Bend state Senator Tim Knopp says: ‘He was fair, kind, and brought people together.’

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Former Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney, who retired last year as the longest-serving legislator in Oregon history, has died from complications from cancer, Gov. Tina Kotek’s office announced. He was 81.

Courtney died Tuesday morning at his home in Salem, surrounded by family, according to Kotek’s office. 

Here’s her full news release, as well as ones from several lawmakers who knew him:

Governor Kotek Issues Statement in Response To Passing of Former Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney

Salem, OR – Today, Governor Tina Kotek announced the passing of former Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney. He passed this morning from complications related to cancer at his home in Salem surrounded by his family. Courtney was the longest-serving legislator in Oregon history, having served 14 years in the house and 24 years in the Senate. He served a record 20 years as Senate President before retiring in January 2023.

“It is with incredible sadness that I share the news today of the passing of Peter Michael Coleman Courtney, the former President of the Oregon State Senate and longest-serving state legislator in Oregon history. The First Lady and I ask that Oregonians hold Peter’s family – his wife Margie, their children, and grandchildren – in their hearts and prayers.

“President Courtney was a friend and ally in supporting an Oregon where everyone can find success and community. His life story, the way he embraced Oregon and public service, and his love for the institution of the Oregon Legislature leaves a legacy that will live on for decades.

“He led through times of prosperity and times of struggle – including the great recession and the COVID-19 pandemic – with a steadfast commitment to protecting people and making their lives better. His tenure in the legislature is marked by incredible triumphs, earned through his genuine statesmanship and enormous heart.

“I want to recognize President Courtney for being one of the most important architects of our state in recent memory. At his core, Peter believed that we need to take care of each other, live with compassion for our neighbors, and get big things done, together. These Oregon values will live on in his name.”

A funeral mass will be held at St. Mary Catholic Church in Mt. Angel. Donations in remembrance can be made to the Salem Withnell Family YMCA or Family Building Blocks.

—

Knopp: ‘Farewell to My Friend, Oregon Political Legend, Senate President Peter Courtney’

BEND, Ore. – Senator Tim Knopp (R-Bend) issued a statement today on the passing of former Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney.

“Having received the news that Oregon has lost one of its finest today hits hard. He is irreplaceable and will be missed. When I attended the renaming ceremony recognizing his impressive impact on just one Oregon institution, it was a reminder of just how much Peter Courtney has done to improve the lives of Oregonians.

“It was an honor to serve with Peter Courtney in the Oregon Senate. He was one of the most impactful elected officials Oregon has ever had. He dedicated four decades of his life serving Oregonians and the institution he loved, respected, and protected. Most importantly, Peter had a heart for and cared about people. He was notorious for calling his colleagues to check on them when significant things happened in our lives.

“He was the most formidable leader I have had the privilege to work with. He was fair, kind, and brought people together. He tried to make sure all Oregonians’ voices were heard.

He loved Margie, his sons, and their families as he talked about them often. Any conversation of length with Peter would include how proud he was of them. Farewell to my friend, Oregon political legend, Peter Courtney.”

—

Senate President Wagner Statement on Passing of Peter Courtney

SALEM, Ore. – Today, former Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney passed away at the age of 81, according to his family. 

Senate President Rob Wagner (D-Lake Oswego) is releasing the following statement:

Today, I share the heartbreak of countless Oregonians as we all mourn the loss of the most influential lawmaker in the history of Oregon.

Peter Michael Coleman Courtney was a legend — larger than life, with a passion for helping Oregonians all across the state, and especially in his beloved city of Salem. The sounds of the Capitol were never complete without Peter’s voice reverberating through the halls. He was bold and hard-charging, but also tender and caring, always looking for private moments to help a young lawmaker find their way.

His legacy is typified by his dedication to the humane care of animals and for the well-being of children and those who struggle with mental health. But his legacy is more than policy — it is a spirit of governing that he brought to Oregon. 

Bringing his talent for public speaking from “West by God Virginia,” Peter’s true home will always be here in “Oregon, My Oregon,” the Oregon Capitol, and especially the Oregon Senate.

