Washington County chair candidates Nafisa Fai and Pam Treece staked out opposing positions on housing and immigration in a Q&A published Oct. 1, with ballots for the Nov. 3 runoff arriving Oct. 14.

The two commissioners laid out competing approaches to housing affordability and federal immigration enforcement in the Beaverton Valley Times Q&A, giving Hillsboro voters their clearest side-by-side comparison yet.

Fai, who represents District 1, led the May primary with 39.1% of the vote. Treece, the District 2 commissioner, finished second at 33.1%. Neither cleared the majority needed to win outright. The seat opened after Chair Kathryn Harrington did not seek reelection.

The county chair leads a five-member board that oversees a $2 billion budget, according to The Oregonian. The position pays $145,840 a year. Every registered voter in Washington County will see the race on their ballot.

Housing

On housing, Fai said the county should boost supply and modernize regulations she called outdated. She wrote that the county should maximize its Moving to Work authority and expand public-private partnerships. "I believe no one should have to use the streets as a waiting room for housing," Fai wrote in the Q&A.

Treece said the county must partner with affordable housing providers to increase options. She pointed to her work championing the Center for Addictions Triage and Treatment, which pairs on-site housing with medical services for people struggling with behavioral health conditions.

Immigration

The candidates' immigration responses drew the sharpest contrast.

Fai said she called for a state of emergency when federal immigration enforcement affected Washington County and claimed she secured $4 million to prevent housing instability for affected families. That $4 million figure appears only in Fai's own response; no independent county records or news reports were found to confirm the amount or how the funding works.

Treece called it "unacceptable that hundreds of Washington County residents have been snatched off our streets without warning or due process of any kind" in the Q&A. She pledged to protect neighbors and immigrant communities as chair. No independent count of Washington County residents detained by federal immigration agents was found to verify the "hundreds" Treece cited.

Treece's language marked a shift from a Sept. 18 KGW interview, in which she said Fai "should be the face of this issue" and that "a good leader knows when to put the right people forward."

Both candidates said they support Oregon's Sanctuary law.

The candidates

Fai, who arrived in the United States as a teenager after years in refugee camps, is the only person of color to have served on the Washington County commission, according to the Q&A. She cited six years of governing experience and a career in public health, including leading a 62-person team during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Treece described herself as a nearly 30-year Washington County resident who has served two terms as commissioner. She previously led the West Side Economic Alliance as executive director.

The county chair election is countywide, so all Washington County voters will cast a vote. Ballots mail Oct. 14.