The Real Story- A Column by Dirk Knudsen
The Oregon Government Ethics Commission has voted unanimously to investigate four Washington County Commissioners over travel perks and disclosure failures while serving on the Board of Clean Water Services (CWS). This is the second ethics investigation into the sewer agency in just three months — and they both began with a complaint brought by me.
The arc of this story shows a troubling pattern: from the downfall of former CEO Diane Taniguchi-Dennis, to stonewalled public records requests, to fresh ethics complaints against the commissioners themselves. At every turn, Clean Water Services and its leaders have chosen secrecy over transparency — leaving taxpayers and ratepayers to foot the bill.
The Beginning: CEO Taniguchi-Dennis’ Spending Scandal
The first cracks appeared in early 2025 when The Oregonian published revelations of excessive travel and food spending by CWS CEO Diane Taniguchi-Dennis. The Herald quickly followed with its own coverage, whistleblower reports, and repeated public records requests.
By spring, after receiving partial records and hearing from multiple insiders, I filed an ethics complaint with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission (OGEC) against Taniguchi-Dennis. On June 14, 2025, OGEC voted unanimously to launch a full investigation into her conduct【Oregonian, June 2025】.
Just weeks later, Taniguchi-Dennis resigned from her post. Washington County approved a six-figure taxpayer-funded settlement payout to finalize her departure【Oregonian, June 2025】.
But the damage was already done: ratepayers were left with higher fees, an embattled utility, and no accountability from the officials charged with oversight.
Public Records Stonewalling
From April 2025 forward, both the Herald and The Oregonian filed formal public records requests with CWS. We asked for travel records, expense reimbursements, and disclosure of benefits received by the Board of Directors (the county commissioners).
CWS ignored or delayed nearly every request — in clear violation of both state law and its own written policy. One request filed March 26 went unanswered for almost two months; another filed May 14 received no response at all.
On July 13, after months of frustration, I sent a final warning letter to CWS leaders and the new CEO, Rick Shanley, to comply with the law by July 15 or face legal action. The agency ignored that, too.
So on July 22, 2025, I formally appealed to the Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton, and the Oregon Secretary of State’s Public Records Division. In that letter, I documented violations of ORS 192.324, 192.329, and 192.431, cited whistleblower claims of deliberate concealment, and raised the possibility of obstruction under ORS 162.235.
CWS had not only wasted taxpayer money under its CEO, Rick Shanley (who, to this date, has proven incapable of leadership or solving the crisis)—it was now breaking the law to hide the truth.
Turning to the Commissioners
With the CEO gone, attention shifted to the CWS Board — comprised of Washington County’s five commissioners. No matter how many times I tried, both by written requests to CWS and Washington County & in-person requests, they refused to respond; almost as if they think this is funny. Commissioner Jason Snider verbally cleared the air at a Board Meeting and disclosed he had not travelled and maybe had a sandwich or two at CWS expense. Nafisa Fai disclosed a trip and that she would make her calendar available. The rest sat in mugged silence.
On June 24, 2025, with no other choice, I filed four separate ethics complaints against Commissioners Kathryn Harrington, Pam Treece, Jerry Willey, and Nafisa Fai. The complaints cited concerns over:
Travel perks and frequent flyer miles not authorized as compensation.
Personal vacation days attached to taxpayer-funded trips.
Junkets and luxury travel paid for by CWS or its insurance subsidiary, CWIC.
Conflicts of interest in budget approvals, where commissioners vote on the very agency funding their trips.
On Sept. 12, 2025, OGEC agreed — voting unanimously to open a full investigation into the commissioners. Among the issues:
Frequent flyer miles retained by all four commissioners.
Chair Harrington’s failure to disclose funding for international travel.
Personal days tacked onto trips by both Harrington and Treece.
What the Oregonian failed to report was who brought the ethics charges forward to the State. For the record, it was me. I owed that to the many whistleblowers from CWS, to all my friends and neighbors being crippled under CWS Sewer fees and other utilities, to you, the readers, and to myself. I hate liars, corruption, and leaders acting with hubris. And to hear Pam Treece preach for transparency now? Please, Pam, you have no right to ever even whisper the word transparency- and you are certainly not showing you are fit to lead Washington County.
This letter is 13 pages long, and it concludes.
All four of the letters to me from the State were lengthy, thorough, and specific. I was not going to post them, but at this point, the ramifications of being a citizen journalist-activist have become all too real for me. So as they say, if you are in for a penny, you’re in for a pound. I am all in. These people speak of transparency, claim they are committed to it, then refuse to live by it. There is nothing then that any voter or citizen can look to which they can or should expect honesty, a serious effort, or real policy and governance that is ‘of the people for the people’. I want them to prove us all wrong.
Here are the letters from the OGEC in response to the complaint and concerns I brought forward.
25-351EJS Harrington Kathryn PR
Read them as you see fit – unlike CWS and these Commissioners, I will not hide public information.
A $50,000 Investigation Into Harrington — Buried
As if that weren’t enough, the Herald has confirmed that CWS quietly paid $50,000 of taxpayer money for an internal law firm investigation into whether Chair Kathryn Harrington created a hostile work environment for CEO Taniguchi-Dennis before her resignation.
Whistleblowers tell me that the results just came in and they describe the findings as “scathing” — but the board will try to keep them secret, citing attorney-client privilege.” This is an unconfirmed statement- the Herald will attempt to get a copy of that report.
This is public money being spent to investigate public officials at a public agency. And yet the public is being told it has no right to know the results.
The Pattern of Secrecy
The throughline is unmistakable:
CEO Taniguchi-Dennis misused public money for travel and food → Ethics complaint filed by the Herald (pending) → OGEC investigation → Resignation + six-figure payout.
Commissioners/CWS refused to release records → Herald complaints filed → OGEC investigation opened into four board members.
CWS leadership spent $50,000 investigating Harrington’s behavior → Report may be buried under legal privilege.
Each step has cost taxpayers and ratepayers more money — and at every step, transparency has been denied.
What the Herald Demands
Neither this newspaper nor I are asking for special access or private briefings. We are asking for what the Oregon Public Records Law guarantees to every resident: the truth.
Ratepayers have no choice but to pay Clean Water Services. More than 600,000 people in Washington County are locked into this monopoly utility. They deserve to know how their money is being spent — and whether their elected officials are breaking the law.
Commissioner Pam Treece told The Oregonian she “supports transparency.” The record proves otherwise. She and her colleagues have fought disclosure at every step — until the state forced their hands.
The Herald will continue pressing for answers through the Ethics Commission, the Attorney General, the District Attorney, the Secretary of State, and the courts if necessary. Because the truth is not optional.
Call to Action
We invite readers — ratepayers, county residents, and whistleblowers — to contact the Herald with information about Clean Water Services and its Board. You can reach me directly at hillsboroherald@gmail.com.
Together, we can shine a light on the culture of secrecy that has corroded one of the most powerful public agencies in Oregon’s wealthiest county.
This is your money. This is your county. You deserve the truth.
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Thank you, Dirk. I have been wondering what was going on. This is a huge article with lots of information. I appreciate the efforts you put in to keeping us up to date.