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

Sen. Dallas Heard, R-Myrtle Creek, on Thursday announced that he was resigning as of Jan. 1. Re-elected in 2020, he had two years left in his term. Earlier this year, he resigned as chairman of the Oregon Republican Party. Including his time in the Oregon House, he has represented Southwest Oregon for eight years.

Oregon Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp of Bend announced several staff changes on Wednesday. Justin Brecht has been promoted from senior policy analyst to legislative director. Derrick Wheeler was promoted from policy analyst to senior policy analyst. Ashley Kuenzi was promoted from office manager to communications director. Sam Evans joined the SRO as office manager. Sam Herscovitz will join the office in January as policy analyst. Knopp is conducting interviews and expects to announce additional hiring soon, according to his chief of staff, Reagan Knopp.

The Oregon Government Ethics Commission on Friday will consider issuing an advisory opinion stating that state law likely does not allow a presiding officer or legislative caucus leader to hire and supervise a family member as part of the presiding officer or caucus office staff. Reagan Knopp, the senator’s son, was slated to be caucus chief of staff until the nepotism issue was raised.

After four years as a legislative analyst with the Oregon Legislature, Michael Lantz started work this week in the University of Washington’s Office of Planning and Budgeting as a policy analyst. Among other staff moves in the Legislative Policy and Research Office this fall, Lisa Rybloom was promoted to deputy director for administration.

The Oregon Legislative Correspondents Association – the official name for the Capitol press corps – elected Julia Shumway as its new president, succeeding Connor Radnovich. Shumway is senior political reporter for the Oregon Capital Chronicle. She previously covered the Arizona Legislature and before that was politics and government reporter for The Bulletin in Bend.

The State Land Board appointed Vicki Walker to a second four-year term as director of the Oregon Department of State Lands. The board is composed of Gov. Kate Brown, Secretary of State Shemia Fagan and State Treasurer Tobias Read.

Mindy Stadtlander, chief operating officer at Health Share of Oregon, will serve as interim CEO while the board of directors seeks a new CEO. Gov.-elect Tina Kotek this week chose Health Share CEO James Schroeder to become interim director of the Oregon Health Authority.

Patty Mulvihill is the new executive director of the League of Oregon Cities. The first woman to hold the top job, she had been interim executive director since last December. She was hired as LOC’s assistant general counsel in 2016 and promoted to general counsel a year later.