Peter loved stories of the Oregon Trail — and the sun will never set on his legacy. My thoughts are with his wife Margie and his sons and everyone who knew and loved Peter.

—

Speaker Fahey Remembers Peter Courtney, A True Legend of Oregon Public Service

SALEM, Ore. – Today, House Speaker Julie Fahey (D-Eugene) issued the following statement following news of the passing of Peter Courtney, the longest serving legislator in Oregon’s history: 

“Peter Courtney set the standard for what it means to be a true champion for the state of Oregon and its people. His passion for our state was clear no matter where he was or what office he served in – as a Salem City Councilor, as a member of the Oregon House, or as Senate President. 

In the legislature, we came to know Peter as someone who worked to do the most good for as many people as possible. Among his accomplishments include passing the Student Success Act that increased funding for K-12 education in Oregon, modernizing the legislature to meet more regularly, and beginning the legislature’s needed investments in mental health.

Peter cared deeply for the state of Oregon and for the city of Salem that he represented. He also cared deeply for the legislature as an institution and as a cornerstone of our democracy. In a time when we’re seeing an erosion of trust in government and in institutions more broadly, my hope is that Peter’s legacy can remind us all of the importance and significance of our work and of coming together to best serve the interests of our constituents.”

—

Senate Majority Leader Kathleen Taylor on the Passing of Senate President Peter Courtney

SALEM, OR – In honor of the incredible life and legacy of former Senate President Peter Courtney, Senate Majority Leader Kathleen Taylor (D – SE Portland, Milwaukie & Oak Grove) released the following statement:

“Peter Courtney epitomized the idea of a life lived in public service. He was fiercely devoted to serving his constituents, the institution of the Senate, and Oregon as a whole. He will live on in the people and communities he transformed for the better – and I am so lucky to count myself as one of them. For ten years, I was honored to call Peter a mentor and a friend. 

“Today, I’m thinking about his wife Margie and their wonderful family. Even with all the pressures of his public life, I know that they were always Peter’s number one priority. His dedication to family was an inspiration to me, and I’m holding my loved ones a little tighter today in his memory.”

—

Leader Daniel Bonham Honors the Legacy of Former Senate President Peter Courtney

SALEM, Ore. – Senate Republican Leader Daniel Bonham (R-The Dalles) issued a statement today on the passing of former Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney.

“It is with profound sadness that we mourn the passing of former Senate President Peter Courtney. Peter dedicated his life to public service and the people of Oregon, leaving a lasting mark on our state’s history. His legislative achievements have made an impact that will be felt for generations to come,” said Leader Bonham.

Peter Courtney’s career in the Oregon Legislature spanned nearly four decades, during which he was known for his unwavering commitment to bipartisanship and his ability to bring people together. His leadership style, characterized by kindness and a deep sense of duty, set a high standard for all who follow in his footsteps.

In his final remarks to the Senate, Peter reminded his colleagues of the importance of civility, stating, “Let us be civil to one another. Let us debate with respect and listen with open hearts.” These words encapsulate the essence of his approach to governance and his belief in the power of respectful discourse, an important reminder now more than ever.

Bonham continued, “Beyond his legislative achievements, Peter was a mentor, a friend, and a true statesman. His wisdom, compassion, and sense of humor were cherished by those who had the privilege to work with him. Our heartfelt condolences are extended to Peter’s family, friends, and loved ones. We honor his legacy and will strive to continue his work with the same spirit of civility he exemplified throughout his career.”

—

House Majority Leader Ben Bowman Releases Statement Honoring Former Senate President Peter Courtney

SALEM, OR – Today, House Majority Leader Ben Bowman (D – Tigard, Metzger, & S. Beaverton) issued the following statement following the passing of former Senate President Peter Courtney:

“Peter Courtney was a giant in Oregon politics. His legacy on behavioral health, public education, animal welfare, and more will outlive him and be felt by Oregonians for generations.

My thoughts are with his family and loved ones.”

