Oregon
Oregon’s ombudsmen are supposed to be independent. But are they?
Alexis Amorelli, the state’s foster care ombudsman, was at the state Capitol this January to explain her job to members of the Senate Human Services Committee.
Her role: to be an independent voice for one of Oregon’s more vulnerable populations.
Next to Amorelli on the panel sat a high-ranking official from the Oregon Department of Human Services. The chair of the legislative committee — who invited Amorelli to speak and set the agenda for the hearing — was surprised to see him.
A DHS spokesman said they sent the higher-up solely to help Amorelli.
But his presence next to Amorelli seemed to raise a question: How much of an independent watchdog can she be when she works within the agency she is responsible for investigating?
In this screenshot taken from video from the Oregon state Legislature, Alexis Amorelli, the state’s foster care ombudsman, sits next to Seth Lyon, the chief operating officer for the state’s Department of Human Services.
Screenshot via Oregon State Legislature video
This legislative session, Oregon lawmakers have promised to exert more oversight over state agencies and ensure state taxpayer dollars are being spent responsibly. It’s often an episodic effort in the state Legislature, but this year’s effort comes at a time when state agencies serving some of the most at-risk residents have had myriad high-profile struggles; from the Oregon Youth Authority, to the Department of Corrections, to the Department of Human Services. The state’s child welfare system has been particularly beleaguered, having recently settled a multi-million dollar civil suit with promises of lowering rates of maltreatment.
Some lawmakers believe moving Amorelli’s position out from underneath the Department of Human Services to a more independent office could be one move to strengthen accountability. The concept is embodied in Senate Bill 1159.
The current long-term care ombudsman, Fred Steele, made waves after he investigated a state-certified assisted living facility where a woman died after living in the facility’s care for 24 hours. His investigation prompted several legislative hearings and a deeper dive into what is needed systemically to improve care for Oregon seniors.
“If the expectation is the foster care ombudsman can identify systemic concerns, well, the system is DHS, so how do you highlight those concerns like our office did with the regulatory concerns at Mt. Hood Senior Living?” Steele said in an interview with OPB. “We needed to be able to be independent to highlight those concerns and bring it to the public.”
Steele’s investigation and his recommendations were released to the media and prompted several news stories.
Amorelli’s investigations and recommendations are sent to the head of the Oregon Department of Human Services. The recommendations she makes are sent to the agency’s head and not made public. Whether the agency follows through with her suggestions is also not made public.
The word “ombudsman” is derived from the Swedish word meaning “agent” or “representative.” The definition is a public official who is charged with investigating citizen complaints against government agencies. Oregon state lawmakers are currently considering a bill to make the Oregon foster care ombudsman more independent.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Twenty-four states have independent ombudsman offices that specifically handle child welfare issues, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Oregon is not one of them. The group classified Oregon’s program as a “non-independent children’s ombudsman office,” noting it’s established within the child welfare agency.
Until he was fired in November of 2024, Adrian Wulff worked as the ombudsman for the Oregon Department of Corrections, reporting to the governor. Wulff noted that part of the reason why he was fired was not for opening the mail in a timely fashion. He told OPB he had been asking for more support staff and raised many concerns and often received pushback from the Department of Corrections or no response at all from anyone in the executive branch. He noted he was the only ombudsman overseeing the corrections system and had no staff. Oregon’s prison population is around 12,000 people.
“They didn’t want the office to be independent,” Wulff said. “They kneecapped it.”
Wulff said most of his concerns were ignored. He said that he often got no response when writing an email to the governor’s office. One of Wulff’s efforts centered around making it easier for people in custody to connect with their family members. Wulff pushed the state to provide prisoners with free phone calls, similar to other states. Wulff said he spent a year investing in a report, which was never made public because the Department of Corrections didn’t agree with his findings.
Wulff said he consistently shared concerns with Gov. Tina Kotek’s staff. “There was absolute silence on every issue I raised,” Wulff said.
Wulff shared a five-page memo he sent to the governor’s office in March of 2024, with a litany of concerns over what was happening in the state’s prisons.
“I do not know what the best supervisor structure is for this role, but I believe that having the OCO (Oregon Correction Ombudsman) report directly to the governor has contributed to many of the issues discussed in this memo,” he wrote.
He said the governor’s office never responded.
Kotek’s spokeswoman said their office doesn’t agree with Wulff’s characterizations. They noted he had two years worth of mail unopened, about 700 parcels. The current person in the role, Kristina Rice, has streamlined the process by establishing a database and a tracking system, they noted.
“In addition, Ms. Rice has also set up a voicemail as an additional access point for Adults in Custody,” Roxy Mayer, the governor’s spokeswoman. “This work has been conducted with the same amount of resources.”
Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin, D-Corvallis, who is a chief sponsor of Senate Bill 1159, said the bill is currently focused on making the ombudsman for kids independent, but she could see the effort expanding to other state agencies in the future. Gelser Blouin has been critical of the state’s Department of Human Services agency and, in particular, child welfare for years.
“We’re not getting the whole story (from child welfare),” Gelser Blouin said in a legislative hearing last month.
In January, OPB reached out to Amorelli to see if she would be willing to connect on the phone or in person.
“I am so excited to hear from you,” Amorelli responded. “As my position is under the umbrella of the Oregon Department of Human Services, I have contacted communications about this to ensure that I am able to proceed. If I get the green light, I would be happy to chat over the phone or in-person for coffee.”
