Newberg Graphic Online

Weidner faces ethics complaint

State government — A McMinnville man claims the state representative used his office for personal gain; Weidner argues allegations are without merit

• By: Amanda Newman  
• Published: 10/6/2009 12:08:08 PM

Jim Weidner

   State Rep. Jim Weidner’s (R-Yamhill) ethics were called into question last week when one of his constituents filed a complaint with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission.
Weidner, Joe Munger alleges, abused his office by attempting to use it for financial gain.
   “It is untrue,” Weidner responded. “There’s tons and tons of reasons why it’s untrue.”
   Munger, a McMinnville resident, filed a complaint Friday regarding a Jan. 28 incident. That morning, he said, he and Monte Hansen met with Weidner to talk about a bill the local United Steelworkers union hoped to pass (the bill was later introduced by Sen. Brian Boquist as Senate Bill 872, but didn’t make it out of committee).
   They talked about how the economy was faring and how restaurants were suffering, Munger said, and Weidner said his own restaurant, Yamhill’s Lago de Chapala, wasn’t doing so well. He brought out a handheld data logging machine used for machine maintenance monitoring, which he said he was distributing, and asked the pair to speak to their employer about purchasing products from him, Munger said in the complaint.
   “It wasn’t that big of a deal at the time,” Munger said. “I didn’t really want to cause any trouble during the session.”
   Now, the situation has changed. Weidner was recently removed from two of his committee assignments for the interim session because of his vote against House Bill 2001, the transportation package. Weidner says his removal was a move of partisan politics; House Speaker Dave Hunt (D-Clackamas County), responsible for the decision, says it was because Weidner changed his vote after voting yes twice in committee.
   “Because of the recent dust-up, I thought I’d just throw that in, too,” Munger said of reporting the January incident. “It’s probable that it’s illegal.”
   Weidner declined to comment on specifics of the complaint until after it has gone through the review process, but said there would be no reason for him to try to market the product to the two steel mill employees.
   “I’ve lived in Yamhill County my entire life and I know a lot of people at that mill, people who actually have purchasing power,” he said.
   The complaint will be reviewed by OGEC executive director Ronald Bersin to determine if it is within the commission’s jurisdiction. If so, the commission will conduct a confidential preliminary review (within 135 days). If there is cause to pursue the case, OGEC will then have 180 days to investigate, after which they will dismiss, seek a settlement, or move to a contested case hearing, in which an assistant attorney general would present OGEC’s evidence to a hearings officer and Weidner or his attorney would respond. The hearings officer would then propose a final order, which could be accepted, changed or rejected by OGEC.
   Oregon law prohibits the use of public office for financial gain. OGEC may impose penalties of up to $5,000 for each violation.

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