SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Ted Ferrioli, the Senate Republican leader in Oregon until he stepped down in January, was presented with a blanket by leaders of Indian tribes as a parting gift. The gift was in recognition of bills he had sponsored to help Native Americans, but it threw Ferrioli into an ethical quandary, and he consulted with the state government ethics commission.
He finally resolved it by donating the blanket, in a case that illustrates the scope of issues the ethics commission must deal with.
“We don’t just do state employees, we do all levels of government in Oregon, so that’s every city council, every special district out there, fire board, whatever,” Oregon Government Ethics Commission Executive Director Ron Bersin told The Associated Press.