FILE — People walk a trail on March 14, 2026 at the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge, a large natural area in Washington County, where candidates are vying for three of the five seats on the county commission.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
Voters in Oregon’s Washington County have a significant chance this year to reshape the legislative commission that oversees the county budget, land use policy, public utilities and funds for the sheriff’s office and libraries. Three of the five seats on the Washington County Board of Commissioners are up for election this May, including the commission chair.
The board will have at least two entirely new members next year. It could be three new members, depending on what happens in the chair’s race. That’s because one of the commissioners running for commission chair — Nafisa Fai — has two years left in her current term. A victory for Fai would mean the commission has to appoint another new member to fill her current position.
All three races in the May primary could advance to a run-off in November if no candidates earn a simple majority of the vote in May.
District 2 commissioner Pam Treece is running for chair, leaving her seat representing north Beaverton, Raleigh Hills, Cedar Mill, Rock Creek and Helvetia up for grabs.
After eight years on the commission, District 4 commissioner Jerry Willey is not seeking reelection this year. District 4 covers more rural parts of the county like Banks, North Plains, Cornelius, Forest Grove and Gaston.
Willey is the lone remaining Republican on the commission that prior to 2018 was solidly red for decades. County commission seats are technically nonpartisan but party politics have increasingly played a role on the board and its races.
District 2
Multnomah County prosecutor Blayne Soleymani-Pearson, former Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation District Director Felicita Monteblanco and retired banker Stevan Kirkpatrick are running for Treece’s seat.
Soleymani-Pearson and Monteblanco have both earned notable endorsements. The Oregon Working Families Party, Building Power for Communities of Color, six Democratic state legislators, two Hillsboro city councilors and four Beaverton school board members have backed Soleymani-Pearson. U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici and Andrea Salinas (both Democrats), current county commissioners Treece, Jason Snider and Kathryn Harrington, and the Washington County Democratic Party are supporting Monteblanco.
Blayne Soleymani-Pearson (left) and Felicita Monteblanco are running for District 2 on the Washington County Board of Commissioners.
Courtesy of the candidates
Kirkpatrick is endorsed by the Washington County Republican Party.
Both Soleymani-Pearson and Monteblanco have emphasized that the county needs to do more to protect residents from federal officers “terrorizing our immigrant communities.”
In response to questions from OPB, Soleymani-Pearson said the county should “use legal obstacles to slow down or stop federal agents from acting unconstitutionally, and we must act to hold them accountable when they violate the law.”
Monteblanco said the county should provide funding to community organizations that help families impacted by immigration enforcement, explore legal options to hold federal agencies accountable, ensure all county departments are fully complying with Oregon sanctuary law and review county contracts and investments “to avoid supporting entities that directly facilitate harmful enforcement practices.”
Kirkpatrick did not respond to OPB’s candidate questions.
District 4
The race to replace Willey includes three people with experience on the Hillsboro City Council: former Mayor Steve Callaway, former Councilor Anthony Martin and current councilor Kipperlyn Sinclair.
Washington County land use planner Paul Schaefer, former nurse Ayla Hofler and Habitat for Humanity board member Kimberly Culbertson are also running.
In campaign materials, Callaway, Martin, Hofler, Schaefer and Culberston all mention goals to increase affordability for county residents.
From left to right) Steve Callaway, Kimberly Culbertson and Anthony Martin are running for District 4 on the Washington County Board of Commissioners.
Courtesy of the candidates
Callaway is endorsed by the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, Northwest Labor Council, District Attorney Kevin Barton and two current members of the commission, Willey and Jason Snider. Sinclair has backing from two state legislators and two fellow Hillsboro city councilors.
The Washington County Democratic Party, Basic Rights Oregon and two Hillsboro councilors have endorsed Martin, including one who also supported Sinclair. Hofler has support from the Washington County Republican Party, Oregon Right to Life and the mayors of Banks, Gaston and North Plains.
Culbertson and Schaefer noted endorsements from a handful of community members.
In response to questions from OPB, Culbertson said the county should be doing more to protect its farmland from the increasing encroachment of technology companies. Sinclair expressed a similar sentiment in campaign materials.
Callaway and Martin said the county should be working to find the right balance between creating economic opportunities and supporting the county’s rural areas. Martin said the county should promote “smart development” while supporting agritourism businesses.
Callaway said a “broader conversation at the state level” about modernizing land use is necessary to find the right balance.
Sinclair, Schafer and Hofler did not respond to OPB’s questions.
Read the candidates complete answers to questions from OPB here:
