County Chair candidate · Washington County · November 3, 2026
Pam Treece
County commissioner with economic-development, teaching and small-business experience.
Reach the campaign
- pamforwashingtoncounty.com (opens in a new tab)
- info@pamforwashingtoncounty.com
- team@pamforwashingtoncounty.com
- Volunteer form (opens in a new tab)
- Facebook (opens in a new tab)
- Instagram (opens in a new tab)
- Bluesky (opens in a new tab)
As published in their pamphlet statement and campaign site.
In their words
Said: As your Chair, in this time of national insecurity, I will guarantee county operations are stable, accountable, effective, and equitable so we can provide the services we all deserve and too many desperately need.
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 salutation “Dear Neighbors,”.
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 wordsPuts jobs, housing construction and restraint on new taxes at the center of affordability policy.
- Support business growth and housing production.
- Invest in public safety and congestion reduction.
- Protect public health and residents facing federal immigration enforcement.
Our reading
Our interpretation, not their wordsHolding off new taxes while adding housing and public-safety investment draws on the same county budget; her materials do not say which services would give way if revenue falls short.
Where they stand
Homelessness and housing
Faster housing building- What
- Said: Wants the county to hit the gas on building housing while braking on taxes; her site backs a range of housing types for all ages and incomes and preserving existing affordable homes.
- How
- Said: Partnerships with local affordable-housing providers and preservation of existing affordable homes; cites The Opal, a church–County–developer collaboration she says produced over 50 affordable residences for people 55 and older.
- Measured by
- Not in their sources
Crisis care, jail and deflection
Fund public safety- What
- Said: Wants real investment in public safety, naming safe schools, parks and trails, and wants the county to protect residents from ICE.
- How
- Said: Stable funding for first responders with accountability and transparency, and closer coordination between the county’s mental-health team and public-safety providers, including the Center for Addictions Triage and Treatment.
- Measured by
- Not in their sources
Taxes and the budget gap
No new resident taxes- What
- Said: Would put the brakes on taxing residents and keep county operations stable, accountable and effective; no cuts or fee changes are named.
- How
- Not in their sources
- Measured by
- Not in their sources
Roads, bridges and air
Cut traffic congestion- What
- Said: Wants transportation infrastructure investment aimed at reducing traffic congestion.
- 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 6 questions. Pam Treece is on record on 5, with 1 still open. A question without an answer is a research gap, not a position.
No answer we could findEnd the enterprise-zone property-tax exemptions for Hillsboro data centers, which the county assessor co-authorizes?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
Pause new data-center permits under the county's own authority until their impacts are studied?
Said: Told KGW she is not in favor of any more data centers in the county if that can be avoided, while noting the commission's land-use reach is unincorporated land and the major projects sit in Hillsboro.
Double the county vehicle registration fee, from $30 to $60 a year by 2031, to pay for roads?
Said: Voted on August 25, 2026 for Ordinance 917, phasing the county fee from $30 to $60 a year by 2031 for road projects, after declaring the fee would also apply to her own vehicles; Fai voted no.
Close the county's recurring General Fund gap with new fees or levies rather than cuts alone?
Said: Says new taxes would be a last resort given economic strain, to be weighed against critical services that may have to be cut; puts past General Fund cuts at $98 million and would lean on economic development.
Keep declaring emergencies and spending county reserves to help families hit by federal immigration enforcement?
Said: Voted for the November 4, 2025 declaration and $200,000 in aid, thanking the colleagues who drafted it and criticizing federal enforcement actions in the county.
Bring farmland north of Hillsboro into the urban growth boundary for industry, as Senate Bill 1586 proposed?
Said: Says county land is precious and attracting high-paying jobs while protecting farms and forests will take careful planning with Metro and the cities, which set the boundary; takes no position on SB 1586's acreage.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
A question the evidence leaves open
Which services take priority under a constrained budget, and what would you defer?
Sources (2)
- 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.
- Treece · prioritiesCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.