Updated: Nonprofit's Taxpayer Funding Spiked the Year It Employed Oregon First Lady Cylvia Hayes

State money increased eight-fold, and then all but disappeared after she quit.

Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber and First Lady Cylvia Hayes

By NIGEL JAQUISS

January 30, 2015 at 11:05 am PST

This story was originally posted at 8:10 pm Thursday night. It is being updated at 12:10 pm on Friday, Jan. 30 to include a response from Craig Smith, the executive director of Rural Development Initiatives, Inc., and to include Cylvia Hayes' salary when she worked for RDI in 2011.

Cylvia Hayes

Gov. John Kitzhaber

Rural Development Initiatives,

reported,

reported

private business

FBI criminal investigation.

Craig Smith

Jim Moore

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.