Rainmaker Rankings Week of June 28, 2026
Executive Summary
This week's biggest positive stories included a new federal grant for the Willamette Falls redevelopment, stronger calls for data center accountability, emergency relief for Oregon pear growers, and a legal victory that kept local emergency physicians in control of patient care.
The biggest setback came at the Oregon Health Authority, where Director Sejal Hathi resigned after a troubled tenure marked by budget problems, Oregon State Hospital issues, and leadership questions.
Weekly Scoring Table
| Rank | Leader / Organization | This Week | Overall | Articles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tina Kotek | +3 | +5 | 3 |
| 2 | Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde | +2 | +2 | 1 |
| 2 | Eugene Emergency Physicians | +2 | +2 | 1 |
| 4 | Andrew Kaza | +1 | +1 | 1 |
| 4 | Cheri Helt | +1 | +1 | 1 |
| 4 | Jeff Merkley | +1 | +1 | 1 |
| 4 | Ron Wyden | +1 | +1 | 1 |
| 4 | Sameer Kanal | +1 | +1 | 1 |
| 4 | Steve Novick | +1 | +1 | 1 |
| 4 | Ted Kulongoski | +1 | +1 | 1 |
| 11 | Betsy Imholt | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | Sejal Hathi | -3 | -3 | 1 |
Articles Scored This Week
Top Oregon state human resources director pushed out in office shakeup
Date: June 28, 2026
Leader / Organization: Betsy Imholt
What Happened: Pushed out Jessica Knieling, Oregon’s chief human resources officer, after Knieling refused to resign. Also announced HR office changes, including more transparency and quality assurance, and moving agency HR teams under the deputy director.
Issue Areas: State agency leadership
Rainmaker Recommendation: Oregon needs stable, capable, and accountable leadership focused on making Oregon easier to live, work, and raise a family in.
Score: 0
Score Explanation: 0 because unclear if this is a positive or negative action.
Initiative to open Oregon primaries may have stalled, but work to end election injustice continues
Date: June 29, 2026
Leader / Organization: Ted Kulongoski; Cheri Helt; Andrew Kaza
What Happened: Published commentary arguing that Oregon’s closed primary system excludes non affiliated voters. Said their open primary initiative stalled after a ballot title dispute and limited time to gather signatures. They plan to seek legislative action in 2027 and may return to the ballot in 2028.
Issue Areas: Election reform / open primaries
Rainmaker Recommendation: Open Oregon’s primaries so non affiliated voters can participate in taxpayer-funded primary elections.
Score: +1
Score Explanation: +1 for publishing op-ed
Willamette Falls development project receives $4M federal grant
Date: June 29, 2026
Leader / Organization: Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
What Happened: Received a $4 million EPA grant to help demolish old Blue Heron paper mill buildings at Willamette Falls, remove hazardous materials, clean up soil, and prepare the site for the future tumwata village development.
Issue Areas: Economic development / Willamette Falls / brownfield cleanup / housing / tourism
Rainmaker Recommendation: Willamette Falls: transform Oregon’s biggest waterfall into a world-class tourism destination.
Score: +2
Score Explanation: +2 because the grant moves the Willamette Falls redevelopment forward, but the tourism and economic-development benefits are still just potential
Oregon governor says state is a ‘cheap date’ for data centers
Date: July 2, 2026
Leader / Organization: Tina Kotek
What Happened: Held a press event supporting higher electricity rates for data centers. Said Oregon needs to stop being a cheap date for data centers and said more recommendations are coming.
Issue Areas: Electricity costs / data centers / water use / tax fairness
Rainmaker Recommendation: Data centers should pay the full electricity, water, infrastructure, and public-service costs they create, and should not get overly generous tax breaks compared with other businesses.
Score: +1
Score Explanation: +1 for press conference
Leader / Organization: Tina Kotek
What Happened: Convened an advisory committee on data center impacts in January 2026.
Issue Areas: Electricity costs / data centers / water use / tax fairness
Rainmaker Recommendation: Data centers should pay the full electricity, water, infrastructure, and public-service costs they create, and should not get overly generous tax breaks compared with other businesses.
