Julia Brim-Edwards was sworn in as the new Multnomah County District 3 Commissioner representing East and Southeast Portland on Monday, June 12, 2023, at Revolution Hall.
Chair Jessica Vega Pederson administered the oath of office. The ceremony was held in the former Washington High School, where Brim-Edwards graduated from high school.
Voters elected Commissioner Brim-Edwards in May to fill the remainder of the term of the District 3 Commission seat until December 2024. The position opened when the previous Commissioner, Vega Pederson, took office as Multnomah County Chair on Jan. 1, 2023. Former state legislative leader Diane Rosenbaum served as interim commissioner for the past six months.
“District 3 and East Portland is a place of great economic, racial, and ethnic diversity,” Brim-Edwards said Monday. “It’s a place that I love, and it has been my home for 50 years.”
Prior to being elected to the Board of Commissioners, Brim-Edwards sat on the Portland Public School Board for the past nine years, a position she will retain. She also worked as a senior leader at Nike for 13 years.
Numerous local and state officials attended the ceremony, including former Gov. Kate Brown; former State Treasurer Randall Edwards; Brim-Edwards’ fellow County commissioners; Multnomah County Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell; Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and Commissioners Dan Ryan and Rene Gonzalez; and state legislators Thuy Tran, Hoa Nguyen, Lisa Reynolds, Janelle Bynum and Rob Nosse.
“We are united by the common bond of people who are counting on us to figure things out,” Commissioner Ryan said. “Congratulations, Julia, and thank you for stepping up to serve.”
Leaders from the Mt. Hood Community College Board, the Multnomah County Education Service District, and Portland Public Schools also attended, including Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero. The ceremony included remarks from Byronie McMahon, a student representative on the school board, and Lolenzo Poe, a former Portland School Board member and former chief equity and diversity officer for the district.
Brim-Edwards called for urgent action addressing the County’s top priorities, including housing, homelessness, public safety and livability. She also called for continued cooperation with the City of Portland to resolve important issues together.
“It’s going to require all of our elected leaders at the County and the city to work together, setting goals and plans together, taking action to make substantial, measured improvements and holding ourselves accountable for results,” Brim-Edwards said.
Brim-Edwards plans to designate Annette Mattson as interim occupant of that office in the event of a vacancy. The designation is expected to happen at the June 15, 2023 Board meeting.