The Real Story (Part 4): The Corporate PAC Pipeline & The Battle for Washington County & Hillsboro’s Future – The Herald Endorses Local Races

The Real Story – A Column — The 2026 Election Special & Follow the Money (Part 4 of 4)

Editor’s Note: This is the concluding chapter of a 4-part investigative series examining municipal tax abatements, corporate lobbying contracts, land acquisitions, and campaign finance networks across Hillsboro and Washington County. Read Part 1: The Hundred-Million-Dollar Tax Shield | Read Part 2: The Inside Operation | Read Part 3: The Land Grab & The Star Player.

In Part 1, we examined the 10-year, hundred-million-dollar Enterprise Zone tax shield (Resolution No. 2558) that expires in 2027. In Part 2, we uncovered how Hillsboro’s 91-year-old Chamber was restructured into a regional entity, how over half a million dollars in city tax funds flowed under municipal contracts with Task 4 lobbying mandates, and why a private 501(c)(6) tech league set up its corporate headquarters inside City Hall at 150 E Main Street. In Part 3, we examined the Municipal Developer Paradox—how the City borrows $150M to $200M in TIF funds to assemble land under NDAs while acting as its own regulator, pressing civil infrastructure outward to Jackson School Road after the collapse of SB 1586, and diluting data center protections in CDCA-004-26.

Now, as ballots arrive in voters’ mailboxes for the November 2026 election, the entire architecture converges on a single objective:

Maintaining political control over the seats that approve the codes, zone the dirt, and grant the tax abatements. The battle for Hillsboro & Washington County’s future is on!

To understand why data centers and industrial compute yards face negligible administrative resistance, follow corporate cash from multinational boardrooms, through PAC clearinghouses, directly into the candidate committees asking for your vote.

The Corporate PAC Treasury: Where the Cash Originates

While the Washington County Chamber of Commerce receives public municipal funds to manage economic development programs, its registered campaign arm—the Washington County Chamber PAC (Committee ID #15577)—operates a corporate-funded campaign chest for regional elections. The money flows to local candidates who align with Chamber policies and the City of Hillsboro’s growth model.

A comprehensive forensic audit of State of Oregon campaign finance filings (ORESTAR) reveals that the PAC accumulated $149,975.00 in corporate contributions from a tight circle of multinational corporations, developers, and regulated utilities:

• Nike Inc. & Affiliates: $55,000.00 lifetime (including $10,000 on 03/19/2026 and $5,000 on 06/08/2026)
• Intel Corporation: $35,000.00 lifetime (including $10,000 on 04/30/2026)
• Genentech Inc.: $13,500.00
• Amazon.com Services LLC: $12,500.00 (including $5,000 on 05/22/2026)
• Columbia Sportswear Company: $10,000.00 (deposited 09/08/2026, Tran #5803353)
• NW Natural Gas PAC & Regulated Utilities: $9,000.00

This is not a grassroots treasury built on $25 contributions from downtown small businesses. It is an industrial political fund financed by corporate entities with direct stakes in local property tax abatements, water and electric grid allocations, and commercial land expansion.

The September 17 “Super Thursday” Cash Blitz

Where does that corporate treasury go? State filings confirm that the Chamber PAC holds its cash until critical election inflection points, then deploys it in coordinated waves to install and protect aligned leadership. One prominent example is former Hillsboro Mayor Steve Callaway, who has been deeply involved with the Chamber and played a central role in the regionalization of the Washington County Chamber.

On September 17, 2026, just as county ballots were being prepared for distribution, the Chamber PAC executed an extraordinary single-day disbursement surge, distributing $47,500.00 across key races:

KEY POINT: The September 17 cash drop reveals a coordinated funding pattern. Just nine days after Columbia Sportswear deposited $10,000 into the Chamber PAC, matching amounts flowed into races for the County Chair, County Commission District 4, and the Hillsboro City Council.

The County Crown Jewel: Why Industry Pours Hundreds of Thousands into Pam Treece

While Hillsboro City Hall handles local zoning and site approvals, the five-member Washington County Board of Commissioners oversees regional governance. The November 2026 contest between Pam Treece and Nafisa Fai for Commission Chair represents a pivotal regional election for corporate and industrial lobbies.

Pam Treece served nine years as Executive Director of the Westside Economic Alliance (WEA), the business coalition advocating for industrial boundary expansions, urban growth boundary adjustments, and Enterprise Zone tax abatements. Treece represents an established conduit between corporate leadership and county policy.

Her opponent, Commissioner Nafisa Fai, has built an independent profile by questioning infrastructure subsidies, emphasizing community health, and demanding accountability for data center power and water demands. For industrial compute developers, an unaligned County Chair challenges business-as-usual approvals. That is why the business-insider growth candidate they are mobilizing behind is Pam Treece.

