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Cylvia Hayes
First Lady of Oregon
In role
January 10, 2011 – February 18, 2015
GovernorJohn Kitzhaber
Preceded byMary Oberst
Succeeded byDan Little (as First Gentleman)
Personal details
Born
Cylvia Lynne Johnson

(1967-08-10) August 10, 1967 (age 57)
Seattle, Washington, U.S.[1]
Spouse(s)
Todd Hayes
​
​
(m. 1984; div. 1986)​

Doug McCarthy
​
​
(m. 1994; div. 1996)​
[2]
Abraham B. Abraham
​
​
(m. 1997; div. 2002)​
[3]
Domestic partnerJohn Kitzhaber (2003–present)
Residence(s)Bend, Oregon;
Portland, Oregon
Alma materThe Evergreen State College (B.S., M.E.S.)
OccupationCEO of 3EStrategies;
Consultant

Cylvia Lynne Hayes (née Johnson, born August 10, 1967)[1] is an American consultant who was the First Lady of Oregon from 2011 to 2015 as the fiancée of former Governor John Kitzhaber.[a] Hayes was an unsuccessful candidate for the Oregon House of Representatives in 2002, running against state representative Ben Westlund.[7] She is a member of the Democratic Party.[1]

In October 2014, the Willamette Week and The Oregonian began to focus on an apparent conflict of interest between Hayes' business interests and her relationship to the governor.[8][9][10][11] The Oregonian then requested messages from Hayes' personal email accounts relating to state business.[12] On her personal blog in October 2015, Hayes stated that she had turned over "every email" requested by federal investigators[13] and accused The Oregonian of using her emails to make false allegations and print misinformation.[14] Shortly before announcing his resignation in February 2015,[15] Kitzhaber made the announcement that Hayes would no longer be connected to the governorship in any way and would have no political or policy role during his fourth term.[16]

Early life and education

[edit]

Cylvia Johnson was born in August 1967 in Seattle.[1][17] Her father, Orville Johnson, was the brother of her mother's first husband. The family lived near Carnation in King County, Washington and Hayes has described the home as a dilapidated shack with no running water or electricity.[18] At sixteen, Hayes moved out, stating, "alcoholism and mental illness took a real toll on my parents."[1] As a teenager and young adult, Hayes worked a variety of jobs including apple picking, catching fryer chickens, training horses, heavy equipment operation, dental assistant, plastic surgery assistant, and working for the King County public works department.[1][19]

She graduated from Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, with a bachelor's degree in 1994,[19][20][21] and with a master's degree in 1997.[22][23]

Hayes' late teens and early twenties have been described as a difficult period in her life.[3] In 1997, Hayes entered into a green card marriage with an Ethiopian immigrant that ended in 2002.[3] In a statement in October 2014, Hayes admitted the "serious mistake" of this previously undisclosed arrangement.[3] Hayes married for $5,000.[24]

While in a relationship from 1997 to 1998, Hayes and her then boyfriend placed a down payment on a property in Okanogan, Washington. In a statement in 2014 covered by Portland television station KOIN 6 News, Hayes said that the couple planned to use the property for a marijuana grow operation that never materialized. Hayes left the relationship in April 1998 and moved to central Oregon in July of that year.[24]

Professional career

[edit]

Hayes moved to Bend, Oregon, from Washington in summer 1998 and began a career in clean energy and sustainable economic development.[10][25] That year Hayes founded 3EStrategies, a Bend-based clean-economy consulting firm that grew out of the nonprofit organization she launched two years before, called Earth Connections.[26][27] As CEO of 3EStrategies, Hayes helped launched the Building Green Council, which is now a component of the Central Oregon Builders Association. The council was started to make it easier for people to build energy- and resource-efficient homes and commercial buildings, and bring together developers interested in promoting and learning more about green construction.[25][28] Hayes published and edited the Green + Solar Building Oregon magazine from 2004 to 2009, created with contributions from writers and photographers throughout the state.[25][29] She served as a member and co-chair of the Oregon Renewable Energy Working Group (REWG), which developed the state Renewable Energy Standard, Renewable Fuels Standard, and other clean energy policies.[19][27][30] Since 2012, Hayes has also worked as a professional writer, contributing to online news sources including The Huffington Post [31] and Grist.[32] In 2015 Hayes launched an independent blog which included a public statement about her appearances in the media that year, and in 2016 she joined Bend-based Issue Magazine as a staff journalist.[13][33]

Political career

[edit]

Four years after she moved to Bend, Oregon, Hayes ran for the Oregon House of Representatives in District 53 against Ben Westlund, the Republican incumbent, as a Democrat.[10] She launched her campaign to win the Democratic nomination as a write-in candidate after what she described as a "filing deadline error" kept her from being listed on the ballot.[34] She changed her party registration from independent to Democratic in February 2002, shortly before announcing her candidacy, and she originally considered seeking a nomination from a minor party, such as the Pacific Green Party.[35] Hayes lost to Westlund in the November election, with 30.5% of the vote.[7] Hayes met then-outgoing Governor John Kitzhaber during the campaign.

