A broken aircraft rained on Gov. Tina Kotek’s anniversary celebration.

Only a couple of TV crews joined the print, radio and online journalists attending Kotek’s Salem press conference on Tuesday. The 33-minute event marked the one-year anniversary of her taking office and replaced a traditional State of the State Address. A TV journalist explained the dearth of broadcast reporters this way: Stations were busy covering the aftermath of an Alaska Airlines plane’s losing a piece of its fuselage above the Portland area.

The hard-driving governor has much to celebrate, which her staff highlighted in a lengthy list of accomplishments that was posted online.

“Last year, I said that this job would mean waking up, every day, with a mission to deliver results for Oregonians. I spoke about strengthening connections with Oregonians from every part of our state, increasing accountability in state government, and asking everyone to come together to be part of solutions that will make a difference,” Kotek said in her opening remarks.

 “There’s always more work to do. Believe me, I always think there’s more to do, but progress is happening.”

The governor didn’t mention her setbacks. A few that come to mind are the massive DMV data breach, legislative stalemates, and delays in Paid Leave Oregon and in filling some key jobs. She has appointed nine high-profile agency directors but yet must find leaders for Veterans Affairs, Water Resources and the Watershed Enhancement Board. 

Much of the press conference was devoted to her key issues, including housing/homelessness, education, and behavioral health and addiction treatment. However, Kotek, as CEO of Oregon, also has strived to improve the basic functions of state government.

She meets regularly with her cabinet, which comprises the directors of 14 large agencies: Housing and Community Services, Administrative Services, Consumer and Business Services, Employment, Environmental Quality, Energy, Human Services, Oregon Health Authority, Revenue, State Police, Education, Emergency Management, Transportation and Corrections.

The Kotek administration set specific goals for state managers, ranging from filling staff vacancies faster and measuring employee satisfaction to improving strategic planning, disaster preparation and IT management. 

“It’s the basic, boring stuff of government that I think is actually getting people excited again about doing the best job we can within state government,” she said Tuesday when I asked about progress in revitalizing state government. “What we’re hearing is enthusiasm that, ‘OK, now we know there are some things we need to be doing to be a better-functioning state enterprise.’ And I’m very excited about people’s response to it. And I think we’re seeing progress.”

Her administration worked with the state’s social workers, counselors and psychology licensing boards to clear up backlogs. The Department of Administrative Services was directed to think creatively about hiring for state jobs, including working with the Military Department to recruit within the National Guard, whose members often need interim work. At the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, the wait times for training law enforcement officers have been cut in half.

As a youth in Pennsylvania, Kotek was involved in Little League baseball, summer girls softball and high school basketball, tennis, and track and field. Her experience in sports played into her anniversary remarks. 

“I think that experience of teamwork, focused on an end goal, and a willingness to push harder when you’re tired, is frankly really appropriate for this moment,” she said. “As I cross my one-year mark as governor, I am reminded of that feeling that this is the time to dig deeper and keep going. And I know that success does not belong to one person or one administration. As Oregonians, we can and will continue to do hard things together and be successful.”