Washington County commissioners Nafisa Fai and Pam Treece are staking out different positions on data centers, immigration enforcement and budget priorities as their Nov. 3 runoff for county chair approaches.

Ballots are scheduled to mail to Washington County voters Oct. 14. The race pits two sitting commissioners against each other after neither cleared 50% in the May primary, according to certified results released in June.

The contest gained new urgency after Chair Kathryn Harrington stepped back from her role Sept. 17, following an incident in which she directed a middle-finger gesture at Fai during a Sept. 16 meeting. Vice-chair Jerry Willey is now serving as chair pro-tem.

Data centers

Data centers have become a defining issue across Washington County. Hillsboro's City Council enacted a 120-day moratorium on new data center applications July 27, and Gov. Tina Kotek announced Sept. 8 that she supports a statewide moratorium, OPB reported.

Both candidates want to slow data center growth. They frame the issue differently.

Treece said she is not in favor of any more data centers in Washington County "if we can avoid that," though she noted the commission's authority centers on unincorporated land while most large projects sit within Hillsboro, according to a KGW Straight Talk interview that aired Sept. 18.

Fai said she pushed for a Washington County data center work group and later called for a county-level moratorium.

ICE enforcement

The candidates also diverge on federal immigration enforcement.

"When the ICE situation was unfolding in Washington County, I called for our board of county commissioners to declare a state of emergency and to unlock and to put resources to our communities and the residents that are impacted," Fai said in the KGW interview.

Treece said the commission should work closely with the sheriff's office and community organizations. She added that Fai should be "the face of this issue," saying a good leader puts the right people forward to connect with the community.

Budget and public safety

The county faced five consecutive years of general fund shortfalls through fiscal year 2025-26, according to county budget records. Treece said Washington County has cut $98 million from its budget over the past six years and expressed concern about the county's reliance on levies. Her top public safety priority, she said, is addressing revenue needs for the public safety team, including building a new jail and courthouse.

The county adopted a $2 billion budget for fiscal year 2025-26 after closing a $20.5 million general fund gap, according to those same records.

The candidates

Treece, a District 2 commissioner since 2019, previously spent more than two decades at Pacific Power and has served as executive director of the West Side Economic Alliance. Her campaign has endorsements from 10 Washington County mayors and commissioner-elect Felisa Monteblanco.

Fai, a District 1 commissioner since 2020, is the first immigrant and refugee to hold the position. She worked in public health at the American Red Cross and Upstream Public Health before entering office and founded the Pan African Festival in Beaverton.

On the Harrington incident, Treece called for Harrington's resignation and said she planned to return a campaign donation from Harrington. Fai declined to call for Harrington to resign, saying the decision was up to Harrington herself.

Ballots mail Oct. 14, with Election Day on Nov. 3.