First Lady of Oregon

[edit]
John Kitzhaber in 2010

Hayes campaigned alongside Kitzhaber when he ran again for governor in 2010. After Kitzhaber was elected and sworn in, Hayes assumed many of the roles and responsibilities of First Lady.[36] Willamette Week described her in 2014 as playing a "central role" in the Kitzhaber administration, and she was described as a policy adviser to the governor on clean energy and economic development issues, fields where she had nonprofit and consulting experience prior to becoming first lady.[37]

During her time as first lady, Hayes worked on the Prosperity Initiative that aimed to reduce income inequality in Oregon.[38][39] In the 2011 legislative session, she supported the centerpiece of Kitzhaber's economic agenda, Cool Schools energy retrofit program, and also lobbied the Legislature on poverty issues. In the same year, Hayes was named to a seven-member team charged with writing Kitzhaber's ten-year energy plan, touted by the administration as a path toward Oregon's energy independence. Hayes frequently delivered speeches on clean economy during her time as First Lady, such as the 2013 commencement address to Oregon State University.[27][40] According to Willamette Week she did not draw a state salary and like the partners of other elected officials continued her private consulting work during her time in the governor's office.[41]

Kitzhaber announced on January 30, 2015, that Hayes would not play a role in his administration during his fourth term. Hayes' "First Lady" website was taken down four days later.[42] On February 13, 2015, Kitzhaber announced his intention to resign as governor effective February 18, 2015.[43]

Influence-peddling scandal

[edit]

In 2014, Hayes was the subject of a series of articles and media coverage that weakened Kitzhaber's reelection campaign and the governor's office. On October 8, a month before the gubernatorial election in 2014, Willamette Week reported on Hayes's previously undisclosed "green card marriage" from 1997 to 2002.[44] A few days later, Portland television station KOIN reported on Hayes' role over a decade prior in purchasing property for a planned grow operation in Washington, also in 1997. In a statement to the news station on October 13, Hayes admitted to and apologized for her role in the planned operation. According to Hayes, she went along with the property purchase while in a relationship with an abusive boyfriend, whom she left soon after.[24]

Hayes and Kitzhaber also faced questions over her alleged use of her position as first lady and relationship to the governor to boost the profile of her consulting business. In October 2014, Willamette Week raised questions about the potential conflict of interest regarding Hayes' role as First Lady and her consulting work for 3EStrategies. In November the Oregon Government Ethics Commission rejected a request made by Kitzhaber to look into her records.[45] On January 27, 2015, the Portland Tribune reported Hayes was paid $118,000 for communications work with the Clean Economy Development Center at the same time she was listed as an adviser to Kitzhaber on renewable energy. The newspaper suggested the dual roles could be considered a conflict of interest.[46] The Oregonian raised similar questions in a report a few days later.[47]

In December 2014, The Oregonian requested emails from Hayes' personal email accounts related to state business.[12] When Hayes responded that she held no formal government position and had no government authority, The Oregonian petitioned Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum on January 29, 2015, for the release of the emails.[12] In an article on February 4, 2015, Willamette Week (whose publisher and co-owner Richard Meeker is married to Rosenblum, which the paper acknowledged)[48][49] commented on the lack of investigation and Rosenblum's self-proclaimed reluctance to comment on the case.[48] A week later, on February 12, 2015, Rosenblum concluded that Hayes had earned public-official status[50] and ordered the release of emails to The Oregonian.[12]

On February 25, 2015, Hayes filed a lawsuit against The Oregonian,[51] claiming Fifth Amendment rights against the release of the emails and citing Rosenblum's order that Hayes had asked for a state email but was ineligible without employee status.[50] On April 3, 2015, under federal subpoena, Governor Kate Brown's office publicly released 94,000 emails between Hayes and official email accounts of staff members in Kitzhaber's office.[52][53]

In 2017, after 28 months of investigation, the federal government announced that it had dropped its investigation into allegations that Cylvia Hayes and her fiancé, Governor John Kitzhaber, had used their positions for personal gain. No criminal charges were filed.[54]