Consequently, the regional corporate establishment has mobilized an unprecedented war chest behind Friends of Pam Treece (Committee ID #18397):

• Washington County Chamber PAC: $29,500.00 lifetime, propelled by the massive $20,000.00 check on September 17, 2026 (Tran #5829008)—the largest single candidate outlay in Chamber PAC history.
• Timothy Boyle (Columbia Sportswear): $45,000.00 across personal contributions ($25,000 on 08/31/26; $10,000 on 06/26/26; $10,000 on 10/20/25).
• Philip Knight (Nike): $20,000.00 cash contribution (04/28/2026).
• Jeff Swickard (Swickard Auto Group / Real Estate): $25,000.00 cash contribution (08/18/2026).
• Local 48 Electricians PAC (IBEW): $25,000.00 (04/09/2026).
• Schnitzer Properties, LLC: $20,000.00 ($10,000 on 05/11/26; $10,000 on 07/17/25).
• Fuiten West LP: $20,000.00 ($10,000 on 06/29/26; $10,000 on 03/10/25).
• Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors PAC: $15,000.00 lifetime (including $5,000 on 09/09/2026, Tran #5803824).
• Walsh Construction & Greenbrier Companies: $20,000.00 combined.

The Transaction Ledger: Treece’s September filings show support from political allies statewide. On September 8, defeated Senator Janeen Sollman’s campaign transferred $1,000 (Tran #5803802). On September 15, outgoing Commissioner Jerry Willey contributed $500 (Tran #5845950). On September 16, Treece refunded $10,000 to outgoing Chair Kathryn Harrington (Tran #5828955)—immediately prior to receiving the $20,000 Chamber PAC check the next morning.

KEY POINT: An enormous amount of money is flowing from big business, developers, and energy-intensive sectors to Treece’s campaign war chest; her committee has spent over $119,000 with Praxis Political LLC and over $100,000 with Morel Ink to saturate voter mailboxes across Washington County. The industrial and commercial lobby cannot afford an independent County Chair, and its campaign spending reflects that priority.

Before casting your vote in the County Chair race, review our past reporting on campaign conduct, voter mailings, and regional political strategy across Washington County: Read the full investigative background on Pam Treece here.

County Commission District 4: The Callaway Elevation

The campaign strategy is equally apparent in the race to succeed Commissioner Jerry Willey in District 4. Former Hillsboro Mayor Steve Callaway is campaigning to transition directly from City Hall to the Board of Commissioners, facing community advocate Kipperlyn Sinclair.

State filings for Friends of Steve Callaway (Committee ID #14651) demonstrate how municipal leadership, corporate PACs, and regional donors coordinate to back his candidacy:

• Chamber PAC Funding: Received $10,000.00 on September 17 (Tran #5845108), building upon $5,000 delivered on July 16 and $1,000 on March 3—totaling $16,000.00 in direct Chamber PAC cash in 2026.
• The Municipal Interlock: In late September, sitting Hillsboro City Councilors directly funded their former mayor’s bid. Councilor Saba Anvery (Intel Foundry Engineering Manager) contributed $500.00 on 09/27 (Tran #5845125). Councilor Elizabeth Case (former Chamber Board Chair) contributed $250.00 on 09/28 (Tran #5845129). School Board Director Mark Watson contributed $100 (Tran #5845120), and former Councilor Kyle Allen contributed $150 (Tran #5845123).
• Corporate & Real Estate Backing: Nike Inc. contributed $2,500.00 directly on 09/24 (Tran #5845119). Commercial developer Jessie Dhillon gave $2,500.00 on 09/25 (Tran #5845121). The Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors PAC contributed $5,000.00 on 09/09 (Tran #5803598).
• Cross-Endorsements: Defeated Senator Janeen Sollman gave $1,000 on 09/08 (Tran #5803599), and Commissioner Jerry Willey gave $500 on 09/15 (Tran #5845106). Callaway spent $10,000 in late September with Tweed Strategies LLC (Tran #5845094, #5845096) to drive direct voter outreach.

The objective is institutional continuity: moving Callaway from municipal leadership to the County Commission ensures Hillsboro’s economic model gets supportive policy alignment at the county level.

Callaway projects a genial public demeanor, which has given him significant name recognition. However, his tenure as Hillsboro Councilor and Mayor laid the groundwork for policies prioritizing automated data centers, AI compute facilities, and long-term tax abatements. Under Callaway’s leadership, key Enterprise Zone resolutions advanced, diverting tens of millions in taxable property value from county and special district operating funds. Steve signed the Enterprise Zone resolution in Hillsboro that created the program we know today, which has led to hundreds of millions in abated property tax revenues for data centers that employ very few people—the same program now the subject of significant litigation in Hillsboro.

Who is Jeff Swickard, and What Is the Play?

It may be a sidenote, but it’s one the Herald’s radar has picked up.  To follow campaign funds in Washington County, look at automotive magnate and commercial real estate investor Jeff Swickard. Over the past two years, Swickard has emerged as an active private buyer of commercial real estate in the Pacific Northwest, deploying roughly a quarter-billion dollars into downtown Portland commercial properties—including the iconic U.S. Bancorp Tower (“Big Pink”), Park Avenue West, and the Five Oak Building.