The next day, Amorelli responded.
“I can offer myself through email to answer questions you may have, at this time,” she said.
A spokesman for the Oregon Department of Human Services said they don’t control or limit the foster care ombudsman from communicating with the public or the media.
“The ombuds may choose to seek support and advice from the ODHS communications team, but the final choice on how to engage with media is up to the ombuds,” Jake Sunderland wrote in an email.
The Oregon Ducks are set for one of the biggest timelines of their recruiting cycle, as many top targets are nearing commitments. This time around, the Ducks have a ton of top targets still remaining on their board compared to past seasons, as the Ducks have eight total commitments at this time.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning and his staff still need to land a safety commitment, but three-star safety Elijah Butler out of Maryland recently included the Ducks in his final six schools.
Oregon Target Elijah Butler Makes Exciting Recruiting Announcement
Butler announced his top six schools ahead of a crucial part of his recruitment, according to a graphic by Leyton Roberts. The Ducks made the cut alongside the Maryland Terrapins, Virginia Tech Hokies, Auburn Tigers, Florida Gators, and the Alabama Crimson Tide. The talented prospect would be a great addition for any of these teams, as they could all use a safety prospect at this point in the recruiting timeline.
Butler is from the state of Maryland, which makes the Terrapins one to watch.
It is also worth noting that he has been labeled as one of the best players in the state of Maryland, as he currently ranks as the state’s No. 9 prospect, according to Rivals. This is important as the Terrapins have always made solid attempts to land their in-state stars, including last season when they landed one of the better players in the state’s history, Zion Elee.
As of now, the prospect hasn’t been predicted to land with any of these schools, which means it is likely still a tight race entering the official visit schedule. He has yet to schedule an official visit with all of the schools he has listed in his top six, as he is still missing three key official visits. Butler has scheduled official visits with Alabama, Auburn, and Florida, according to 247Sports. This means he still needs to set one with Oregon, Virginia Tech, and Maryland if he wants to take one to each school.
If the Ducks are able to get Butler on a visit, then they would likely be in a more favorable position to land his commitment, as it currently. seems they are one of the trailing teams from this list. It seems highly unlikely that the Ducks will gain his commitment unless they get him on an official visit, which is still possible at this point, as plenty of top prospects across the nation are still scheduling their official visits.
As of now, the Ducks have 27 prospects set to take an official visit, according to 247Sports. Among all of the prospects who have scheduled a visit thus far, only one of the players is listed as a safety. That player is a three-star target, Junior Tu’upo. This leads one to believe that the Ducks could try to get Butler on a visit, or at a minimum, pitch their program to the prospect from St Frances Academy.
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BLUE RIVER, Ore. (KATU) — The founder of a former disaster relief nonprofit is being sued for allegedly diverting nearly $837,000 in donations and grants for personal gain.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed the lawsuit Thursday against the founder and executive director of Cascade Relief Team (CRT), Marcus Brooks. In the complaint, Rayfield calls CRT “a sham.”
Brooks is accused of stealing donations and government grants meant for disaster relief following wildfires and flooding in 2020, and using it for personal expenses including casino visits, travel, vehicles, and more.
CRT was founded in 2020 and was hired for cleanup and relief services following the Labor Day Wildfires that burned over 1 million acres across Oregon.
In Blue River, an unincorporated community in the McKenzie River Valley, the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire destroyed nearly 800 homes and burned more than 173,000 acres.
I am angry that my community was taken advantage of
Just months after the fire, long-time Blue River resident Melanie Stanley said CRT stepped in and promised help to the community.
“For us, it was…like a savior at that point,” Stanley said.
Stanley was the manager for the Blue River Resource Center and worked for Brooks to help facilitate recovery efforts. She said CRT operations slowly became questionable.
“None of us knew the level at which all of this stuff that finally came out was at,” Stanley said. “We knew that there was some stuff that had started to look hinky or feel hinky, or there was just some lack of communication that was happening. There were some other things that were happening, and so we just all were kind of guarded.”
In fall of 2023 the nonprofit was reported to have run out of money, and Brooks allegedly fired staff without disclosing the organization’s financial conditions and did not notify donors or beneficiaries. Stanley was one of those people fired.
The state now claims the funds that were meant to go towards communities like Blue River, never made it out of Brooks’ hands, including donations given by Blue River neighbors.
“I am angry that my community was taken advantage of, and I am angry that they now have to worry about trusting when something else happens, because we know something else is going to happen,” Stanley said. “We hope to God it’s never anything as big or as bad as what has happened, but you know, we also have learned that groups like Locals Helping Locals…they are our foundation, and they are because they’re us.”
The state is seeking to recover the money, permanently bar Brooks from serving in a leadership role at a charitable organization and dissolve the nonprofit.
Stanley said Brooks’ actions have tainted reputations.
“We as a community and as the people from the community who helped kind of put all of these things together, we did what was asked of us,” Stanley said. “We did help clean things, and we did help get things to provide, you know, more progress and get things moving forward, and we did good work, and so I just really hope that this is not overshadowed.”
According to Stanley, Blue River’s recovery now stands at 50%.
“We will be very picky from here on out about who and what groups gets let in to help with anything,” Stanley said. “And sadly, it may be to our detriment, but he did more damage now, as far as reputations go, and for that I’m angry. I’m very angry.”
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