Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I’ve been reflecting back not just on 2022 but also on the past four years. This month, I was sworn in for my second term. It’s with that spirit of hope and a desire for continuous improvement that I embark on this second term, and I am honored and humble to do so for all of the people of Multnomah County. I’m reminded that all people and all communities deserve a local government that advances racial equity and leads to a flourishing for all. For there to be justice and equity, I am committed to speaking truth to power by re-centering under resourced groups to ensure local government accountability and transparency. I am grateful for every community member relationship and employee conversation. As we turn the page to a new year, I hope you will take a moment to reflect with me on the 2022 accomplishments by reading our annual report.
With the expansion and growth of my office, I will be having an opening for an ombudsperson in the near future. This is a critical role by serving as an impartial resource who receives complaints from people in Multnomah County who believe they have been treated unfairly by specific county government actions. Please be on the lookout for the job announcement, as it will be posted on the County website and my Linkedin Multnomah County Auditor’s Office page as well.
Please continue to reach out (or send me a note for the first time!) - I always welcome your questions, concerns, thoughts, and perspectives.
Thank you,
Jennifer McGuirk
Multnomah County Auditor
2023 Audit Schedule
In January, I am pleased to provide you with my office’s audit schedule for calendar year 2023. The breadth of this audit schedule reflects the diverse ideas that people across the county have suggested to my office, my team’s in-depth assessment of the risks to core county functions that people depend on, and our ongoing commitment to shining a light on how county operations work and how they can be more transparent, accountable, effective, and equitable. The full 2023 audit schedule description can be found here.
- Countywide equity audit
- Department of Community Justice – parole and probation sanctions resulting in jail time
- Contract monitoring audit
- Financial condition 2024
- Future of Work initiative
- Department of County Human Services’ Preschool For All Division
- History of the Auditor’s Office (special studies)
Note: During the initial phase of an audit, concepts/scopes of focus are subject to change as audit teams learn about issue areas.
Welcoming New Staff
As we begin the new year, we expanded and strengthened the Auditor’s Office with hiring new staff auditors. I welcome senior management auditor Rosalie Roberts and management auditors Dani Bernstein, Michelle Greene, and Mical Yohannes.
I am thrilled to have new staff that care for Multnomah County community members, along with their diverse skill sets that range from racial equity, antiracism, LGBTQ inclusion, education, civic engagement, to name a few. Please get to know them by reading their biographies here.
Community Engagement
In remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we celebrated the intergenerational solidarity and advocacy for justice, freedom, and accountability for the flourishing of all people. In honor of MLK Day, my staff and I gathered to listen to University of Portland’s “Who Is Beloved In Our Community” panel to reflect not only on the past, but to envision the future. As one professor at the event put it: tension is not absent in the beloved community; progress comes with struggle and we must go further together, much further for justice and equity. We embrace the challenges to reject racism and move into the discomfort that hope and access can be a reality for those that are underserved and under-resourced in our community.
It is in the challenges we find our purpose for local government transparency and accountability. Although it’s been over 56 years, as the Auditor’s Office we are still moved through the eyes and words by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “We have some challenging days ahead, and some great and noble opportunities to make this a beautiful city.”
On MLK Day, Constituent Relations Specialist, Raymond De Silva attended the 38th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute: Keep Alive the Dream event. The program highlighted black excellence and the contributions of artists and leaders alike, who have meaningfully built Oregon’s Black community. We honor the resilience through a pandemic and racial reckoning, as World Arts Foundation Inc. continues to host the largest cultural community gathering to honor MLK in the state of Oregon.
If you’d like me and or staff to attend or speak at a meeting with your community group, simply fill out this form.
