City Council back in the reign of the Sam Rand Twins, and at one point I was hoping that she’d run for mayor. Instead she left City Hall, got a degree in writing, and started penning mystery and thriller novels.
Now she’s one heartbeat away from being governor, and charged with keeping an eye not only on elections but also on the many bureaucracies running around loosely in the state capital. I’m sure she’ll do a difficult job with smarts, excellent judgment, and measured calm.
But it isn’t going to be easy. Salem can be a toxic place where bad things happen to good people, including their turning into bad people themselves. Not a lot of good things come out of there. I hope LGV classes up the place and doesn’t get dragged down into the muck while she’s doing it. She survived Admiral Randy, but the scene down there is a whole ‘nother level of ugly.
That said, it’s a good day for the Beaver State. Most of Governor Kohoutek’s appointments have been bland at best, but this is a good one.