Neil Goldschmidt - Revelation of Sexual Abuse

Revelation of Sexual Abuse

In May 2004, a rapid series of events resulted in Goldschmidt's confession to a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl in the 1970s, the quick demise of his political career, including resignations from several prominent organizations and the transfer of his many documents from the privately-run Oregon Historical Society to the state-run Oregon State Archives.

On May 6, under pressure from Willamette Week, Goldschmidt publicly announced that he had engaged in a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl for an extended period during his first term as Mayor of Portland. Sex with a person under 16 years of age constitutes third degree rape under Oregon law, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. By the time the relationship had become public, however, the statute of limitations had expired, making Goldschmidt immune from any prosecution over the matter.

Under Oregon law, Goldschmidt would have been required to register as a sex offender, had he been convicted of the crime of third degree rape. The fact that the registration law didn't pass until 1997, after the illicit sexual relationship ended, would not have exempted him from registration. Oregon case law has determined that the registration of offenders whose acts were committed prior to the passage of the law does not violate either Oregon’s Constitution or the United States Constitution’s prohibition on ex post facto laws.

Goldschmidt's confessional letter was published on the front page of The Oregonian. It differed from the Willamette Week's account, most notably in the length of the relationship ("nearly a year" according to Goldschmidt, but three years according to Willamette Week) and in Goldschmidt's use of the term "affair" to characterize it. The Oregonian was criticized for its coverage and use the term "affair." Writers and editors at The Oregonian acknowledged mistakes in their handling of the story, but denied that a desire to protect Goldschmidt motivated the mistakes. The WW article, written by Nigel Jaquiss, was awarded the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting.

In his initial negotiations with Willamette Week, Goldschmidt agreed to resign his positions with the Texas Pacific Group and the Board of Higher Education, which he did. His decision in 1990 not to run for a second term as governor, long the subject of speculation, was finally explained. Further developments revealed that Goldschmidt was assisted by businessman Robert K. Burtchaell in keeping his molestation of the girl a secret. In return, Goldschmidt gave his support to Burtchaell's (unsuccessful) bid to extend a lease for a houseboat moorage on the Willamette River.

Goldschmidt's rabbi made an appeal in The Oregonian for forgiveness. Although Goldschmidt could no longer be prosecuted for the offense, the Oregon State Bar began an investigation into the matter. Goldschmidt submitted a Form B resignation, which was received by the bar on May 13, where he says that he is aware that he would not be eligible for readmission.

Following complaints from local media over limited access to Goldschmidt's public papers stored at the Oregon Historical Society(OHS), the state archivist announced May 29 that Goldschmidt would seize the 256 boxes of documents to guarantee public access as defined in a state law passed in 1973. That law required that public access to such records be maintained, but did not specify where the records be kept. Following Goldschmidt's decision to put the documents in the care of the OHS, the state legislature passed a law requiring future governors to leave their documents in the state archives. Many records were published on the state archives' web site in early 2005.

The scandal has affected numerous people and organizations associated with Goldschmidt. Many people have been accused of knowing of the crime, but failing to act accordingly. Debby Kennedy, who worked for Goldschmidt while he was governor, recalled, "I just can't tell you how many rumors there were about him then." Multnomah County Sheriff Bernie Giusto, who admitted knowing about the abuse, announced his early retirement in February 2008.

On March 7, 2011, the Oregon Senate President and Speaker of the House released a statement that Goldschmidt's Governor's portrait had been removed from the walls of the State Capital building in Salem and put into storage, out of respect for his victim.