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May 3, 2017
Elected Leader Files Racial Bias Tort
Allegations of racial bias are
raised by Multnomah County
Commissioner Loretta Smith in
a tort claim notice she has filed
against the county and County
Chair Deborah Kafoury.
It follows an investigation into
the commissioner’s conduct when
two of her former staffers filed
complaints stating that Smith had
mistreated her employees and
abused county funds, directing
some toward her own campaign
expenses.
Smith denied the allegations,
but now says the investigation
should have been closed when
the county reached a settlement
agreement on April 5, and that the
county’s continued exploration
into the employees’ claims is the
result of bias against her.
Loretta Smith
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Smith’s notice, which informs
the county of her intent to sue,
claims the investigation has al-
tered her capacity to effectively
lead, maligned the commission-
er’s reputation and caused her to
lose sleep.
The notice also says that
Kafoury is politically motivat-
ed to maintain the investigation
because Smith could run against
her for election to the position of
County Chair in the 2018 election
cycle. Kafoury’s office said they
would not comment on pending
litigation.
Smith, who represents District
2 of north and northeast Portland,
is only the second black County
Commissioner to ever be elected
in Multnomah County’s 163-year
history.
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