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." The current auditor, since January 2023, is Simone Rede.
Duties Portland has had a city auditor since 1868, and the position has been elected by voters since 1891.
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.
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.
List NameTermElectionPrevious office/occupationA.L. BarburJanuary 1907-July 1917 George R. FunkJuly 1917–February 1938 †Edwin W. JonesFebruary 1938–December 1938 1Will E. GibsonDecember 1938–December 1958Ray SmithJanuary 1959–August 1970 †James L. HamillAugust 21, 1970–November 18, 1970George YerkovichNovember 19, 1970–December 1982Jewel B. LansingJanuary 1983–December 1986Multnomah County Auditor (1975-1982)Barbara ClarkJanuary 1987–December 1998Gary BlackmerJanuary 1999–May 2009 2Multnomah County Auditor (1991-1998)LaVonne Griffin-ValadeMay 2009–December 2014Multnomah County Auditor (2007-2009)Mary Hull CaballeroJanuary 2015–December 2022Simone RedeJanuary 2023–Present2022, 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 Government of Portland, Oregon
References