Kelley Wirth

Kelley Wirth is a former member of the Oregon House of Representatives, where she represented Corvallis, Oregon. Wirth, a Democrat, was one of two Oregon lawmakers to resign during the 73rd Oregon Legislative Assembly due to a personal scandal, with the other being Dan Doyle (R–Salem). She was indicted of unlawful possession of methamphetamine, and resigned from the legislature effective November 15, 2005.^[1] Wayne Krieger (R-Gold Beach) introduced a bill during the following session to institute mandatory drug testing for Oregon lawmakers, but stated the bill had nothing to do with Wirth.^[2]

The drug charges came after Wirth was struck by a car, by a woman who claimed Wirth was having an affair with her boyfriend. After the incident, police searched Wirth's car, and found what they called a "small amount" of methamphetamine. The driver, Lisa Temple, was charged with attempted murder.^[3]

In her last months in the legislature, Wirth gave her legislative aides, including her mother, pay raises that drew criticism from Minority Leader Jeff Merkley; she rescinded the raises, but became the subject of an ethics probe in the ensuing months.^[4]

Wirth, who was first elected to the House in 2000, went through a divorce in 2003. She has two daughters.^[5]

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