Amid an affordability crisis and backlash over data center expansion in Oregon’s Silicon Forest, candidates seeking seats on the Washington County Commission see a pivotal moment.

Commission chair candidate Pam Treece suggested it’s an important election for the county, “but also for the region and the state.”

Her opponent Nafisa Fai said the races “will determine whether the county stays a county where everyone feels like they have the freedom to thrive.”

All four commission candidates — two running for commission chair and two for District 4 — have years of elected experience and earned enough votes in the May primary to advance to the Nov. 3 runoff.

Fellow commissioners Fai and Treece are competing to replace Kathryn Harrington, who recently resigned as commission chair. In the race for a district, stretching from Hillsboro across Forest Grove, North Plains and Banks to the county’s northwest corner, former Hillsboro Mayor Steve Callaway and current Hillsboro City Councilor Kipperlyn Sinclair are hoping their experience leading the county’s largest city will find favor with voters.

Chair race: Fai vs. Treece

In the weeks leading up to the election, the race for chair has featured surprises. Last month, Treece was forced to reject Harrington’s endorsement and return her $10,000 donation after the chair made an obscene gesture at Fai during a public meeting.

Earlier this month, Fai’s campaign was also caught up in a scandal involving an upside-down American flag.

Fai was first elected to the commission in 2020, becoming the first-ever person of color to serve on the board of commissioners in Oregon’s most diverse county. Having won reelection in 2024, she’s served as commissioner for District 1 covering parts of Beaverton, Aloha, Cooper Mountain, Garden Home and Raleigh Hills ever since.

Fai, a refugee from Somalia who came to the U.S. as a child, said she’s lived in Oregon for three decades and has a background in public health. She worked with the American Red Cross, Upstream Public Health and the Public Health Institute.

Treece was first elected as District 2 commissioner in 2018, the first person in over 30 years to oust an incumbent Washington County commissioner. That district covers Helvetia, Bethany, Cedar Mill, Rock Creek and portions of Hillsboro and Beaverton.

A Portlander by birth, Treece said she’s lived in Washington County for 30 years. She began her career as a teacher in Clackamas County but more recently worked as an executive at Pacific Power and the Westside Economic Alliance.

In May’s primary, Fai finished with 39% of the vote to Treece’s 33%. Republican challenger Jenny Kamprath took 27% of the vote.

Fai, who has aligned with other progressives running for office in Washington County over the past year, has the backing of the county Democratic Party, local public employees unions, the Jane Fonda Climate PAC and former Gov. John Kitzhaber.

As of Oct. 27, her campaign had raised just over $182,000 in donations since the May primary. The largest contribution to her campaign was $25,000 from AFSCME.

Treece, like other more moderate candidates running this November, has earned the endorsement of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce. She’s also backed by local firefighters and police unions, several county mayors, and Washington County’s other two commissioners.

Treece has raised over $275,000 in donations since the May Primary as of Oct. 27. Her biggest contributors include Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle ($40,000), the Washington County Chamber of Commerce ($25,000), and Las Vegas management executive Jeff Swickard ($25,000).

Asked about the incident with Harrington and her own philosophy on leadership, Treece told OPB the commission needs a culture of respect.

“Right now, what we need is a stable, experienced leader in Washington County as the chair,” Treece said. “We’ve been through a lot of chaos.”

The week after Harrington flipped her off, Fai said, “We need to move beyond the status quo.”

Both commissioners listed affordability among the top concerns they’re hearing from voters. Treece acknowledged the county commission can’t bring down gas or grocery prices. Instead, she said, the commission can focus on developing a skilled workforce and creating jobs.

“My economic development background, that’s what makes me the strongest candidate,” Treece said.

Fai mentioned she’s also heard concerns, particularly in the western half of the county, about preserving the area’s agricultural roots. Tension over whether land should be protected for farming or developed for the tech industry has long been a political flashpoint in Washington County.

Fai has positioned herself as this race’s staunchest opponent to data centers. She first proposed the county declare a moratorium on data centers last month. Without support from the commission, the county has not done so. But this week commissioners adopted a resolution that acknowledges community concerns and supports data center moratoriums and regulations under consideration by cities in Washington County, like Hillsboro.

Treece told OPB she believes the county does not need to continue building data centers.

Heading into the final days before the election, Fai said she hopes people look at her track record of building sidewalks, helping pass a ban on flavored tobacco products, working with Aloha Methodist Church to build a new homeless pod village, declaring a state of emergency over immigration enforcement and trying to hold fast to the county’s established DEI policies in the wake of pressure from the Trump administration.

“I hope people will see clearly that I spent my whole career leading with courage and that I’ve been fostering collaboration,” she said.

Treece stressed her experience in economic development and her endorsement from 10 of the county’s mayors.

“The economic growth and the things that happen to really grow our base happen in the cities,” Treece said. “I need to, as chair, be able to work with all those mayors. Any chair does.”

District 4: Sinclair vs. Callaway

Steve Callaway, a former administrator in the Banks and Hillsboro school districts, served a total of 14 years on the Hillsboro City Council as councilor and mayor.

Sinclair, who began selling salsa made with her grandmother’s recipe at local farmer’s markets after moving to Washington County in 1994, went on to start Eat Drink Washington County, a local farm-to-table initiative. She served on the city’s planning commission before being elected to the Hillsboro City Council in 2022. Her council term expires at the end of this year.

Like Treece, Callaway’s campaign is backed by the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, local firefighters’ unions and several mayors throughout the county.

Sinclair touts endorsements from the Washington County Democratic Party, several local farmers, and many of the same progressive candidates who back Fai.

As of Oct. 27, Callaway’s campaign had far outraised Sinclair’s. Callaway’s campaign has brought in $94,000 in contributions since the May Primary. His two largest donations of $15,000 from the Washington County Chamber of Commerce and Democratic Central Committee alone were more than Sinclair’s fundraising total of $14,000 since May.

Asked about the disparity, Sinclair said her campaign is entirely “grassroots.”

Both candidates also mentioned affordability as the top concern they’re hearing about from voters.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/10/29/washington-county-commision-races-progressives-moderates/