U of O Lobbyists Hawk Rose Bowl Tickets To Lawmakers

Oregon state legislators last week got a special offer from the University of Oregon's Office of Government and Community Relations, its in-house lobbying shop: tickets to the Rose Bowl.

In the following email, sent Dec. 13 and obtained by WW today, a staff member in the office offers lawmakers access to tickets "on a first come-first served basis." The email gives the ticket price as $175—that's face value—plus an unspecified handling fee. It also includes a price sheet for travel and hotel packages "sponsored" by the U of O alumni association.

If lawmakers pay for the full value of tickets and travel, they're likely in the clear as far as state ethics guidelines go. Nevertheless, the email offers access that the general public and many alumni may not enjoy.

U of O government relations staff have not yet returned WW's call, and we'll update this post when they do.

WWeek 2015

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.