Swickard does not construct data centers. Yet campaign finance filings show significant contributions across Oregon political committees:

• Washington County Races: Contributed $25,000.00 to Friends of Pam Treece (08/18/2026) and delivered $5,000.00 to Friends of Steve Callaway on September 22, 2026 (Tran #5845116).
• State Campaigns: Contributed $100,000.00 to Betsy Johnson’s gubernatorial campaign (Johnson was subsequently appointed to the OHSU Board of Directors) and $50,000.00 to Governor Tina Kotek.
• The Coastal Contribution: On November 17, 2025, Swickard wrote a personal check for $25,000.00 to Gomberg for State Rep (Tran #5444263)[cite: 1].

The Legislative Timeline: Why did an out-of-state luxury auto executive and commercial investor contribute $25,000 to Representative David Gomberg, who represents a coastal district in Lincoln County[cite: 1]? Representative Gomberg has led legislative efforts targeting Hillsboro’s 200-acre Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) on the OHSU West Campus.

The timeline shows that Swickard made that $25,000 contribution between Gomberg’s 2025 legislative efforts (HB 3978 / HB 5006)—which directed OHSU to prepare a closure plan for the primate facility—and the release of OHSU’s January 2026 report. Swickard has public ties to animal welfare advocacy and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). However, in Hillsboro real estate circles, the 200-acre OHSU West Campus represents prime institutional acreage inside the regional urban growth boundary—bordered by high-tech corporate campuses and directly adjacent to Hines’ recent 19-acre acquisition on NE Walker Road.

While the National Institutes of Health (NIH) retains property interests in the campus, shifts in national policy regarding animal testing or surplus property disposition could impact the site’s future. If federal research grants wind down and OHSU explores property disposition, local and county officials control zoning, comprehensive plan amendments, Enterprise Zone tax abatements, and transportation access.

This dynamic raises a relevant civic question: When an out-of-state investor finances both the coastal lawmaker targeting the primate center and the suburban commissioners who govern regional land use, is the focus strictly animal advocacy, or does it also connect to the long-term future of 200 institutional acres in Hillsboro?

Regardless of underlying motivation, the reality is clear: substantial campaign donations are actively shaping the political landscape surrounding Hillsboro’s institutional land and regulatory policies.

The Hillsboro City Council Slate: Replicating the Dais

While county commissioners oversee regional policy, Hillsboro City Council chambers set local zoning codes, land-use applications, and Enterprise Zone tax abatements.

In August 2026, the Chamber PAC issued initial $2,500 campaign checks to municipal candidates. Then, on September 17, 2026, the PAC deployed an additional $5,000.00 to each candidate, bringing its direct investment to an identical $7,500.00 per candidate ($22,500.00 combined):

KEY POINT: Here are the candidates receiving Chamber PAC funding to maintain City Hall policy continuity:

• Luis Garcia (Ward 1, Position A): $2,500 on 08/27 + $5,000 on 09/17 (Tran #5834452) = $7,500.00 total Chamber PAC funding.
• Ivette Pantoja (Ward 2, Position A): $2,500 on 08/21 + $5,000 on 09/17 (Tran #5834451) = $7,500.00 total Chamber PAC funding.
• Titonian Quintanilla (Ward 3, Position A): $500 on 08/12 + $2,000 on 08/21 + $5,000 on 09/17 (Tran #5834454) = $7,500.00 total Chamber PAC funding.

This coordinated funding is designed to complement the existing council alignment:

• Mayor Beach Pace: Collected $14,000.00 in net Chamber PAC cash, making her the top municipal beneficiary in the database, while holding a governing board seat at the Westside Economic Alliance (WEA).
• Councilor Rob Harris: Public records show he prepared and filed the Chamber’s 2021 corporate restructuring (SOS Registry #1776768-98) before his campaign committee received Chamber PAC funding.
• Councilor Elizabeth Case: Served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Washington County Chamber and led its Public Policy Committee before taking office in 2024.
• Councilor Saba Anvery: Engineering Manager inside Intel Foundry, whose leadership partnered with city staff to establish the Silicon Forest Partnership inside City Hall.

Electing the Chamber-funded slate ensures continuity for existing industrial recruitment strategies, Enterprise Zone abatements, and data center zoning frameworks through 2030.

The 2026 Voter Scorecard: Who Breaks the Cycle?

When voters complete their ballots this October, the fundamental decision centers on governance priorities: Will leadership continue prioritizing corporate expansion and tax shields, or will the community elect independent representatives committed to neighborhood protections, infrastructure accountability, and fiscal reform?

Conclusion: Restoring Community Representation

The evidence compiled across this four-part series documents a clear institutional pattern: enterprise tax abatements enacted without broad taxing district consent; municipal contracts funding corporate lobbying under Task 4; private business leagues operating out of municipal facilities; municipal agencies assembling land with public debt; and corporate campaign contributions deployed to protect that apparatus at election time.

This operational framework prioritizes automated server facilities and industrial compute campuses over neighborhood livability, farmland preservation, and local tax revenues for essential public services.

City Hall was built to serve Hillsboro residents.

Voters’ choices on their ballots this November will shape the future direction of municipal growth, land conservation, and public investment. It is time the pendulum swings back toward our community and residents—it is long overdue.