—

Helfrich Statement on Passing of former Senate President Peter Courtney

SALEM, Ore. – In response to news of former Senate President Peter Courtney’s passing, Republican Leader Jeff Helfrich issued the following statement:

“For nearly half a century, Senate President Peter Courtney served with distinction. He was a true statesman. It is an understatement to say that without his leadership, Oregon would be a profoundly different state. Today we lost a giant of the legislature, my thoughts are with his friends and family.”

Nine months after it was revealed the state of Oregon was paying millions of dollars to an unlicensed, religious nonprofit to watch some of the state’s most vulnerable children, an internal review by the Oregon Department of Human Services validated concerns from those outside of the agency that there was a lack of oversight and children’s safety and well-being could not be assured.

The internal audit is noteworthy in how rudimentary the recommendations are. The report suggests ODHS officials run background checks on providers before they are placed in homes to watch over vulnerable children. The audit also states more fiscal oversight over such contracts is needed, highlighting one instance where a provider overcharged the state by more than $88,000.

In November, OPB first reported Oregon child welfare officials signed a contract with a Keizer-based nonprofit, Dynamic Life, paying them up to $2,916 per day, for every child or teenager placed in their care. It was a shocking amount, especially compared to the $795 per month the state pays a foster parent.

After OPB wrote about the state’s arrangement in November, the state canceled the contract with Dynamic Life and the arrangement was the subject of legislative hearings.

The recent audit, released at the end of June, found that the invoicing for the contracts was often muddled. In one instance, Dynamic Life overbilled the state by $19,236. In another, they overcharged by $88,200. The state paid millions of dollars to Dynamic Life in a short period of time. And they weren’t the only organization the state was partnering with to help kids at risk of being placed in hotels. Another one of the providers, LC Beach House, which has ties to Dynamic Life, overbilled by $4,032 and charged the state $45,000 for services that did not appear to be included in any contract, according to the internal audit.

Here is one of the audit’s big takeaways: “Without sufficient oversight of contracts there is no assurance providers can meet the needs of the children in care and ensure their safety,” it states. “In addition to potential harm to children, the agency may continue to suffer reputational harm if these conditions are not corrected. There are also legal and financial risks associated with the lack of oversight for the children in the care of contracted providers.”

Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin, D-Corvallis, who held legislative hearings on the matter, said the audit confirmed what many outside of the agency, including her, had been saying for months, but didn’t answer any of the big questions about accountability or how the misspent money would be recouped.

“So much missing money,” Gelser Blouin said in an interview on Thursday. “Where is the big outrage we had over designated bottles of Pappy van Winkle?” she added, citing the scandal at the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission with hard-to-buy liquor.

“The lack of energy around this is incredibly concerning.”

Long-term care struggles

Oregon’s struggling child welfare system has been under the spotlight for years. The state recently settled a class-action lawsuit that aimed to improve its trouble-ridden foster care system days before a high-profile trial was set to begin. More recently, its senior services program has been garnering headlines.

After a woman wandered away from a long-term care facility and died of hypothermia, nobody from the ODHS licensing team immediately visited the facility. Finally, after 28 days, they went to inspect the now-shuttered Sandy facility in light of Ki Soon Hyun’s death. When they did, a litany of concerns prompted them to immediately close the facility. They moved 13 of the remaining residents to other facilities ill-equipped to care for them late on a dark, rainy night.

The woman’s death and the state’s poor treatment of the remaining vulnerable residents highlighted systemic failures in how the state cares for vulnerable adults. The governor’s office has called for an independent audit into what led to her death.

But the governor is trusting that the state’s Department of Human Services will both identify a third-party entity to do the work and pay for it, essentially making them the auditor’s client.

State Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis, who sits on the governor’s commission on senior services, said he’s in favor of an independent audit, but has several questions.

“Who is doing the audit? What’s the oversight? How are we assured it’s going to be independent? I can’t answer those but I can ask the questions,” he said.

Those are particularly important questions given ODHS leadership has historically pushed back when confronted with problems. After the state ombudsman released a report highlighting that the state missed numerous red flags leading to Hyun’s death, ODHS head Fariborz Pakseresht returned a three-page leader noting they didn’t “agree with many of the report’s statements or its representation of the agency’s options.” And after reports of Dynamic Life became public, the head of the state’s Child Welfare program, Aprille Flint-Gerner, told lawmakers the story was factually incorrect, according to multiple sources. When OPB reached out to the state to see if anything needed to be corrected, a Human Services spokesman answered no.

