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Betsy! Johnson: She Screws up...Does it even matter?

by Tryan Hartill

Short answer no.

Figures though that the one night a fail to stay awake till midnight (When the Oregonian stories are released) Betsy! is on the front page.

The most interesting part of this is that the Oregonian was after her almost a week ago about this particular bill.

From the May 26th edition:

An Oregon lawmaker is the chief sponsor of a rural airports improvement bill that could help her family’s aviation business. Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose, said Friday she plans to declare a potential conflict of interest when Senate Bill 807 comes up for a vote on the Senate floor, but she defended her work on the measure…....“If there’s a conflict, I honest-to-God don’t see it,” Johnson said. “I have no qualms” about sponsoring the bill, she said.

Johnson said she plans to declare a potential conflict of interest because “I am so jumpy around here, I’m ready to declare a conflict on anything.” But she also acknowledged a potential financial tie. “Will more planes come in, so we sell more gas? Maybe,” Johnson said. But she said that’s a minor concern compared with the overall good the bill could do.

I have know idea whether she contacted the paper about this issue, or if reporters were prodding her, but I have feeling the Oregonian reporter knew what was up with the recent land sale and gave her a chance to come clean. But she showed a general lack of “truthyness” in her response.

Now from today’s article which is written by the same 2 reporters:

In late 2004, state Sen. Betsy Johnson bought 36 acres of farmland for $635,000 in her hometown of Scappoose next to the airport. Three months later, she sold the land to a developer for a $119,000 profit.

And within weeks, Johnson introduced a bill in the Legislature to promote special airport access for private landowners—something the developer needed to turn the land into an industrial park catering to the aviation business.

Is there proof that she scammed this whole deal? I doubt we will ever know unless someone involved wants to come forward and explain how things went down. But anyone reading the article can smell something fishy about the whole thing. Why would a plot of land increase by $119,000 in value in only 3 months?

But really no one really cares, this will not change anything in the mind of her supporters. This may make her heavily rumored run for Governor a bit tougher. But this will no way affect her local appeal.
She is at every large function and fundraiser. Always has the mic in her hands and then proceeds to throw a thousand bucks here $500 there and then sneaks out the back door to the local bar during breaks.

But really what is a thousand bucks to a multi-millionaire like Betsy?
It would be like us working class folks tossing a dollar in the cancer jar at Safeway.

And where is our applause? Why does no one call us God?

Update

Here is a short news blurb and interview with BJ on KATU.

May 31, 06:42 pm | Tryan Hartill
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10 comments on this article (post your own)

1 On May 31, 07:00 pm, auntie wrote:

Of course thats a freakin’ conflict of interest due to a pecuniary interest she has in the family biz.

Even I know could see that…jeez!

2 On May 31, 07:21 pm, THartill wrote:

I think that is the main problem I have with this whole issue. Sure the thing that she got caught for can’t really be proven. But to state that “I-honest-to-God-see-no-conflict” really explains a lot regarding her attitude toward Government. All I can think of is that she has been in Salem for so long, that she doesn’t know the difference between right and wrong. It would be like me sponsoring a fish bill if I was placed in the Oregon Senate tomorrow, or Jeff Hazen voting on the new Costco land deal.

3 On Jun 1, 06:57 am, Walter Richards wrote:

I think the main problem is that she admits breaking the law, but says she did nothing wrong.

So … it’s okay to break the law, Betsy? Then why aren’t you working to abolish the law?

4 On Jun 1, 07:58 am, Patrick McGee wrote:

Let’s see, sell a piece of land ($600-plus thousand dollars plus a $119 thousand dollar profit) you just bought adjacent to an airport, then go to Salem, introduce and pass a law that allows your property buyer to access that same airport through that piece of land you, an Oregon Legislator, just sold him and Johnson’s going to position herself with a simple Ooooops!?

I don’t think she’s going to get a pass on this one.

5 On Jun 1, 09:19 am, KISS wrote:

Second dirty deal in 3 weeks,hmmm, I guess if your a Dimmo it’s a mistake and if your a repug it a criminal act. Betsy has never shown much to me just another wanna-be guv. Bet as Guv. she could do very well financially. Goes to show the good ol’s can be the bad ol’s even if dimmos.

6 On Jun 1, 09:51 am, Patrick McGee wrote:

“Second dirty deal in 3 weeks,hmmm, I guess if your a Dimmo it’s a mistake and if your a repug it a criminal act. Betsy has never shown much to me just another wanna-be guv. Bet as Guv. she could do very well financially. Goes to show the good ol’s can be the bad ol’s even if dimmos.”

Betsy’s magic has been that she, of all things, transended political parties, a true bipartisan and quite frankly I’ve voted for her every election since I moved her 12-13 years ago but, now? That won’t happen again.

Still believe she, along with the Port of St. Helens, didn’t play a big part in greasing the skids for Northern Star Natural Gas at Bradwood? She was certainly involved in its (Bradwood) disposition and use well before NSNG showed up.

Now, she’s just one of “Them”, whoever “Them” is and she certainly is not working in the interests of those who for so long have put their unbending trust in her to serve them in thatrust.

7 On Jun 3, 08:35 am, scott wrote:

I’m still waiting for the tempest to still in the teapot before coming to any firm conclusions, but from what I’ve read and what I’ve heard so far:

– Betsy admitted she made a mistake. Few politicians are willing to do this, yet I’ve heard Betsy do it before, and it is to be encouraged, not sneered at. – She declared a conflict before the vote. – She says she was trying to do this for all small Oregon regional airports, not just one, which is believable. – She doesn’t need the money. As someone recently pointed out to me, she donates two to three times the amount in question every year, so the idea that she did the deal for a quick buck doesn’t hold water. (And the money she gives goes a long way; I was at the the Clatsop CASA fundraiser this year, which Betsy attended. Near the end of the event, she stood up and led a checkwriting drive, donating five thousand dollars of her own money, then got someone to match that, then continued collecting donations until she had raised as much as she could for this important child welfare organization. Tryan attended the event I’m talking about, if anyone cares to verify it. PS- Tryan was a generous donor himself to this worthy cause, and he and his date were probably the smartest looking couple in the room.)

This kind of event is what should be considered when making our decisions about our public officials. None of us are perfect, so let’s support the ones who admit when they’ve made a mistake, and do much more good than harm.

8 On Jun 3, 08:41 am, KISS wrote:

Always good to admit thievery when you are up to your elbows in the cookie jar. what was the excuse in Metolius? Oh Ya, she forgot she owned the land. Without DUM voters would we have such DUM politicians?

9 On Jun 3, 10:10 am, THartill wrote:

I think she needs to donate the whole $119,000 at once. This would go a long way to winning the trust of the voters back. And as far as the Metolius River thing goes, from what I have seen so far I don’t think there is an issue with that one.

But she needs to leave the room for that vote.

10 On Jun 4, 05:11 pm, Oregon Pilot wrote:

I dont know if any of you are pilots or not, but as a private pilot, betsy has only ever done what was best for the airport and for general aviation. her husbands business has had the cheapest gas prices for YEARS making it more affordable for those of us that enjoy flying to do so. Nobody is in general aviation to make money. if anyone honestly thinks shes going to get rich selling Avgas, they should do a little more research. as for the 119k, she sold it to a developer to again, help the airport as well as the local economy. Nobody in politics is that hard up for 119k anyway. do some research and you’ll agree. thx

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