Dennis Richardson sworn in as Secretary of State

Salem, Ore.- Southern Oregon’s Dennis Richardson was sworn in Friday as Oregon’s Secretary of State. His swearing in ceremony comes as OregonLive reveals Richardson has named an ousted elections official and a former state manager tied to a multimillion-dollar scandal to top administrative positions.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Richardson has appointed Leslie Cummings as deputy secretary of state. Cummings managed tech-security for the Oregon Employment Department until 2013, when she resigned after being caught up in accusations of nepotism and wasting millions in public funds.

For elections director, Richardson selected Steve Trout, who held the position from 2009 to 2013 under then-Secretary of State Kate Brown. Trout left after Brown faced criticism for giving candidates short notice that the date of their election would change – a responsibility of the elections director.

Trout said Brown, who is now governor, asked him to resign but said it had nothing to do with the election scheduling entanglement.
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Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com