Hillsboro City Councilor Olivia Alcaire endorsed three City Council challengers and two Washington County candidates in an op-ed published Oct. 26 in the Hillsboro Herald. The endorsement lands one week before the Nov. 3 election and puts Alcaire on the opposite side of the council races from Council President Rob Harris.

Alcaire, who is completing her eighth year representing Ward 3, Position A, urged voters to support the "Seeds of Change" slate: Karim Delgado for Ward 2, Diana Jackson for Ward 1 and Dorian Russell for Ward 3A. She also endorsed Kipperlyn Sinclair for Washington County Commission District 4 and Nafisa Fai for county commission chair.

Harris endorsed Ivette Pantoja for Ward 2 and Titonian Wallace Sr. for Ward 3 in an Oct. 14 op-ed in the Hillsboro News Times. Harris also backed Steve Callaway for the District 4 county commission seat that Sinclair is seeking. Neither op-ed mentioned the other councilor by name.

Alcaire wrote that she had met candidates, attended forums, read endorsement applications and watched public debates before making her picks. She described Sinclair, a fellow Hillsboro councilor, as someone who "brings the people of our community with her to every meeting" and praised her advocacy for sanctuary law codification and a data center moratorium.

For the council races, Alcaire highlighted each Seeds of Change candidate's background. She described Delgado as a veteran, former teacher and small business owner who supports a community food pantry system. Jackson, who serves on the Hillsboro Planning Commission, works as a legal assistant at a public defense firm, according to her candidate questionnaire. Russell serves as executive director of HomePlate Youth Services, which Alcaire called "the only organization supporting homeless youth in Washington County."

The op-ed carried a disclosure at the bottom: "Paid for by Kipperlyn for Community PAC ID: 22512." Whether that disclosure applies to the full op-ed or only the Sinclair endorsement section is unclear from the text.

Harris, in his earlier op-ed, wrote that he wanted to elect people "who can embrace positive change but who reflect and retain our community's positive values." He did not endorse a candidate in the Ward 1 race.

The Seeds of Change slate has also received an endorsement from the Hillsboro Herald, which in an Oct. 2 editorial described the three candidates as "independent candidates" offering "a decisive break from business-as-usual at City Hall." That editorial also endorsed Sinclair and Fai for the county seats.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.