On January 18, 2019, Hayes agreed to pay Oregon Government Ethics Commission fines of "$44,000 for ethics violations arising from her use of public office for personal profit."[55][56] Kitzhaber had also agreed, in January, to pay $20,000 in civil penalties to the commission for conflicts of interest regarding Hayes while he was governor.[57]

Personal life

[edit]

Hayes' current surname is from her two-year marriage to her first husband Todd Hayes.[1] Hayes has been married three times. Her first was to Todd Hayes from 1984 to 1986; her second was to Doug McCarthy, which ended in 1996; and her third was to Abraham B. Abraham using the name Cynthia Lynne Hayes on the marriage certificate.[58] Hayes filed a divorce from Abram in October 2001.[59]

Hayes participates in running, weight training, and racquetball,[19] and was a 2006 state champion racquetball player.[60]

Hayes is currently engaged to Oregon former governor John Kitzhaber, who is 20 years her senior and with whom she became romantically involved after her 2002 House campaign. When Kitzhaber was elected governor of Oregon in 2010, Hayes, as his live-in girlfriend, assumed the role of the state's first lady.[61] The couple announced their engagement in August 2014.[62] Hayes owns a home in Bend, Oregon, while also sharing Kitzhaber's home in Portland.[1][63][64]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Sources:[4][5][6]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Griffin, Anna (October 31, 2014). "Who is Cylvia Hayes? Oregon's first lady derailed by bad judgment, environmental zealotry, quest for validation". The Oregonian. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  2. ^ Crombie, Noelle (October 9, 2014). "Gov. Kitzhaber's fiancee Cylvia Hayes confirms third marriage to Ethiopian immigrant, WW reports". The Oregonian. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d Staver, Anna (October 10, 2014). "Cylvia Hayes admits breaking law in 'green card marriage'". Statesman Journal. Salem, Oregon. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  4. ^ Staver, Anna. "Is Cylvia Hayes the first lady of Oregon?". Statesman Journal. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  5. ^ Zimmerman, Sarah (April 19, 2019). "Commission accepts settlement for Oregon's former first lady". KATU. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  6. ^ Johnson, Kirk (October 11, 2014). "Oregon First Lady's Ex-Marriage Spills Into Race for Governor". The New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  7. ^ a b "How Oregon voted". Albany Democrat-Herald. November 6, 2002. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  8. ^ Steve Duin (February 13, 2015). "The fantasy world of Governor John Kitzhaber and Cylvia Hayes". The Oregonian. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  9. ^ Nigel Jaquiss (October 8, 2014). "First Lady Inc.: Cylvia Hayes has two careers. She pursues both out of the governor's office". Willamette Week. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  10. ^ a b c Jaquiss, Nigel (October 8, 2014). "Oregon First Lady Cylvia Hayes' Undisclosed Third Marriage Was to 18-Year-Old Immigrant". Willamette Week. Retrieved January 15, 2015. She was paid $8000.00 to marry the Ethiopian immigrant." "That summer, Hayes moved to Bend by herself.
  11. ^ Gunderson, Laura (October 8, 2015). "Cylvia Hayes faces scrutiny of her consulting firm's work versus role as Oregon's first lady". The Oregonian. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  12. ^ a b c d Budnick, Nick (February 12, 2015). "Oregon attorney general orders Cylvia Hayes to disclose emails to The Oregonian/OregonLive". The Oregonian. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  13. ^ a b Public Statements, Cylvia Hayes, archived from the original on January 3, 2016, retrieved March 20, 2016
  14. ^ Lehman, Chris (October 30, 2015). "Former Oregon First Lady Cylvia Hayes Takes Aim At Media". NW News Network. Retrieved March 20, 2016. However, I have fought to prevent the Oregonian from also having access to those emails not because I have anything to hide but because the Oregonian has repeatedly used emails to make false allegations and print misinformation.
  15. ^ "Oregon Gov. Kitzhaber announces his resignation amid scandal". AP. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  16. ^ "Gov. Kitzhaber Says First Lady Cylvia Hayes Will No Longer Have Political Role". Oregon Public Broadcasting. January 30, 2015. Archived from the original on February 5, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  17. ^ Olivia Nuzzi (February 13, 2015). "The Con Artist Who Took Down Oregon's Guv". The Daily Beast. Retrieved February 13, 2015. Hayes was born on Aug. 10, 1967, in Seattle.
