OREGON CAPITAL INSIDER - Carpet in the Oregon governor's ceremonial office in the state Capitol in Salem

Ben Morris is the new chief of staff for Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade. He replaces Emily McLain, who had announced her departure before Shemia Fagan resigned as SOS. McLain has returned to the Oregon Education Association. Morris was communications director for the SOS; he will continue handling those duties until a new communications director is hired.

Kristina Narayan is back working for Tina Kotek as the governor’s health policy adviser. Narayan had joined CareOregon in January as vice president of public policy. She previously worked for House Speaker Kotek as legislative director, deputy legislative director and health care policy adviser, after which she worked for new Speaker Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis,for 10 months. Also, Juliana Wallacebegan work this week as behavioral health initiative director in the Governor’s Office.

Lou Savage is interim executive director of the Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers following the departure of Randy Harnish. Savage has been in state government about 15 years, mostly at the Department of Consumer and Business Services, where his roles included interim director, legislative director, insurance commissioner and Workers’ Compensation Division administrator.

After more than 38 years with The Associated Press, Salem-based correspondent Andrew Selsky is retiring at the end of the month. Selsky has covered Oregon politics, state government and other issues since May 2016, while also assisting with national stories. He previously was the AP’s Africa editor; Caribbean news chief; bureau chief in Bogota, Colombia; southern Africa correspondent; bureau chief for Spain and Portugal; foreign desk editor; and a reporter in Kansas City, Nicaragua and Honduras.

Claire Lynn left the Oregon House Republican Office, where she was communications director for the past 10 months. House Republican Leader Vikki Breese-Iverson said she is working to fill the position. Lynn will be helping several individual legislators with communications and will be working with Christine Drazan’s new organization, A New Direction.

House Speaker Rayfield made several changes for interim legislative committees. He took Reps. Jami Cate, R-Lebanon, and E. Werner Reschke, R-Klamath Falls, off the full Joint Ways & Means Committee; replaced them with Kevin Mannix, R-Salem, and Mark Owens, R-Crane; and added Court Boice, R-Gold Beach, to the House Gambling Regulation Committee.

Rayfield appointed Rep. Nathan Sosa, D-Hillsboro to the Office of Administrative Hearings Oversight Committee, replacing Rep. Paul Holvey, D-Eugene. Rayfield discharged Rep. Cyrus Javadi, R-Tillamook, from the Task Force on Tribal Consultation.

Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, and Rayfield appointed Lori Sattenspiel to the Task Force on Statewide Educator Salary Schedules, replacing Richard Donovan. That task force and several others will meet Tuesday, Sept. 26, at the State Capitol.

The Oregon Legislative Wine Caucus has been revived with Reps. Lucetta Elmer, R-McMinnville, and David Gomberg, D-Otis, as co-chairs.

Charges were filed this week in the death of Marganne Allen, 53, agriculture water quality program manager at the Oregon Department of Agriculture, who was hit by a pickup while bicycling home from work March 28 in Salem. Samuel Landis, a federal Drug Enforcement Administration agent who was on duty at the time, was charged in Marion County Circuit Court with criminally negligent homicide.

Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, recently traveled to the Marshall Islands, where he was invited to address the country’s parliament. He also met with President David Kabua and with parliament Speaker Kenneth Kedi and his wife, Teresa. Hansell has sponsored state legislation that provides recognition and benefits, under a U.S. compact with the island nation, to Marshallese residents in Oregon.

Longtime Oregon lobbyist Darrell Fuller has been in Maui since Aug. 25 as part of the American Red Cross volunteer response to the catastrophic wildfires there.

President Joe Biden nominated federal Magistrate Judge Mustafa Kasubhai to a seat on the U.S. District Court in Oregon, an appointment that requires U.S. Senate confirmation. Kasubhai was a Lane County circuit judge from 2007 until becoming U.S. magistrate judge in 2018.