The Real Story – A Column

The Hillsboro Herald, through a series of articles and social media posts, has been making our endorsements for local political races clear.  Realizing that many readers scan our stories, we are restating our official endorsement.  It is no surprise that Data Centers, out-of-control power rates, rising water and utility costs, and our residents’ legal rights are at the top of our list of factors we consider when analyzing community political races.  Just as important is looking for candidates who are fully committed to and stand up for our community members by demanding transparency and disclosure in all matters.  Corporate interests have invaded Washington County like never before, and our ability as residents to live freely and affordably has been pushed past the breaking point.

What we have been doing is no longer working.  Change is here, and it is up to us to VOTE and decide what we want for the future.  After attending many campaign events and townhalls, we are 100% committed to endorsing the following Candidates and strongly suggest you consider voting for them to benefit our communities.

State Legislative Races
Myrna Muñoz
Running for: Oregon State Senate, District 15

Endorsement: A Latina educator and union leader with nearly 30 years of experience. Muñoz is a champion for working families, focusing on civil rights, education, and healthcare. She is notably one of the strongest voices against the expansion of data centers on protected farmland, advocating for the protection of Oregon’s natural beauty and resources over corporate tax giveaways.  We have seen Myrna in action many times now, and she is driven to help people, took NO corporate money as her opponent has, and has a powerful voice.  Data Centers, Billionaires, and landowners wanting to pay to play for Urban Growth Boundary expansions are going to hit a wall with Myrna.  She is running against Janeen Sollman, who, by now, has burned so many bridges and made so many attempts at expanding data centers and factories onto protected farmland that she has lost credibility and the support of the people.  Her environmental record on land-use expansion is horrible, and she has repeatedly failed to disclose her campaign’s financial ties to some of the landowners who stand to benefit from her bills. Frankly, supporting Myrna was an easy choice as she is the complete opposite of Janeen Sollman and is authentic.  She also stood up with Hillsboro City Councilor Kipperlyn Sinclair and went public with the 1st every petition to force a Moratorium on Data Centers here.  This shows her brave leadership is already in motion and activated, and in the next 4 years, as AI and Data Centers continue to devastate our jobs and energy, Munoz will have on her battle armor as no one else will. For these and many other reasons, we support Myrna and are happy to endorse her.

Susan McLain
Running for: Oregon State Representative, District 29

Endorsement: A retired teacher with deep roots in Hillsboro and Forest Grove, McLain brings decades of experience from the classroom to the State House. Her platform emphasizes educational funding, infrastructure improvements, and regional collaboration (drawing on her 15 years as a Metro Councilor) to ensure District 29 thrives as part of a balanced, sustainable Oregon.  Susan stands as a wall against Data Centers, and her land-use positions over the years have shifted to prioritize more housing and good jobs.  We think Susan will be very effective in Salem using her considerable power to stand with other leaders as we stare down the environmental and economic abyss that Data Centers and AI Compute facilities have brought us to.  Her opponent, Mark Watson, has solid ties to our community, but his direct ties to Janeen Sollman have brought us great pause.  Mark clearly cares about the community, but we think some local experience would be a better fit before heading off to Salem.  It would also be helpful to see his policies in action. Therefore, we endorse McLain and see her as a sage who will help coalesce new energies coming to Salem for the best possible people-centric outcomes.

Dr. Tammy Carpenter
Running for: Oregon State Representative, District 27

Endorsement: A physician and Beaverton School Board Director, Carpenter focuses on the intersection of public health and public policy. She advocates for high-quality education, accessible healthcare, and data-driven solutions to community safety, ensuring that the growth in Beaverton and the West Slope is both healthy and equitable.  NO ONE has brought more energy and passion to the Oregon political races being run this year than Dr. Tammy!  Take the energy of a classroom of 1st graders, put that in sneakers, give it the frame of a long-distance runner, the brain of a supercomputer, and a heart the size of a football stadium, and you would have Tammy Carpenter.  She is the 3rd sponsor of the Data Center Moratorium petition, the first ever in Oregon, joining Sinclair and Munoz.  There is no one in her race even close to her, and having a Doctor with this level of commitment and this people-focused platform will only benefit Oregonians from all walks of life.  We endorse Dr. Tammy Carpenter.

County Leadership Races

Nafisa Fai
Running for: Washington County Chair

Endorsement:  Nafisa Fai is a sitting Washington County Commissioner and is running on a vision of a county where everyone can thrive. Her “common-sense” platform focuses on housing stability as a springboard to opportunity, improving transportation connectivity, and treating the climate crisis like the emergency it is. She seeks to modernize county operations to be more inclusive, humane, and forward-thinking.  Her first name is derived/ from the Arabic word for “valuable,” and she is that, no doubt.  We believe this race will be the most important race happening right now in our County.  Fai is an absolute Lion with the patience of a Buddhist monk.  She is smart, strong, and has proven time and again that she will stand up when the people of our community are being stepped on.  This is in stark contrast to her opponent, Pam Treece, who has repeatedly let the people down and shown her allegiance to big business and energy.   The race has grown nasty, and we admire Nafisa for standing up, standing on her platform, and being strong in the face of a huge amount of money being spent to stop her.  A lot of money is flowing in to stop her, and this is all the more reason to vote for her.  A black woman, an immigrant, and a muslim who is the mom of three amazing boys. How is she doing this in a political machine ruled traditionally by a good ‘ole boy club with some conservative rural roots still entrenched?  8 years as an effective leader tells us what we need to know.   She recently shared a video to show her personal side, which people sometimes miss.  Have a look.  We can not more strongly endorse someone than Nafisa Fai.