  18. ^ Hal Bernton (October 24, 2014). "Unease about Oregon first lady stalks governor's re-election". Seattle Times. Retrieved February 13, 2015. When she was 7, her family moved near Carnation, in King County, where she said they lived in a dilapidated shack with no heat or running water and Visqueen for a roof.
  19. ^ a b c d "Oregon's Groundbreaking First Lady". The Evergreen Magazine. The Evergreen State College. Fall 2013. Archived from the original on January 3, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  20. ^ Nigel Jaquiss (October 8, 2014). "First Lady Inc.: Cylvia Hayes has two careers. She pursues both out of the governor's office". Willamette Week. Retrieved February 16, 2015. She graduated in 1994 at age 26 and went on to earn a master's degree in sustainability from Evergreen three years later.
  21. ^ Noelle Crombie (October 9, 2014). "Gov. Kitzhaber's fiancee Cylvia Hayes confirms third marriage to Ethiopian immigrant, WW reports". The Oregonian. Retrieved February 13, 2015. She says she spent a few years couch-surfing and struggling to finish high school and was married twice before earning her bachelor's degree in 1995.
  22. ^ Nigel Jaquiss (October 8, 2014). "First Lady Inc.: Cylvia Hayes has two careers. She pursues both out of the governor's office". Willamette Week. Retrieved February 13, 2015. She graduated in 1994 at age 26 and went on to earn a master's degree in sustainability from Evergreen three years later.
  23. ^ Kirk Johnson and Michael Paulson (February 15, 2015). "Gov. John Kitzhaber of Oregon and His Fiancée Walked Tangled Path to Exit". The New York Times. Retrieved February 16, 2015. Ms. Hayes, who had earned a master of environmental studies degree from The Evergreen State College in 1997...
  24. ^ a b c Tilkin, Dan (October 13, 2014). "1997: Cylvia Hayes jointly bought property for pot grow". KOIN 6 News. Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  25. ^ a b c Leeds, Tyler (February 28, 2015). "Cylvia Hayes' time in Bend". The Bulletin. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  26. ^ "Oregon's Groundbreaking First Lady". The Evergreen Magazine. The Evergreen State College. Fall 2013. Archived from the original on January 3, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2015. 3EStrategies grew out of the nonprofit organization Hayes launched two years before, called Earth Connections.
  27. ^ a b c "Oregon's First Lady Cylvia Hayes to deliver commencement address at OSU-Cascades". Oregon State University. April 25, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  28. ^ Stranzi, Justin (March 16, 2005). "Central Oregon green building directory gets update". Daily Journal of Commerce. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  29. ^ Hayes, Cylvia (2007–2008), Green + Solar Building Oregon, 3EStrategies, p. 112, retrieved May 28, 2015
  30. ^ "Renewable Energy Working Group Members". Oregon Government. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  31. ^ "Entries by Cylvia Hayes". The Huffington Post. January 9, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  32. ^ "Cylvia Hayes". Grist. December 12, 2012. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  33. ^ Lehman, Chris (October 30, 2015). "Former Oregon First Lady Cylvia Hayes Takes Aim At Media". NW News Network. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  34. ^ "Democrat Cylvia Hayes Launches Write-In House Dist. 53 Campaign". Bend Bugle. April 4, 2002. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  35. ^ Lerten, Barney (April 3, 2002). "Hayes Makes Write-In Bid For House District 53 Democratic Nod". Bend Bugle. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  36. ^ Mapes, Jeff (February 1, 2011). "Governor on live-in life partner: 'She's certainly my first lady'". KVAL. Retrieved February 4, 2015.[permanent dead link‍]
  37. ^ Jaquiss, Nigel (October 8, 2014). "First Lady Inc". Willamette Week. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  38. ^ "Cylvia Hayes Unveils Oregon 'Prosperity Initiative'". Oregon Opportunity Network. January 26, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2015.[permanent dead link‍]
  39. ^ Theriault, Denis (April 9, 2015). "Kitzhaber aide's harsh email: Cylvia Hayes had 'no role' in $100 million housing plan". The Oregonian. Retrieved April 16, 2015. Hayes' work as first lady included a role leading the so-called Oregon Prosperity Initiative, an economic development and anti-poverty effort
  40. ^ "Oregon's First Lady Cylvia Hayes: Commencement Address 2013". Oregon State University. June 15, 2013. Archived from the original on May 15, 2015. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  41. ^ Nigel Jaquiss (October 8, 2014). "First Lady Inc.: Cylvia Hayes has two careers. She pursues both out of the governor's office". Willamette Week. Retrieved February 13, 2015. Like the spouses and partners of other elected officials, she is pursuing her own career… Hayes does not draw a state paycheck.
