District 4 Commissioner candidate · Washington County · November 3, 2026

Steve Callaway

Former Hillsboro mayor, school principal and teacher.

Campaign website (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Candidate-submitted photo · 2026 Washington County voters’ pamphlet ↗

Reach the campaign

As published in their pamphlet statement and campaign site.

In their words

Said: THE DECISIONS WE MAKE NOW WILL SHAPE WESTERN WASHINGTON COUNTY FOR YEARS TO COME.

Pamphlet p. 5

Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; extracted September 21, 2026

Washington County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 5 ↗

Verbatim opening of the candidate's own statement; publication by the county does not verify the claims. The statement opens with this capitalised headline, which ends with a period and has a predicate, so it counts as the first sentence under the rule.

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 words

Emphasizes experience, affordability, public safety and responsible growth.

Scrutinize budgets and major development impacts.
Protect farmland and natural resources.
Address homelessness, addiction and behavioral health.

Our reading

Our interpretation, not their words

Fiscal caution
Experience

He promises careful evaluation of data centers and protection for taxpayers rather than fixed rules; a resident cannot tell from his materials which projects he would reject or what he would defer under a tight budget.

Washington County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 5 ↗Callaway · what I’ll focus on ↗

Where they stand

Homelessness and housing

Thoughtful housing growth

What: Said: Supports encouraging what he calls thoughtful housing opportunities as part of keeping the county affordable; his materials name no specific housing program or rule.
How: Not in their sources
Measured by: Not in their sources

Crisis care, jail and deflection

Police and treatment

What: Said: Would support police, firefighters, emergency responders and behavioral-health professionals, and address homelessness, addiction and mental health with solutions he calls compassionate and accountable.
How: Not in their sources
Measured by: Not in their sources

Taxes and the budget gap

Keep taxes in check

What: Said: Wants taxes kept in check and taxpayer dollars protected through responsible budgeting and accountability; no specific fee or tax change is named.
How: Not in their sources
Measured by: Not in their sources

Roads, bridges and air

Protect farmland

What: Said: Would protect farmland and natural resources and carefully evaluate major developments such as data centers for their impacts on residents and quality of life.
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. Steve Callaway 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 find

Double the county vehicle registration fee, from $30 to $60 a year by 2031, to pay for roads?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.

On record

Pause new data-center permits under the county's own authority until their impacts are studied?
Said: Would carefully evaluate major developments like data centers for their impacts on residents, communities and quality of life; a pause on permits is not mentioned.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
End the enterprise-zone property-tax exemptions for Hillsboro data centers, which the county assessor co-authorizes?
Said: Told the April 24 forum the key tax abatements are controlled at the city level, with the county responsible for infrastructure costs, zoning and broader impacts; whether to end them is unsaid.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Close the county's recurring General Fund gap with new fees or levies rather than cuts alone?
Said: Would consider both incremental and large cuts, weighing programs due to sunset, and would consider raising revenue but does not yet know by which means.
Keep declaring emergencies and spending county reserves to help families hit by federal immigration enforcement?
Said: Supports the county's emergency declaration and its accompanying actions, and as commissioner would seek assurances that county staff adhere to Oregon's sanctuary law.
Bring farmland north of Hillsboro into the urban growth boundary for industry, as Senate Bill 1586 proposed?
Said: Says 2014 legislation removed chunks of the county's urban reserves and a broader state-level conversation on modernizing land use must come before the county changes its approach; SB 1586 is unnamed.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.

Compare every candidate

A question the evidence leaves open

What criteria would lead you to reject a data-center development or tax incentive?

Sources (2)

Washington County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 5Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; reviewed September 18, 2026Written by the candidate or campaign. Publication by the county does not verify the claims.
Callaway · what I’ll focus onCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.