After Inquiry, Dennis Richardson Says He Won't Accept a Security Detail

Oregon Secretary of State Dennis Richardson says he doesn’t need security after all.

Despite recent hints his office wanted to spring for protection, Richardson announced Tuesday that he’d reject any attempt to provide him a trained guard and driver when he’s traveling around the state.


The reason?


Richardson says the move could lead to abuse by future secretaries of state.


“Although I might spend a few hundred dollars for situational awareness training, future holders of this office could be empowered to provide taxpayer-funded bodyguard and chauffeur services,” Richardson wrote in his office newsletter. “I am unwilling to set a precedent that could be abused by a future Secretary who does not prioritize fiscal responsibility like I do.”

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“Current and past secretaries have sometimes faced threats of violence,” Cummings wrote. “Due to the alarming increase in tension and polarization in our nation recently, I am concerned for the Secretary’s safety as he travels the state.”

According to The Oregonian, Richardson recused himself from the decision of whether to provide a new security staffer. Now he is denouncing the idea. The newsletter Richardson sent out Tuesday came with the headline: “Bodyguards for the Secretary of State … not on my watch!” The secretary says he learned from unspecified “public comments” that accepting a security guard could set a bad precedent.


“If taxpayer-funded security for the Secretary of State were offered, I would not accept,” he wrote.

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Richardson plans to travel to each of Oregon’s 36 counties during his term in office. He says he travels with a single staffer, trading off driving duties and working on his laptop when he’s not at the wheel.

“As I travel around Oregon, I will continue to take my own vehicle—currently my hybrid with 198,000 miles and counting,” Richardson wrote.

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faithful_servant said:

After Inquiry, Dennis Richardson Says He Won't Accept a Security Detail | Jefferson Public Radio
Some excerpts from the article:






One of the few "good guys" in Oregon politics.

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