  42. ^ Mapes, Jeff (February 4, 2015). "Cylvia Hayes' first lady page disappears from John Kitzhaber's state website". The Oregonian. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  43. ^ Nakamura, Beth (February 13, 2015). "Governor John Kitzhaber announces his resignation". The Oregonian. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
  44. ^ Jaquiss, Nigel (October 8, 2014). "Oregon First Lady Cylvia Hayes' Undisclosed Third Marriage Was to 18-Year-Old Immigrant". Willamette Week. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  45. ^ Gunderson, Laura (November 7, 2014). "State ethics commission denies John Kitzhaber request to review Cylvia Hayes contracts, first lady role". The Oregonian. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  46. ^ Borrud, Hillary (January 27, 2015). "First lady's consulting work leaves some scratching their heads". Portland Tribune. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  47. ^ Budnick, Nick (January 30, 2015). "Cylvia Hayes: latest records released by Kitzhaber show gaps, discrepancies". The Oregonian. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  48. ^ a b Nigel Jaquiss (February 4, 2014). "Hands Off". Willamette Week. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  49. ^ Mapes, Jeff (February 6, 2015). "Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum calls allegations against John Kitzhaber, Cylvia Hayes 'very serious -- and troubling'". The Oregonian. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  50. ^ a b Gunderson, Laura (February 26, 2015). "Facing Criminal Investigations, Cylvia Hayes Asserts Fifth Amendment Rights in Hopes of Keeping emails Private". The Oregonian. Retrieved April 16, 2015. The order noted that Hayes had said she asked for a state email but was ineligible without employee status.
  51. ^ Gunderson, Laura (March 16, 2015). "Cylvia Hayes should release emails and no, her legal fees aren't covered, court filings argue". The Oregonian. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  52. ^ Gunderson, Laura (April 4, 2015). "Governor's office releases 94,000 Cylvia Hayes emails". The Oregonian. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  53. ^ Hoffman, Hannah (April 6, 2015). "Gov. Kate Brown releases 94,000 Cylvia Hayes emails". Statesman Journal. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  54. ^ "Federal prosecutors won't charge former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, First Lady Cylvia Hayes". Statesman Journal. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  55. ^ "Ex-first lady agrees to settle ethics charges for $44K". APnews.com. Associated Press. March 6, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  56. ^ Friedman, Gordon R. (March 5, 2019). "Cylvia Hayes, ex-Oregon first lady, agrees to settle ethics charges for $44,000". oregonLive.com. The Oregonian. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  57. ^ Mapes, Jeff (March 29, 2019). "Kitzhaber Agrees To $20,000 Fine In Ethics Case That Goes To Commission Friday". OPB.org. Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  58. ^ Noelle Crombie (October 9, 2014). "Gov. Kitzhaber's fiancee Cylvia Hayes confirms third marriage to Ethiopian immigrant, WW reports". The Oregonian. Retrieved February 13, 2015. Records show that Hayes was listed on the license for her marriage to Abraham as Cynthia Lynne Hayes, with no birth date listed. It's not clear why she used a different name.
  59. ^ Noelle Crombie (October 9, 2014). "Gov. Kitzhaber's fiancee Cylvia Hayes confirms third marriage to Ethiopian immigrant, WW reports". The Oregonian. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
  60. ^ Jeff Oliver (March 12, 2006). "2006 Oregon State Singles Champions". Oregon Racquetball. Retrieved March 30, 2015. Women's A – Cylvia Hayes[permanent dead link‍]
  61. ^ Mapes, Jeff (January 29, 2011). "Kitzhaber's companion, Cylvia Hayes, takes on first lady duties under unusual spotlight". The Oregonian. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  62. ^ Duffy, Lizzy (August 4, 2014). "Isn't It Romantic? Gov. Kitzhaber Confirms Engagement". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved January 15, 2015.[permanent dead link‍]
  63. ^ Esteve, Harry (December 3, 2010). "Gov.-elect John Kitzhaber plans to keep Portland home, use Salem mansion sparingly". The Oregonian. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  64. ^ Mapes, Jeff (August 4, 2014). "Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber gets engaged to first lady Cylvia Hayes". The Oregonian. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
Honorary titles
Preceded by
Mary Oberst
 First Lady of Oregon
January 10, 2011 – February 18, 2015 		Succeeded by
Dan Little
as First Gentleman
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