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Commissioner DeGroot says he is cooperating with ethics review and will help lead county input on BLM resource plan
Summary
Commissioner DeGroot told the board he is cooperating with an Oregon Government Ethics Commission review of a complaint and said he had been asked to be one of four people to lead county input on the Bureau of Land Management’s resource management plan.
Commissioner DeGroot used his commissioner’s report at the March 17 meeting to describe two developments he said were central to his recent work: ongoing county efforts to improve timber management and an ethics complaint now under review.
DeGroot said he recently attended an association meeting in Cottage Grove where the acting state director of the Bureau of Land Management outlined goals and the process for drafting a new resource management plan (RMP). He said he had been asked to be one of four individuals leading county input into the new RMP "to ensure the county's goals are also met in the new RMP." He framed the invitation as the culmination of years of work on timber-management priorities.
DeGroot also addressed a complaint filed with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission. "A complaint was filed with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission last week. The commission is reviewing the complaint and I am being 100% cooperative with their review," he said. DeGroot added that he believes he has consistently acted ethically, that he recuses when appropriate, and that he will continue to fulfill his duties while the matter is reviewed.
He asked for patience from the community and acknowledged the personal toll such complaints can have on families.
The meeting record does not include any formal action by the board on the ethics complaint; DeGroot’s comments were a personal report to the board.
