GEC’s Ron Bersin rejects OUS board complaint

2/1/2012: From the RG:

An attempt by a University of Oregon faculty member to pursue an ethics complaint over the firing of former UO President Richard Lariviere has hit a dead end.

The complaint was rejected by the director of the Oregon Government Ethics Commission in late December. 

… Bersin said the ethics commission has only very narrow jurisdiction in such matters and can act only on actions that are taken during a formally convened executive session. The board did the informal poll prior to any meeting and therefore it was outside the commission’s purview, he said.

You’d think Ron Bersin, the Director of the Government Ethics Board, would be a little more curious about government ethics. But he’s a political appointee, so he never even bothered to request the OUS board emails. Let’s do a bit more dredging:

Hi Mr. Bersin –

This is a public records request for all public records involving

a) communications between the GEC and Oregon DOJ employees involving the ethics complaint below.

b) all communications between the GEC and OUS employees involving the ethics complaint below.

I ask for a fee waiver, on the grounds of public interest.