***This post has been updated with the following correction: Commissioner Susheela Jayapal is the first Indian-American elected to the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, not the first Indian-American elected to office in the state of Oregon. ***
Members of the public and media are advised the Multnomah County Swearing-in Ceremony will be Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019.
Who: Chair Deborah Kafoury, Commissioner Susheela Jayapal, Sheriff Mike Reese, Auditor Jennifer McGuirk
What: Swearing-in ceremony
When: Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019 at 9:30 a.m.
Where: Multnomah County Commission Boardroom, 501 SE Hawthorne, Portland
Portland — Four Multnomah County elected officials will be sworn into office on Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019 at 9:30 a.m. in the Multnomah County Boardroom. Chair Deborah Kafoury and Sheriff Mike Reese will launch second terms. Taking the oath of office for the first time will be District 2 Commissioner Susheela Jayapal and Auditor Jennifer McGuirk.
Jayapal, the first Indian-American elected to the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, is a longtime advocate for education, reproductive rights, and social services for seniors and families. She is an attorney and the former General Counsel for adidas America. Jayapal won the May 2018 primary to represent North and Northeast Portland, replacing Commissioner Loretta Smith, who was term limited. Jayapal will host a second Ceremonial Swearing-in later on Thursday, Jan. 3, at 4:30 p.m. in the North Portland Library, 512 N Killingsworth.
Auditor Jennifer McGuirk was elected in November to be County Auditor, the official who decides which county operations will be subject to an audit or special study. She has worked in the County Auditor’s office six years and is a certified internal auditor. McGuirk earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism at the University of Oregon and a master’s in public administration from Portland State University. She worked as a grant writer and manager before becoming an auditor. She replaces Auditor Steve March, who is also term limited.
Chair Deborah Kafoury was elected to her second term as Multnomah County Chair in May 2018 with more than 72 percent of the vote. A former member of the Oregon House of Representatives, she was first elected to the County Commission in 2008. She represented inner southeast Portland and the County west of the Willamette River, and led the effort to replace the Sellwood Bridge. Since becoming Chair in 2014, she has been the chief executive officer overseeing the County’s 6,000 employees and $2.1 billion budget. Chair Kafoury has led the creation of the Joint Office of Homeless Services, the Workforce Equity Initiative, and construction of the new Multnomah County Courthouse downtown and Health Department Headquarters.
Sheriff Michael Reese will be sworn in for a second time as the Multnomah County Sheriff. A former deputy who transferred to the Portland Police Bureau in 1994, Reese rose through the ranks and retired as Portland’s Chief of Police in 2015. The following year, he became interim director of the Citizens’ Crime Commission and was appointed Sheriff in 2016. He was elected to a four-year term in May 2018. Sheriff Reese oversees a $152 million budget, more than 800 employees and the County’s two corrections facilities.
Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Nan Waller will administer the oaths of office. The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Honor Guard will present the colors.
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For Immediate Release: Dec. 27, 2018
Contact: Jessica Morkert Shibley, 971-563-3735 (New Year’s week)