2019 Swear In

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, January 09, 2019

Harrington, Treece, Willey take oaths for four-year terms; Hutzler sworn in as auditor

Washington County Chair Kathryn Harrington and Commissioners Pam Treece and Jerry Willey were sworn into office Tuesday as part of a ceremony to start their new four-year terms on the board of commissioners. County Auditor John Hutzler was also sworn in for his third four-year term. 

The four elected officials marked the occasion with brief comments about their hopes for the future in proceedings that were broadcast on TVCTV government access cable and the Washington County YouTube Channel. 

Harrington took the oath of office, as administered by Washington County Circuit Court Judge Oscar Garcia, to represent the entire county as chair of Washington County's five-member governing board. Prior to joining the board, Harrington had represented portions of Washington County for 12 years on the Metro Council, the body overseeing the regional government in the greater Portland metropolitan area. Harrington also had a 22-year career in the high-technology industry where she led teams and business units that developed and sold new software products at Wang Laboratories, Central Point Software and at Intel in Hillsboro, where she worked for 10 years. 

“I am deeply honored to serve the full Washington County community, the community that I love, the residents of our 13 cities, the various urban unincorporated areas and our various rural communities and areas rich in agricultural roots and history,” said Harrington, after being sworn in. “As the chair of the board of commissioners, I will work to shape our opportunities to the benefit of all while also navigating our challenges so that no one is left behind, and, of course, preserve what is so special about Washington County today.” 

Treece stood with two granddaughters, her daughter and mother as she was sworn in as a new commissioner for District 2 in the county’s northeastern corner, including Cedar Mill, Cedar Hills, Raleigh Hills, Rock Creek and portions of Beaverton and Hillsboro. A former high school teacher and small business owner, Treece also became a vice president with Pacific Power where she worked for 21 years. She has served for the last six years as the executive director of Westside Economic Alliance, a non-profit, member-based organization that advocates for a healthy economic environment on the Westside of the Portland metropolitan region.

“When it comes to these important issues of housing and land use, transportation, the environment, public safety and economic prosperity for everyone, I intend to have deep engagement with the residents of District 2 and residents throughout the county,” said Treece. “Across all areas, I will have a strong focus on equity, diversity and inclusion. We need to do everything that we can at the personal level, at the community level and in policy work to make sure that all who call Washington County home are welcomed and included as we move this county forward together.”  

Willey took the oath of office, standing with his daughter and wife, to serve as a new commissioner of District 4, representing much of the rural area of Washington County, including Banks, Cornelius, Forest Grove, Gaston, Hillsboro and North Plains. Willey worked for 33 years as a certified public accountant and partner in the firm of Jones & Roth, CPAs, from which he retired in 2010. He was elected as the mayor of the City of Hillsboro in 2009 and served eight years.

“We are a county that is blessed with good employment, livable-wage employment, opportunities for growth, opportunities for upward mobility, to those who need a little bit of a hand up for help,” said Willey. “We also have, I believe, a new responsibility: diversity, inclusionary thoughts, hiring practices, everything that we do, where we invite everyone, all the residents of Washington County and all the future residents of Washington County, to come and be a part of our process.”

Hutzler stood with his wife and son as he was sworn in for a third term as county auditor. He has worked in the Washington County Administrative Office, Multnomah County, City of Portland and several state agencies.

“All three of us look forward to working with a new board and with the county administrator and the staff of the county to improve the delivery of services to all of Washington County’s residents,” said Hutzler, referring to himself and two performance auditors in his office, Pete Morris and Keith Shoop.

The three commissioners help compose a five-member board led by a chairperson who is elected countywide. The board sets county policy and gives direction to a professional county administrator and departmental staff. Washington County has 2,083 full-time-equivalent employees, an annual operating budget of $610.7 million and a total annual budget of $1.2 billion. 

The board of county commissioners also serves as the board of directors of Clean Water Services, a public utility committed to protecting water resources in the Tualatin River Watershed. 

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