County Chair candidate · Washington County · November 3, 2026
Nafisa Fai
County commissioner with public-health and community-building experience.
Reach the campaign
- nafisaforwashingtoncounty.com (opens in a new tab)
- team@nafisaforwashingtoncounty.com
- Facebook (opens in a new tab)
- Instagram (opens in a new tab)
As published in their pamphlet statement and campaign site.
In their words
Said: Thirty years ago, I came to Oregon as an immigrant and a refugee.
Pamphlet p. 4
Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; extracted September 21, 2026
Washington County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 4 ↗Verbatim opening of the candidate's own statement; publication by the county does not verify the claims. Skips the heading “A Leader Who Works for You-Not for the Status Quo”.
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 wordsConnects affordability and safety with housing, treatment and corporate contributions.
- Support housing, eviction prevention and addiction treatment.
- Make data centers contribute more fairly.
- Protect farmland and invest in transportation and jobs.
Our reading
Our interpretation, not their wordsLarger data-center contributions, updated fees and possible levies would fund the services she wants protected; her materials name the tools but not the amounts, and a local option levy needs voter approval.
Where they stand
Homelessness and housing
Public land for housing- What
- Said: Wants more affordable homes and paths to ownership: public land turned into community-driven housing, faster permitting for affordable development, down-payment help for first-time buyers, more workforce housing and utility assistance to lower bills.
- How
- Said: Transform public land into community-driven housing, fast-track permitting for affordable development, invest in down-payment support for first-time buyers, expand workforce housing and fund energy-efficiency and utility assistance.
- Measured by
- Not in their sources
Crisis care, jail and deflection
Crisis response teams- What
- Said: Wants the county to fund community safety teams of mental-health professionals, medics and peer responders for calls she says are better handled by them than by police, so law enforcement can focus on serious crime.
- How
- Said: County investment in community safety teams of trained mental-health professionals, medics and peer responders who de-escalate and connect people to care.
- Measured by
- Not in their sources
Taxes and the budget gap
Data centers pay more- What
- Said: Wants data centers to pay a fair share and would close the county’s budget gap by updating service fees and considering local option levies for public safety and libraries, while protecting funding for housing, transit and health care.
- How
- Said: Update service fees, consider local option levies for public safety and libraries, protect essential-service funding and strengthen oversight and public access to budget information.
- Measured by
- Said: Names the county’s latest $20.5 million budget gap as the shortfall to close; no revenue figure per tool is given.
Roads, bridges and air
Buses, roads, climate plan- What
- Said: Wants safer roads and sidewalks, fixed bottlenecks and more bus routes, plus a countywide Climate Action Task Force, clean-energy investment and a larger tree canopy.
- How
- Said: Establish a countywide Climate Action Task Force, invest in clean energy and tree canopy, expand bus routes and fix bottlenecks and sidewalks.
- Measured by
- Not in their sources
The choices this office faces
Every candidate in this race is asked the same 6 questions. Nafisa Fai is on record on 6. A question without an answer is a research gap, not a position.
On recordPause new data-center permits under the county's own authority until their impacts are studied?
Said: Announced on August 25, 2026 a proposal to pause new data-center and AI-facility permits under county and Clean Water Services authority, saying the county should understand the complete picture before approving more.
End the enterprise-zone property-tax exemptions for Hillsboro data centers, which the county assessor co-authorizes?
Said: Says as chair she will make data centers pay their fair share and safeguard tax dollars; whether the enterprise-zone exemptions should end is unsaid.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Double the county vehicle registration fee, from $30 to $60 a year by 2031, to pay for roads?
Said: Cast the only no vote on August 25, 2026 against Ordinance 917, which phases the county fee from $30 to $60 a year by 2031; Treece, Snider and Willey voted yes and the chair abstained.
Close the county's recurring General Fund gap with new fees or levies rather than cuts alone?
Said: Would update service fees and consider local option levies for public safety and libraries to close a gap she puts at $20.5 million, while protecting funding for housing, transit and health care.
Keep declaring emergencies and spending county reserves to help families hit by federal immigration enforcement?
Said: Moved and voted for the November 4, 2025 emergency declaration and $200,000 in contingency aid, telling the Board the amounts are not enough and she will keep pushing for additional measures.
Bring farmland north of Hillsboro into the urban growth boundary for industry, as Senate Bill 1586 proposed?
Said: Says the county is not yet striking the right balance; would focus development inside existing urban growth boundaries, build on industrial land already zoned and push for a statewide industrial-land inventory. SB 1586 is unnamed.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
A question the evidence leaves open
What specific data-center tax or fee changes would you propose, and what revenue would they produce?
Sources (3)
- Washington County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 4Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; reviewed September 18, 2026Written by the candidate or campaign. Publication by the county does not verify the claims.
- Fai · platform (home page)Candidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.
- Fai · prioritiesCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.