Multnomah County · November 3, 2026
Portland City Council, Auditor
- 1
- Candidates
- 1
- Seats
- 6
- Rank up to
- Nov 3
- Due 8 p.m.
Our readingDraft
One candidate appears on the county’s checked filing list. An uncontested race still deserves a look at what the office would audit first, how fast reports would arrive and how open recommendations would be tracked.
| Candidate | 0 of 1 documented | 0 of 1 documented | 1 of 1 documented | 0 of 1 documented | Save to my ballot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Homes | Safety | Money | Roads |
What this office decides right now
What’s at stake
The auditor is independently elected, sets the office's own audit schedule and reports publicly on whether departments carry out its recommendations. Its findings are the Board's main outside check on a $4 billion budget.
Each of this office’s 4 live choices is a board below, with every candidate’s stated position or the gap.
Real estate overpayments
An August 2026 audit found no policy requiring Board approval to buy land or buildings and potential overpayments of $1.18 million on four properties, out of $50.4 million the county spent on real estate from 2019 to 2025.
Jail recommendations open
A July 2026 follow-up found the Sheriff's Office had implemented five of the 2022 jail-conditions recommendations and not four, including ending isolation as discipline for people with mental illness; an independent jail-review function remains unimplemented by the Sheriff and Board.
Contractor oversight
In April 2026 the auditor asked the Board to press for 2022 recommendations on monitoring county-funded startups after Sunstone Way, which the county advanced $377,456 and then gave another $1.1 million despite overbilling findings, announced it was closing.
Audits underway
As of September 9, 2026 the office lists five audits in progress: bridges, Corrections Health, gift cards, jail visits and supportive housing services.
Money flows to watch
The auditor's 2026 financial condition report notes FY 2025 Supportive Housing Fund spending rose more than $71 million, Preschool for All community-services spending more than $39 million, and the Health Department took in over $15 million in state deflection money.
General Fund gap
The Budget Office projected a $10.5 million General Fund shortfall for FY 2027, growing to $33.8 million by FY 2030 as downtown property values fall and personnel costs rise; each one-point pay increase costs $4.1 million.
Where they stand · four more choices
Four choices Multnomah County faces
One question at a time: every candidate’s answer, A–Z, with its source. Open all to see who has said nothing about what.
Homeless Services oversightTighter contract monitoring and outside audits of the Homeless Services Department after Sunstone Way?0 of 1 on recordNot found: Nicole Pexton
A county review found shelter contractor Sunstone Way billed $3.6 million in unallowable costs from July 2024 to February 2026, four years after an audit flagged $525,000 in overbilling by the same nonprofit; on April 9, 2026 the Board confirmed a new department director 3–2.
- Nicole PextonChief audit executiveNot found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Homeless-services taxBack extending Metro's homeless-services tax past 2030 at a lower rate, with tighter spending rules?0 of 1 on recordNot found: Nicole Pexton
Metro's 1% tax on high incomes and business profits pays 61% of the county's homeless-services budget and expires in 2030. Metro shelved a 2025 draft that would have extended it to 2050 at 0.75% after polling 53% yes; the next chance is the 2028 ballot.
- Nicole PextonChief audit executiveNot found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Preschool tax delayKeep delaying the Preschool for All tax increase, now set for 2028?0 of 1 on recordNot found: Nicole Pexton
On August 27, 2026 the Board voted 5–0 to push the scheduled 0.8-point increase on high earners from January 2027 to January 2028, its second delay; the program reported a $610 million fund balance and 7,100 seats for 2026–27.
- Nicole PextonChief audit executiveNot found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Closing the gapClose the county's structural budget gap by cutting administration before services?0 of 1 on recordNot found: Nicole Pexton
The Budget Office projected a $10.5 million General Fund shortfall for FY 2027 growing to $33.8 million by FY 2030; the adopted FY 2027 budget eliminated at least 158 positions.
- Nicole PextonChief audit executiveNot found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
About this race
How to vote
You rank up to six candidates for one seat. Ranking more people never hurts your first choice. How it works
Ballots mail Oct 14 · return by 8 p.m. Nov 3
What this office can do
The auditor independently evaluates county performance and follows up on recommendations; the office does not administer county services.
How this list was made
Same questions for everyone, A–Z. Each chip is our short reading of a sourced statement; we do not endorse, rank or score.
Reviewed September 18, 2026 · lines 2026-09-19.1 · AI-assisted, human review pending
Terms explained
- Amendment
- A proposed change to a measure before the final vote. Voting for an amendment is not the same as voting for the whole measure.
- Supplemental budget
- A mid-year change to the city budget after the main budget is adopted.
- Appropriation
- Permission to spend money on something. It does not mean the money has been spent or the result achieved.
- PCEF
- The Portland Clean Energy Fund: a tax on large retailers that pays for climate projects. Council has debated using its interest for other services.
- Term sheet
- Starting terms for a negotiation. Approving one is not a final contract.
- Housing owned by the public or a nonprofit and rented at controlled prices.
- CEI Hub
- The fuel-storage area along the Willamette in Northwest Portland, where Zenith Energy operates.
- Ranked choice
- You rank candidates in order. If your first choice is eliminated or already elected, your vote counts toward your next choice.