 

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Blayne Soleymani-Pearson

Running for: Washington County Commissioner, District 2

Endorsement: An attorney and former real estate professional, Soleymani-Pearson is a fierce advocate for protecting the 1,700 acres provided for in the “Grand Bargain” for Hillsboro, Oregon’s rural reserves. He opposes sprawl and corporate tax breaks for data centers that don’t provide long-term employment, instead focusing on “middle housing,” preventative mental health services, and transportation mobility in unincorporated areas like Bethany and Cedar Mill.  Blayne is a very bright and practical person who, with his lovely wife and child, dreams of owning a home someday.  Isn’t it sad that someone so learned and accomplished wants to own a home yet hasn’t achieved that?  But their family is just like the majority of those in Washington County; they can not yet afford a home!  That should resonate with the majority of voters.  Blayne’s energy is off the charts, and his desire to help his fellow residents is also very authentic.  We have watched him listen more than he talks, and when he responds, he is always intelligent and well-spoken.  There are very few issues facing the voters, and we look forward to seeing him on the dais in Washington County! We strongly endorse Blayne for Washington County Commissioner, District 2.

Kipperlyn Sinclair
Running for: Washington County Commissioner, District 4

Endorsement: Kipperlyn Sinclair, a sitting Hillsboro City Councilor, entered the race for the District 4 seat early on and is now in a crowded field against some serious competition.  Long-term Hillsboro Mayor Steve Callaway (16 years or more at Hillsboro City Hall) entered the race after Sinclair and represents the “Old Guard” and the power group who brought us much of the economic expansions and data centers we see today.   Former Hillsboro Councilor Anthony Martin, who is currently a City of Hillsboro employee, is also in the race and has a lot to offer. Downtown Hillsboro regular Kimberly Culbertson, Banks resident and longtime historian and community leader Ayla Hoeffler, and North Plains resident Paul Schaefer round out a loaded and talented candidate pool. 

But is it Sinclair who has risen over the past 2 years, especially the past 6 months, and is the most talented Community leader!  Her leadership and campaign have emphasized transparency, respect, and community-led growth. Her focus is on making county government accessible through plain-language communication and transparency! Kipperlyn has emerged as the unequivocal “vanguard of the valley,”  showcasing that she is a transformative leader who balances the high-stakes demands of the Silicon Forest with a fierce, boots-on-the-ground commitment to protecting the community’s literal and fiscal roots. Whether she is spearheading the 1st ever Oregon data center moratorium to save world-class farmland from industrial encroachment, exposing the “21-day loophole” for data center tax giveaways that threaten to drain school funding until 2051, or championing resilient local food webs through her “Eat Drink Washington County” initiative, Sinclair acts as a political architect for a more transparent and accountable future. By demanding an Emergency Special Session to halt administrative tax “fire sales,” she has proven to be the most active and forward-thinking voice in the arena, tirelessly fighting to ensure that Hillsboro and Washington Counties’ growth serves the Saturday market mother and the legacy farmer just as much as it serves the global tech giants.   Let me be clear, there are some good choices in this race; but no one else is as ready and capable to defend our residents against this furious onslaught of Data Centers and AI Factories and corporate giants that people like Janeen Sollman, Pam Treece, and Hillsboro Mayor Beach Pace are promoting across our beautiful cities and counties. For these reasons and many more (she is just an awesome human), the Hillsboro Herald heartily endorses Kipperlyn Sinclair for Washington County Commissioner, District 4.

The Herald stands firmly behind these candidates because they are the only ones on the ballot who have looked at the numbers, recognized the threat to our school and county budgets, and explicitly committed to halting this corporate fleecing.

Election Date Is May 19, 2026 – Get Those Ballots marked and in the mail or drop them off!

REMINDER: Use Ballot Drop Box Within 7 Days of Election Day

SALEM, OR — The May 19 statewide election is in one week, and Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read is alerting voters that today is the last recommended day to return ballots by mail. After today, Oregonians’ best option is to return their ballot to an official ballot drop box.

With recent service cuts to USPS, returning a ballot by mail within one week of Election Day risks that ballot not receiving a postmark by Election Day. Ballots must also be received by the county within the 7-day post-election grace period.

This is especially important for voters returning ballots in Eastern, Central, and Southern Oregon because mail must travel all the way to Portland for processing and postmarking before being delivered to their local county election office.

For voters who need to mail their ballot, Secretary Read encourages them to go into the Post Office and request a manual postmark.

“Oregonians who make their choices and cast their vote should not have that vote discounted due to cuts at the Postal Service,” Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read said. “Official ballot drop boxes are the best way to ensure your vote will get counted, and your voice heard.”

The Secretary of State’s Office created an online tool to help Oregonians easily locate the ballot drop box closest to them. Ballots must be returned to a drop box before 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.

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Here Are The Places You Can Drop Of Your Ballots!

Find out more about these candidates right here: