Storm Clouds Darken Over Clean Water Services As Scandal Spread To More Executives

Today comes a mash-up, a challenge, a frustration, and a call to arms.  Join me, fellow #Citizens

The scandal at Clean Water Services in Hillsboro, Oregon, has not gone away. It only deepens as more questions arise, and the massive Sewer agency continues to hide behind its corporate walls. The Herald has called for the immediate resignation or firing of CEO Diane Taniguchi-Wallace. While she is being disciplined and CWS is required to handle an Audit of its financials (they select the Auditor), this entire mess has become a horrible case of government gone wild.

The recent Work Sessions seem somewhat orchestrated and have come across as a disingenuous Kabuki Theatre.  Commissioner Jason Snider called upon the CEO to release all Public Information Requests made to CWS and the agency’s responses to all.  His request was to gather these requests that the Oregonian, the Hillsboro Herald, and others have made, and get them online with the responses to the requests to ensure “robust transparency” happens immediately.  No longer did the words leave his mouth; Washington County Commission President Kathryn Hartington reigned it in. In her most forceful demeanor, Harrington quashed Snider’s request and diverted the discussion in a different direction.   Why would Harrington do that?

Maybe it concerns the supposition/claims that she has travelled the world, enjoyed meals, lavish housing, and accommodations on the CWS account?  On the ratepayers’ backs?  We have records of her travelling to Denmark, Laos, and other exotic locations with the CWS staff, including the CEO. The Herald awaits the answers to the questions of who went where on whose nickel.

Watch that exchange here.  Snider is a rising star on the Commission and appears to be ready to insist on actions and answers and not wait for the others to let things be “handled”.  Commissioner Snider, more of that, PLEASE!  Get the records and get them now!

This Scandal widens and runs for darkness- and if the adults do not enter the room soon, the ratepayers of Washington County, over 610,000 of us, will continue to suffer under what I can only say looks more and more like fraud all the time, and less and less like some simple oversights.

Time for the bullshit to stop folks. Let me throw down the gauntlet on this aspect of this crisis:

TO:      All Washington County Commissioners

From:  Dirk Knudsen, Editor – Hillsboro Herald -Rate Payer, CWS – 5 accounts in total

RE:       Disclosing Your Involvement With CWS

Dear Commissioners,

I ask that you all immediately make a written list and provide full public disclosure of:

• You or your family/associates’ involvement of any kind with CWS staff, consultants, family, or friends of both, in which you;
  • Travelled to any event, meeting, or gathering/junket regardless of business or pleasure.
  • Received any amount of financial benefit in any form
  • Ate any meal or any kind that you did not pay for
  • Participated in anything in which Clean Water Services or Clean Water Insurance Company covered any or all of your expenses.
  • The destination, date, and times of any of those mentioned above.
  • Any and all political contributions you or any PAC or political entity you are associated with have been received from Clean Water Services, Clean Water Insurance Company, and any executive, employee, or consultant affiliated with either of them.
  • Any salary or compensation you have received in any form, either public or private services and actions, from Clean Water Services AND Clean Water Insurance Company.

This is not hard. I do not know who among you can answer the questions above, or have ever been involved at a level where you could answer those questions.  But I do know some of you have- and need to.  I ask you to give me a 7-year look back, so please consider this request to include all timelines from January 2018 to the time you provided the information.  I am not suggesting you had no right to accept any benefits or compensation.  But I am suggesting some of you are not being forthcoming.  God forbid any of you might be obstructing the release of such information.

This same request has been sent to CWS as a formal Public Information Request.   I will seek disclosure of this form from both angles; you or they can answer.  You are in a position as individuals to do this immediately.  Therefore, I will expect a response to this public challenge ASAP.  Silence is not acceptable.

This is not a group request. You do not need to check with each other on this or take it up in one of your many private Executive Sessions on Clean Water Services litigation.

Thank you for your immediate consideration and attention to this matter. I can be reached at hillsboroherald@gmail.com, and my phone number is also listed on Google.

Looking forward to a transparent and fruitful exchange of information.

Sincerely,

Dirk Knudsen

I have thrown down the gauntlet. For the record, I have never received so much as a free single toilet flush on the CWS dime.

Where Is Jack Liang?

The name Jack Liang came up during the Oregonians’ original release of information.  He, by many accounts, is Taniguchi-Dennis’s right hand. Here is an excerpt from the Oregonian’s story that broke this scandal to start with, and his name was prevalent.

A review of those records shows that Taniguchi-Dennis shared a meal with one of her top deputies, Chief Business Operations Officer Jack Liang, either alone or with others, including various executives within the agency, at least 55 times in just under a two-year span.

Those meals cost ratepayers more than $5,100, records show.

The amount the agency spent on meals where Taniguchi-Dennis and Liang were present may well be more, as the partial summary of meals provided by the agency often didn’t include lists of attendees.

https://www.oregonlive.com/staff/goldbergjamie/posts.html  The Oregonian’s Jamie Goldberg broke the Clean Water Services scandal story and has stayed on it.

https://www.oregonlive.com/watchdog/2025/03/oregon-utility-officials-bought-themselves-food-on-ratepayers-dime-running-up-huge-tab.html

The Herald has over 10 individuals who are current or former CWS employees or executives, according to their admissions.  We can not confirm in all cases who they are and have promised anonymity of their names and contact information.  We have not published any of the information or potential evidence we have been sent, nor do we plan to in any wholesale fashion. At least four have stated that Jack Liang is the heir apparent to Diane (CEO).  They say he is hooked to her hip and regularly attends the trips Diane has orchestrated.  But as this crisis has progressed, we keep wondering where he is.  

Yesterday and recently, these messages have come through from our sources:

“Rumors flying that Jack Liang is leaving CWS” Whistleblower 1

“Jack Liang was Diane’s number 2. She brought him, changed his title several times, and was the person she was always sharing those meals with.  No one knows where he is.  He has not been in the office or the other sites, he has not been called into these meetings, and has not gone to internal strategy meetings held by the executive team. Jack should be sitting alongside her. He was chief strategy, then Chief Business Opportunity officer. He was heir apparent for a time, but more information came out about him internally. He has caused so much dysfunction.  Call for his appearance.  Drag him into the light”. Whistleblower 2

We do not know the status, and surely I do not care.  However, Jack Liang’s name often comes up as discussions of this crisis roll out.  Where is he?  Jack, we would love your perspectives, but we can not get past the corporate walls.  I am at HillsboroHerald@gmail.com .  Are you leaving?

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN

SIGN THE PETITION ON CHANGE.ORG

DEMAND THE GOVERNOR OR ATTORNEY GENERAL GET INVOLVED

DEMAND THE CEO BE FIRED OR RESIGN

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