Score: +2
Score Explanation: +2 for forming committee
Oregon Health Authority director Sejal Hathi announces resignation
Date: July 2, 2026
Leader / Organization: Sejal Hathi
What Happened: Announced she will resign as Oregon Health Authority director after 2.5 years. Her departure comes as OHA faces a major Oregon Health Plan budget gap, Oregon State Hospital problems, questions about whether she was fully focused on Oregon, and a $630,000 settlement with the former equity director Hathi fired.
Issue Areas: Health care / state agency leadership / Medicaid / Oregon State Hospital
Rainmaker Recommendation: Oregon needs stable, capable, and accountable leadership focused on making Oregon easier to live, work, and raise a family in.
Score: -3
Score Explanation: -3 for a short and troubled tenure at Oregon’s largest state agency, including leadership instability, questions about focus and accountability, ongoing Oregon State Hospital problems, and a costly settlement tied to a senior leader she fired.
Leader / Organization: Tina Kotek
What Happened: Accepted Sejal Hathi’s resignation and appointed Fariborz Pakseresht as interim OHA director. Kotek originally hired Hathi after a national search, but Hathi is leaving after a short tenure. Pakseresht has long state agency experience, but his DHS tenure included serious child welfare problems and court oversight.
Issue Areas: Health care / state agency leadership / Medicaid / Oregon State Hospital
Rainmaker Recommendation: Oregon needs stable, capable, and accountable leadership focused on making Oregon easier to live, work, and raise a family in.
Score: -2
Score Explanation: -2 for a failed senior agency hire and for turning to a retread interim director with serious baggage from past agency leadership.
Should Portland spend city money on Moda Center makeover? New poll reveals what residents think
Date: July 2, 2026
Leader / Organization: Steve Novick; Sameer Kanal
What Happened: Commissioned a poll showing Portlanders are narrowly divided on whether the city should spend public money on a Moda Center renovation. The poll found 42% support and 49% oppose city investment, with support rising slightly after pro-renovation arguments.
Issue Areas: Public spending / sports facilities / city budget / economic development / Moda Center
Rainmaker Recommendation: Public money for the Moda Center should require a strong long-term lease, private contribution, rent payments, public transparency, and clear public benefit.
Score: +1
Score Explanation: +1 for doing a survey to find out what the public thinks before spending their money.
Wyden, Merkley call for data center ‘accountability’ and guardrails to protect
Date: July 2, 2026
Leader / Organization: Ron Wyden; Jeff Merkley
What Happened: Sent a letter to Oregon’s Data Center Advisory Committee calling for accountability, transparency, protection of energy and water, tribal consultation, and safeguards against higher utility costs for families and small businesses. Also praised the POWER Act.
Issue Areas: Electricity costs / data centers / water use / tax fairness
Rainmaker Recommendation: Data centers should pay the full electricity, water, infrastructure, and public-service costs they create, and should not get overly generous tax breaks compared with other businesses.
Score: +1
Score Explanation: +1 for writing a letter
Oregon ER doctors win a 'David and Goliath' battle against a national company
Date: July 3, 2026
Leader / Organization: Eugene Emergency Physicians
What Happened: Used Oregon’s new corporate practice of medicine law to fight a national staffing company that was trying to take over its local ER contract. The hospital system dropped the plan and kept the local physician group.
Issue Areas: Health care / emergency care / corporate medicine / local control
Rainmaker Recommendation: Protect independent physician groups from corporate takeovers that put profit and staffing control ahead of patient care.
Score: +2
Score Explanation: +2 because they used a new state law, took legal action, and won a real outcome.
Oregon pear crop value collapses, prompting governor to seek federal aid
Date: July 3, 2026
Leader / Organization: Tina Kotek
What Happened: Asked USDA for a disaster designation and market relief for Oregon pear growers after pest damage, heat, low snowpack, weak prices, and global competition caused major losses to the 2025 pear crop. The request could unlock emergency loans, specialty crop assistance, and possible USDA purchases of Northwest pears.
Issue Areas: Agriculture
Rainmaker Recommendation: Help Oregon pear growers survive the crop-value collapse with emergency federal relief.
Score: +2
Score Explanation: +2 because she took a concrete step to help family farms survive another year.
