Oregon Governor-elect John Kitzhaber said Wednesday that he will not hold an inaugural ball.
The Oregon Democrat says he decided against any inaugural events due to Oregon’s economic and budgetary challenges.
“We’ve got 200,000 people out of work in this state and a $3.5 billion budget deficit. I think it’s just inappropriate to be spending a lot of money on an inaugural program,” Mr. Kitzhaber explained.
Mr. Kitzhaber says he will instead watch the Oregon Ducks compete against the Auburn Tigers for the national championship in college football.
The Oregon Democrat is scheduled to be formally sworn in on Monday.
Mr. Kitzhaber, who will take office in an unprecedented third term, defeated Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Dudley in November.
