It is now, finally, 2021. It is hard to look back at 2020 and not feel overwhelmed by all the changes it brought. Despite all the upheaval and uncertainty, despite the recent attacks on democracy and elected officials, there is cause for hope as more people become vaccinated and our federal government renews its commitment to focusing on racial justice and addressing white supremacy. I feel a certain amount of relief and an awareness that the work to achieve democracy isn't over but is restarting, hopefully with greater awareness of what we really are as a nation and how we can get to a place where everyone can achieve their promise.
But it is not enough to have hope. Protecting our democracy and dismantling white supremacy means committing to it through our daily actions. I think this is ultimately what we’re trying to do as auditors: We dive into the details, evaluating county programs to highlight what is working well and what could stand to be improved with the aim of creating a government that helps residents in Multnomah County achieve their promise.
My office is committed to:
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Ensuring that Multnomah County government is efficient, effective, equitable, transparent, and fully accountable to all who live in our county.
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An ongoing focus on ensuring accountable, transparent government
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A prioritization of auditing programs that directly impact people’s health and safety
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Incorporating equity and including the voices of underserved populations as a consistent practice in our work
Much of our work in 2020 has been auditing the county’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We will be releasing the first phase of our audit of the county’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic in early February and will email this report to you once it’s ready. I want to thank every member of my audit team for their painstaking work and diligence in performing this audit. It can be challenging to audit something happening in real time, and my team did so with thoughtfulness and care around the fact that county staff are currently engaged in this vital work.
Finally, I’d like to express my gratitude to Principal Auditor Craig Hunt, who retired this month after more than 31 years serving Multnomah County on the auditing team. During his time with Multnomah County, Craig participated in over 60 audits, made over 300 recommendations to improve county operations, and won two Knighton Awards (consider these the Oscars of the auditing world.) Craig will be dearly missed, but my team and I are happy for him to embark on the next great adventure in his life - retirement.
This means that we have an opening in our office for a new auditor. If you have a solid understanding of racial equity and community outreach with a background in management, operations, performing auditing and analyses, or program evaluation, this might be the job for you! You can learn more and apply here.
2021 Audit Schedule
I am pleased to provide you with my office’s audit schedule for the first half of calendar year 2021. I will issue an audit schedule for the second half of the year before the end of July. If you would like to share information with us related to our upcoming audits, please contact me.
Auditing the Auditors
Have you ever wondered who audits the auditors? Other auditors, of course! Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards require that auditors receive peer reviews from other audit professionals. Using the guidance of the Association of Local Government Auditors, our office has a review every three years. The peer review of the Auditor’s Office was to take place in April 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In early January 2021, this review took place remotely. The Auditor’s Office passed the peer review by a two-person team selected by the Association of Local Government Auditors. You can learn more about our 2020 peer review here.
Helpful COVID-19 Links
- Information on Oregon's vaccine distribution
- If you would like information on how to stay healthy, slow the spread of coronavirus, or how to report any issues, please visit /novel-coronavirus-covid-19.
- Unfortunately, some communities have experienced acts of racism and xenophobia because of the myths surrounding COVID-19; this county site has information about how to report discrimination and find support.
- If you are at work and your employer does not seem to be following public health directives, you can report that to Oregon’s Occupational Safety and Health Division.
- This page contains resources to support our communities as we experience the COVID-19 pandemic and get through this together.
- Learn more about disability rights and COVID-19.
