A new head... in the sand
The governor has appointed a new chair of the board of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission, to replace Paul Rosenbaum, the guy who was forced out in light of the Bourbongate scandal.
But if you were hoping for an agent of change, sorry to disappoint. The new honcho is Marvin Révoal, who has been on the OLCC board for nine years while all sorts of cowboy antics have gone on within upper-level management. At the last board meeting, after Rosenbaum finished his 15-minute rant about how everyone in the media should stop questioning him about the illegal behavior of the staff, Révoal launched into a spacey monologue of his own about how wonderful everything at the OLCC is, and how he'll fight to keep the status quo.
So there's that.
Meanwhile, I continue to marvel at how hard it is to follow the money at the OLCC. Do they have annual financial statements, like any other public, billion-dollar-a-year enterprise? Good luck finding them on the internet. And since January of 2018, I count at least four chief financial officers: one "interim" and three "permanent" (but not too permanent). Lots of turnover in the counting house.
The interim (Chris Mayton) and one of the "permanents" (Bill Schuette) are among the six managers busted in Bourbongate, currently under criminal investigation. Not a good look.
The current CFO, Kailean Kneeland, has been on duty since last April. His LinkedIn page shows him as "Chief Financial Officer" at the "State of Oregon," with no mention of the OLCC. Odd, no? The real state CFO is George Naughton.
I wonder which favorite rare booze will
ReplyDeletehave a “safety supply” and who will receive it.
The OLCC doesn’t appear to have any political ideology. Which makes it’s bureaucratic incompetence so entertaining. A real tempests in a tea pot.
ReplyDeleteI hope it's just incompetence. Somehow I doubt it.
ReplyDeleteFriendly reminder that many so-called independent commissions are designed to be captured by the industries they regulate. ORS 471.705 ("One [OLCC] commissioner must be from the food and alcoholic beverage retail industry.")
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to me that there are always insurance guys on the board. At least one, maybe two.
DeleteThe OLCC is the third biggest revenue source for the state. There is zero interest in even the slightest bit of reform. It seems like such an easy target for Kotek, too.
ReplyDeleteRock the boat (don't rock the boat, baby)
Rock the boat (don't tip the boat over)
Rock the boat (don't rock the boat, baby)