In an email, the governor’s spokeswoman said she trusts that the agency can identify an appropriate entity to offer an independent review. Gov. Tina Kotek said the agency should be “continuously identifying ways to improve the services they provide” and that she has confidence in the agency’s leadership.

A slight respite from hot, dry weather Monday slowed the hunger for acreage among Oregon’s eight major wildfires, but an ominous forecast loomed as the state welcomed outside help.

Oregon’s largest blaze, the Cow Valley Fire along the state’s desolate eastern flank, stood at 132,528 acres Monday, with 5% containment reported late Monday along its 163-mile perimeter, according to the U.S. Forest Service, other federal agencies and state fire officials.

When it surpassed 100,000 acres sometime late Friday or early Saturday, the blaze became what the U.S. Interagency Fire Center deems a “megafire.”

Early Monday, the winds that sustained roaring flames and their consumption of dry, 3-foot-tall brush died down, slowing the fire’s expansion and giving firefighters hope of victory, the agencies said in a daily update.

Citing critical fire danger, Gov. Tina Kotek on Monday declared an extended state of emergency in Oregon. On Friday, she had invoked the state’s Emergency Conflagration Act to bring more resources to the Cow Valley Fire, which started the previous day.

“Wildfires are active across Oregon and are growing at a concerning pace,” Kotek said in a statement Monday. “Hot and windy conditions this weekend, including forecasted lightning in some areas, are threatening even larger wildfires.”

Just south of the megafire is the 2,275-acre Bonita Fire, reported Monday to be 40% contained, federal agencies said. Both blazes were under the management of the Cow Valley Fire federal task force.

Both were characterized as human-caused, although an exact mechanism and who was behind those origins appeared to be unknown, with state and federal authorities investigating.

Kotek’s actions were bolstered by two Oregon State Fire Marshal task forces assigned to the Cow Valley Fire and help from two Washington state task forces, the fire marshal’s office said in a statement Monday.

The weather was enough of a help Monday — a high pressure dome that had been baking the West since early this month shifted to the east and deflated temperatures by 4 to 10 degrees in parts of Oregon — that the task forces were being moved to other fires, the office said.

In addition, evacuation readiness levels near the Cow Valley Fire were downgraded Monday in some cases, although the Westfall area was under “get ready” status, which urges residents to be packed, charged and fueled up as flames near, according to the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office.

Resources from Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, as well as from the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and the Yukon and Northwest Territories, were also being assigned to the state’s major fires, the fire marshal’s office said.

The state’s second-largest fire is the Falls Fire in Malheur National Forest, about 5 miles southwest of Butte Falls, according to National Interagency Fire Center information.

The blaze was measured Monday at 64,225 acres, with no containment, federal agencies said in a daily update. Unwelcome winds as strong as 20 mph were expected Monday night, the update said.

Parts of Grand and Harney counties were under mandatory evacuation orders, and authorities closed down U.S. Highway 395 near the community of Riley on Monday evening as the fire raged nearby.

Oregon’s eight fires had consumed about 250,000 acres by Monday, the National Interagency Fire Center said. Four people have been injured and four structures have been destroyed in the Cow Valley Fire and the Falls Fire, the state said on its fire information dashboard.

The National Weather Service office in Portland said hotter temperatures would return this week and continue to climb into the weekend, with a 10% to 20% chance of lightning starting Tuesday. Inland areas of the state could get high temperatures of 95 degrees by the weekend, the weather service said.

A red flag warning calling for dry conditions and possible lightning strikes was in effect Monday night for an area east of the coastline in the extreme northern reaches of California to Medford, Oregon.

The National Interagency Fire Center urged summer travelers to be cautious and careful.

“We cannot stop the hot weather and lightning storms, but we can do our part to be fire wise when we are recreating, traveling, or staying home,” it said in a daily report Monday. “Take the time to find out the weather conditions and fire danger where you live and plan to vacation.”