Washington County Commissioner Nafisa Fai accused outgoing Board Chair Kathryn Harrington of fostering a "culture of fear" at a Tuesday, Sept. 22, press conference.

Fai stood outside the county administration building flanked by state legislators, Metro Council members and other elected officials from Hillsboro and Beaverton, OPB reported. It was her first formal public statement since Harrington announced her resignation Monday, Sept. 21, effective Oct. 2. As we reported that day, the resignation came days after Harrington directed an obscene gesture at Fai during a Sept. 15 board work session.

Fai, the District 1 commissioner and the only person of color to have served on the Washington County commission, told the crowd the gesture was part of a larger pattern.

"Unfortunately, this incident was simply the last in a long line of previously documented behavior," Fai said. "It's about more than one action, the actions of one leader."

The turnout signaled broad support for Fai's bid to succeed Harrington as county chair, OPB reported. Fai faces District 2 Commissioner Pam Treece in a Nov. 3 runoff after neither candidate won a majority in the May primary.

The day after Harrington's gesture, Treece renounced Harrington's endorsement and pledged to return a $10,000 campaign contribution Harrington had made in August, OPB reported. State campaign finance records confirmed the donation amount, according to the Beaverton Valley Times. Whether Treece has completed the return is not reflected in available records.

Harrington's conduct problems predate the gesture. An independent investigation into a 2021 complaint by former chief of staff Elizabeth Mazzara Myers found three of four allegations were substantiated as violations of county human resources policies, the Hillsboro News-Times reported. The county settled with Myers for $80,000 in lost wages plus benefits and legal fees.

A separate 2025 investigation into Harrington's conduct toward Clean Water Services CEO Diane Taniguchi-Dennis did not meet the legal threshold for harassment or discrimination but characterized one text message as "unprofessional and inappropriate," KGW reported.

Commissioners Jason Snider, Jerry Willey and Treece had issued a joint statement Thursday, Sept. 17, calling Harrington's behavior "simply unacceptable" and urging her to resign. The board noted it lacked authority under the county charter and state law to remove the chair.

Vice Chair Willey is now presiding over commission meetings, with Snider serving as chair pro tem when needed. Harrington, first elected in 2018 and reelected in 2022, had already chosen not to seek reelection.

The chair seat stays vacant until the Nov. 3 election decides who fills it. The winner will be sworn in Jan. 3, 2027.