Oregon commissioner accused of retaliation after ‘stripper’ remark and prior ‘spinster’ settlement

A local Oregon official allegedly retaliated against workers who griped after he likened a community member to a “stripper,” an investigation found.

The probe, conducted by Mountain Lakes Employment Investigations, found Lane County Commissioner David Loveall violated county policy by retaliating against two unnamed employees and County Administrator Steve Mokrohisky.

One employee said Loveall, while discussing a “certain community partner” over coffee in May 2025, remarked, “I think of a stripper on a stripper’s pole, her hands moving like this.” 

The employee later filed a complaint alleging Lovell used potentially discriminatory language.

Another employee reported Loveall repeatedly used “Christian religious language,” including signing a birthday card with “Kingdom work.” 

The employee told investigators they preferred not to discuss religion in the workplace.

When the complaints surfaced, Loveall allegedly told Mokrohisky to make them stop.

“Tell the employees to eff off, commissioners can do what they want and there’s nothing anyone can do about it,” Loveall said during a June 2025 meeting, according to the report.

He also allegedly warned, “if you don’t fix this, then you and I have a problem and I am going to do everything I can to get rid of these people.”

Lane County officials publicly released a summary of the report Tuesday, ahead of a closed-door meeting slated for Feb. 18 to discuss the matter, Lookout Eugene-Springfield reported.

The investigation was based on interviews with 15 county employees or elected officials and hundreds of pages of records.

Investigators concluded Loveall took “adverse action” against the employees and Mokrohisky. 

This included refusing to share information, canceling meetings, giving Mokrohisky a 1-out-of-5 performance rating that was “unsupported by documentation,” threatening his job and criticizing him publicly and on podcasts.

Mokrohisky told The Post that while “spirited debate and healthy conflict” are part of public service, “there must also be a baseline standard of professionalism and respect,” especially for public-sector leaders.

He added that he hopes the investigation “brings these issues to a close,” and said he remains committed to serving the community and leading county staff.

In a Nov. 20 email obtained by Lookout through a public records request, Loveall acknowledged he “could’ve said a few less ‘f-words,'” but said some details were exaggerated.

Mokrohisky previously said Loveall’s conduct reflected a broader pattern of “defiant” and “demeaning” behavior that began shortly after he took office in 2023.

In a statement to The Post, Loveall disputed the findings, calling it “one-sided” and politically motivated, and questioned both its public release and how the investigation was conducted.

“The county’s report contains the misrepresentation of private conversations that took place in closed door meetings and comments attributed to me that were not my words. It is also attempting to criminalize salty and religious speech,” he said.

“The report has failed to allege a single actual example of retaliation that resulted in real damages to anyone’s employment but instead centers on a dislike of a public official’s speech,” he added.

Loveall also defended his religious remarks, saying being elected “did not negate my First Amendment rights” and that he would not apologize for using faith-based language.

He is up for reelection in the May primary.

The controversy follows a $250,000 settlement reached in October 2024 with former City Attorney Erin Pettigrew, who alleged Loveall said he “worried about her becoming a spinster.” 

Pettigrew resigned in April 2024, citing “hostile, demeaning, belittling and gender biased remarks.”

Loveall told The Oregonian/OregonLive the investigation was a “partisan attack” with a pre-decided conclusion and said the allegations were brought forward in a “brazen attempt” to influence the upcoming election. 

“I am exploring every avenue to pursue against the county for their mishandling of this matter and look forward to a quick resolution of these baseless accusations brought by activist staff members who are attempting to insert themselves into the political process,” he said in a text message to the outlet.