City Auditor candidate · City of Portland · November 3, 2026
Simone Rede
Incumbent city auditor; government performance auditor.
Photo: Candidate-submitted photo · 2026 Multnomah voters’ pamphlet
In their words
Said: Portland deserves an auditor who sees the promise of our people and our city and will use the office to get the best possible outcomes for all of us.
Pamphlet p. 52
Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; extracted September 21, 2026
Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 52 ↗Verbatim opening of the candidate's own statement; publication by the county does not verify the claims.
The verbatim opening of their voters’ pamphlet statement, the same rule for every candidate. We chose nothing.
What they say they would do
Our summary of their platform, in our wordsEmphasizes independent oversight, service outcomes and the effective use of tax dollars.
- Scrutinize emergency-response performance and climate commitments.
- Track public-asset maintenance and arts spending.
- Apply professional auditing standards independently.
Our reading
Our interpretation, not their wordsAudits can identify problems and track recommendations but do not implement bureau fixes; her case rests on follow-through she credits to her first term.
Where they stand
Rent and homes
Not foundNot found in the sources we reviewed. That is a research gap, not a position.
Camps, crime and who responds
Sustain 911 gains- What
- Said: Sustain the improvements to 911 call wait times that she says her office’s work helped produce.
- How
- Said: Select audit topics Portlanders raise, such as gun violence, and follow up on recommendations; she cites releasing the first city audit of the Joint Office of Homeless Services.
- Measured by
- Not in their sources
Your bills and taxes
Independent audits- What
- Said: Apply professional auditing standards independently to ensure fair opportunities and effective use of tax dollars; she cites strengthening oversight of the Arts Access Fund and calling attention to roads, parks and asset-maintenance backlogs.
- How
- Said: Keep distance from the bureaus under review and control over the office’s own budget and decisions; she cites proposing a city transparency-advocate position.
- Measured by
- Not in their sources
Streets, buses and air
Audit climate promises- What
- Said: Ensure the city follows through on its climate commitments, an audit area she says she chose because Portlanders raised it.
- How
- Not in their sources
- Measured by
- Not in their sources
The choices this office faces
Every candidate in this race is asked the same 4 questions. Simone Rede is on record on 4. A question without an answer is a research gap, not a position.
On recordWhich city programs should the auditor’s nine performance auditors examine this year?
Said: Chose the FY 2026–27 schedule herself on June 18, 2026: Portland Solutions, citywide equity, fund management, cybersecurity, Prosper Portland grants, gun-violence prevention, emergency management, police body-worn cameras and utility rates, one fewer topic after cutting an auditor position.
Should the Auditor’s Office take the same budget cut as the rest of the city?
Said: Asked the mayor in March 2026 to hold her office’s cut to 3% while citywide cuts of up to 10% were weighed, writing that transparency and accountability are not optional; her own requested budget cut one performance auditor.
Stand by the Elections Division’s ruling that the community-safety initiative fell short of the ballot?
Said: Said July 29, 2026 that “independent election administration cannot bend to political pressure — from petitioners, opponents, or elected officials,” and that her division administers elections with integrity and by the law.
Take on investigations the City Council asks for, as it did over Zenith Energy?
Said: Declined the Council’s March 2025 Zenith request, writing it was unclear how a report on past land-use decisions “will remedy harm or result in fairer treatment,” and pointed to the Council’s own powers or a performance audit.
A question the evidence leaves open
Which unresolved audit recommendations would you prioritize in the next term?
Sources (4)
- Multnomah County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 52Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; reviewed September 18, 2026Written by the candidate or campaign. Publication by the county does not verify the claims.
- Rede · campaign homeCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.
- Rede · aboutCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.
- Rede · valuesCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.