The following is an excerpt from the Statesman Journal, part of the USA Today Network. 

Oregon Secretary of State Bev Clarno cannot hire her son, or any other family member, to work for her office without running afoul of the state’s conflict of interest law, Oregon’s ethics watchdog says. 

The Oregon Government Ethics Commission released the advisory opinion in advance of the commission’s meeting on Thursday. 

Questions of nepotism arose after Clarno appointed her son, Randy Hilderbrand, to a volunteer role when she took over the office. Gov. Kate Brown appointed Clarno, a Republican and former state lawmaker, to replace Dennis Richardson, who died in February of brain cancer.

“There was some conversation about Randy possibly coming on in a part-time position and I think the request to the ethics commission was (to see) if there is any problem to doing it,” said Rich Vial, deputy secretary of state and a spokesman for the office.

Read the full article here.