Tom Powers left the Oregon Senate Majority Office to become government relations manager at Washington County. He had been the Senate Democrats’ caucus administrator and chief of staff since December 2014. Dominique Rossi, their legislative director, will serve as interim caucus administrator while the office prepares the recruitment for the permanent position in mid-November.

Reagan Knopp will officially be chief of staff for Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, instead of chief of staff for the Senate Republican Caucus, which his father leads. Reagan does also work with caucus office staff. State law allows legislators to hire relatives for their personal legislative staff; however, nepotism questions were raised after word spread last month that Reagan would become the top staffer for the GOP caucus itself.

Reagan Knopp is the new co-host of The Oregon Bridge podcast, joining Ben Bowman, a Democratic candidate for House District 25. Reagan also had been editor in chief of Oregon Catalyst.

In media moves, Connor Radnovich, the Salem Statesman Journal’s statehouse and politics reporter since 2017, no longer is with the newspaper. He also was president of the Oregon Legislative Correspondents Association, the formal name for the Capitol press corps. Garrett Andrews, most recently the Bend Bulletin’s criminal justice reporter, moves to Salem-based Oregon Capital Chronicle, covering the Oregon Department of Justice and other state agencies.  

Shane Walker is now the Legislature’s chief information officer, after having served as acting CIO three times. He’s been with the Legislature almost 30 years, starting as a session technician.

Jennifer Flood, the state ombuds for workers, is retiring Dec. 31. She has held that role since August 2005, after joining state service in 1978. The Ombuds Office for Oregon Workers is an independent unit within the state Department of Consumer and Business Services. Recruitment for Flood’s successor closes Oct. 3.