Almost two weeks late, Gov. Tina Kotek finally held a public press conference and took questions about the controversial departure of three top aides and the role of her wife, Aimee Kotek Wilson, in public policy.

But we still don’t know much.

Three things we know

A. Political spouses have taken on public roles throughout American history, including in Oregon. They typically selected issues or causes that are not divisive or controversial. Hillary Clinton broke that mold by leading President Bill Clinton’s task force on health care reform, which was ultimately unsuccessful. 

Eleanor Roosevelt, followed by Abigail Adams and Michelle Obama, have best exemplified the characteristics of a first lady, according to the 2020 Expert Survey of American First Ladies conducted by Siena College. Rounding out the top 10 were Jacqueline Kennedy, Dolley Madison, Betty Ford, Lady Bird Johnson, Clinton, Rosalynn Carter and Martha Washington.

Kotek Wilson’s desire for greater involvement is not unusual. Nationally, it’s become almost an expectation that a spouse will take a larger role in politics, according to Christopher Stout, associate professor of political science at Oregon State University. 

 “I would just assume they always have some kind of initiative that helps them appeal to the public and strengthens their partner’s chances for reelection,” Stout told me.

Dolores Atiyeh, wife of Oregon’s most recent Republican governor, Vic Atiyeh, was big on children and the arts. She gave speeches and testified to legislative committees about the importance of childhood immunizations and mandatory seat belts for children.

Arts was not merely judging painting contests but also attending conferences with Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction Verne Duncan about arts in education, according to Jim Moore, a Pacific University political scientist and biographer of Gov. Atiyeh. 

“Dolores did not really like the public role that she had to play. But she did it and did it pretty well,” Moore said.

During the final two years of Atiyeh’s governorship, she was given a small space in the governor’s office and a volunteer staff. There had been no good place for her to work in the governor’s official residence on Winter Street Northeast, which was only half-heated and had a leaky roof. And security was a concern.

B. As Kotek reaffirmed last month and again Wednesday, the governor’s security detail typically has provided security when a family member is on state business. 

And when there are significant threats.

Security was a huge concern for the Atiyehs, as well as other state and federal officials, amid the criminal activity being perpetrated by followers of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. More recently, security was tightened around Gov. Kate Brown due to threats stemming from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation and other issues.

No Oregon governor — that I know of — has abused security as others have. For example, a New Jersey State Police helicopter ferried Gov. Chris Christie and first lady Mary Pat Christie to their son’s high school baseball game in 2011.

Being wary of the weirdness of our world, I don’t think Oregon invests nearly enough in protecting our public officials. Still, Oregonians deserve a cogent explanation from Kotek for why she told Oregon State Police last month “to consistently provide protective security to the First Lady for events when she is representing the Governor’s Office.” Have there been new threats?

C. Kotek and her staff will ask the Oregon Government Ethics Commission for guidance on the role of the first spouse.

The obvious question: Kotek has been governor since January 2023 and presumably had been pondering the first lady’s role for some time. Why had Kotek not already sought such guidance?

“We weren’t sure what questions we needed to ask. We are now expediting that because of the public interest,” she said.

What we don’t know

On Wednesday, Kotek did not say:

D. How, when or why the first lady’s potential role evolved, why they are considering creation of an official Office of the First Spouse, and what that might involve. 

E. Why it took so long for Kotek to respond publicly after the controversy broke on March 22.

F. Why three of Kotek’s top four aides have left or are leaving, which is how the controversy became public. The governor declined to comment on extensive media reports that the departures were linked to internal disagreement over the first lady’s role.

Oregonians are left to puzzle this equation: (A+B+C) – (D+E+F) = ?