The Portland city auditor is one of the fourteen citywide elected positions in Portland, Oregon (the others being the mayor and twelve city councilors). The auditor is functionally independent of City Council and accountable only to the public. The auditor exists "to promote open and accountable government by providing independent and impartial reviews, access to public information, and services for City government and the public."[1] The current auditor, since January 2023, is Simone Rede.[2][3]
Duties
Portland has had a city auditor since 1868, and the position has been elected by voters since 1891.[4]
History
From 2015 until leaving office in 2022, Auditor Hull Caballero and the City Commission had disagreements as to the budget of the Auditor's office. Hull Caballero sought more autonomy for her office.[5][6]
In 2020, Mayor Ted Wheeler was fined for making the list of his top contributors in a font "too small for the average reader" on campaign literature. City law requires the names of top donors on websites and literature of city candidates.[7]
List
| # | Image | Name
(Birth–Death) |
Term | Election | Previous office/occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
|
George R. Funk | July 1917–February 1938 † | ||
|
|
Edwin W. Jones | February 1938–December 1938 1 | |||
|
|
Will E. Gibson | December 1938–December 1958 | |||
|
|
James L. Hamill | August 21, 1970–November 18, 1970 | |||
|
|
George Yerkovich | November 19, 1970–December 1982 | |||
|
Jewel B. Lansing | January 1983–December 1986 | Multnomah County Auditor
(1975-1982) | ||
|
|
Barbara Clark | January 1987–December 1998 | |||
|
Gary Blackmer | January 1999–May 2009 2 | Multnomah County Auditor
(1991-1998) | ||
|
LaVonne Griffin-Valade | May 2009–December 2014 | Multnomah County Auditor
(2007-2009) | ||
|
|
Mary Hull Caballero | January 2015–December 2022 | 2022 | ||
|
|
Simone Rede | January 2023–Present | 2024 |
Notes
- Edwin W. Jones served as acting City Auditor due to the death of George R. Funk.
- Blackmer resigned after being appointed as Oregon State Auditor by Governor Ted Kulongoski.
† died in office
See also
References
- ^ "About the Auditor's Office". Portland.gov. Retrieved June 20, 2006.
- ^ Kavanaugh, Shane Dixon; Ramakrishnan, Jayati (May 17, 2022). "Simone Rede becomes next Portland auditor, winning first contested race for city watchdog in decades". The Oregonian/OregonLive. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
- ^ "Auditor Simone Rede". City of Portland, Oregon. 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
- ^ "Office of the City Auditor, City of Portland, Oregon". Idealist. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- ^ Jaquiss, Nigel (May 8, 2022). "The City Auditor and City Council Are at a Standoff on the City Hearings Office". Willamette Week. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- ^ Templeton, Amelia (November 30, 2016). "Portland City Auditor Seeks More Autonomy For Her Office". OPB. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- ^ Bailey Jr., Everton (May 18, 2020). "Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler fined $500 for listing campaign donors in tiny print". The Oregonian/OregonLive. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- ^ Scott, Harvey Whitefield (1890). History of Portland, Oregon : with illustrations and biographical sketches of prominent citizens and pioneers. Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center. Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason & co.