Things got heated at this morning’s meeting of the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, though the full extent might not be captured in the official video of the proceedings. According to County Commissioner Loretta Smith, after the meeting was hastily called to a close, County Chair Deborah Kafoury called her a “bitch.”
The tension began over a relatively routine matter: Kafoury was asking the commission to enshrine someone to serve in her stead in case she leaves office unexpectedly or is otherwise unable to serve. Kafoury’s last alternate, former County Chair Bev Stein, recently moved out of the county. Her new pick for alternate? County Chief Operating Officer Marissa Madrigal.
Madrigal would seem to be a sensible choice. She served as alternate (and chief of staff) to former County Chair Jeff Cogen, and so served as chair when Cogen left office under a cloud in 2013. She also knows the ins and outs of the county.
But the appointment didn’t sit right with County Commissioner Loretta Smith. In an exchange that brought out long-simmering tensions on the county board, Smith said she was wary of Madrigal being explicitly aligned with Kafoury.
“My concern is: Will she be able to be impartial?” said Smith, who’s repeatedly clashed with Kafoury. “The transparency issue assumes that she is always going to be aligned with you, and that’s my concern.”
Smith went further. Referencing allegations of entrenched racism that have dogged Multnomah County this year, Smith suggested explicitly linking Madrigal and Kafoury’s office could be an issue.
“What happens when the institutional racism is coming from the chair’s office?” Smith said. “Aligning the top two people in this organization.. the COO and CEO, there is lots of room for institutional and infrastructural racism.”
County Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson tried to point out that Kafoury already has the power to fire Madrigal at any time, and so Madrigal would presumably try to stay in her good graces anyway. Smith paid no heed.
As back-and-forth continued, Kafoury abruptly gaveled the meeting to a close before a vote could occur, and the video of the hearing ends directly afterward. But both Smith’s county and campaign staffs (she’s running for Portland City Council) say more occurred.
“Instead of allowing my concerns to be heard and my questions answered the Chair interrupted and spoke over me several times,” Smith said in a statement issued this afternoon. “After she gavelled out, over my objections, she took this overtly hostile behavior to another level. Calling me a ‘bitch’ in the public sphere is unbecoming of the office she holds. This term is offensive not only because it was uttered in Council Chamber, but also because it is racially charged.”
We’ve reached out to the county for a response from Kafoury. The interaction (sans any salty language) begins around the 1-hour 27-minute mark.
Update, 4:07 pm: Kafoury has released a statement on the incident, apologizing for “a regrettable comment,” but saying she “felt the responsibility to defend the County’s staff.” Here’s the statement:
Today, Commissioner Loretta Smith attacked the ethics and integrity of the COO of Multnomah County, who was also the former Chair of this Board. I have watched Commissioner Smith attack staff across Multnomah County, and today, I was deeply offended by her egregious accusations which led to a regrettable comment. For that, I sincerely apologize. It was unprofessional and unbecoming for me to express my feelings in the way and manner I did. At that moment, faced with her behavior, I felt the responsibility to defend the County’s staff.
Loretta Smith shouldn’t even BE on the Commission any more. The County Charter required her to resign months ago.
Also, using an insult on a person of color -even if not specifically racial in content- is automatically characterized as racially charged now? Damn, we suck.
khafoury messed it up big time. she did not handle it gracefully or appropriately. here is a powerful voiced woman of color who is feeling insecure about racism or POLITICAL biases becoming entrenched.
Khafoury should have asked her what the racism charge is exactly. Then assured her that it would be well monitored just in case, even if there is no actual evidence. Then Khafoury should have addressed the political bias part of the objections. If there was no ethical or other reason to refuse the candidate for the position, then it could have been rebutted.
But NO kind of civil discourse or discussion happened at all. Instead, this moment of utter uncivil unprofessionalism.
Khafoury was likely elected by name familiarity alone, after Gretchen Khafoury left public life. People must have thought they were electing the same Khafoury but … they WEREN’T.
That Khafoury name, well…. people who can’t remember what was said 5 minutes ago, can still recognize that name on the ballot. They learned it when they were young. It was GRETCHEN Khafoury, not Deborah, but they can’t recall. And now this other one with the same last name, has kept herself in various offices on that same last-name familiarity. Has she actually earned her elections or re-elections? how so? or not?
Typical. Dumb . Doomed? Portland.
WAIT Euphonius, WHAT? how so? you say Smith should not be on the commission, how do you back that up??? (you phoney us, eh?)
I watched the video and in my opinion, Smith did not attack the integrity of Marissa Madrigal or anyone else. Smith, who isn’t perfect, raised a good point in light of the recent debacle regarding Trish Tillman and asked for a common sense opinion from legal counsel to advise the Board on best practices. Smith specifically said this wasn’t about M. Madrigal but the larger issue of institutional racism which D. Kafoury promised to address by hiring a consultant.
If this doesn’t prove that people of color in Multonomah do not have equal status despite a high rank what does? Color supercedes any rank in Multonomah, doesn’t it. If someone of supposed equal status can’t disagree with Chair Deborah Kafoury, then how the hell would she deal with people of color who are not public officials? In one way calling Smith ‘a bitch’ in public is highly insulting, but it also reflects the truth. Of course the lowest and poorest of white women have the right to treat women of color any way they want in Oregon with total impunity. Clearly, Chair Deborah Kafoury, is no fool
Smith was completely calm, polite and quite organized in her reasoning to not accept Kafoury’s chosen candidates as the COO of Multonomah. Kafoury’s face starts twisting up and she gets visibly angry when Smith brings up the part about the much publicized institutional racism for Multonomah city workers as a justifiable part of the reason to not appoint the COO Kafoury wants to have. Smith goes on to say that there could be a conflict of inte rest between having a CEO and COO of Multonomah be the same person. Kafoury in no way addresses any of the points Smith makes. Instead, all she says is the woman she suggested is the best candidate possible for the position and does this haughty sort of snicker.
Zero – the number of people disputing the accusation
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takes one to know one
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pot calling the kettle black
Too easy. I despise them both. I can say that I’m glad to get a chance to agree with Kafoury on something.
Interesting headline … especially since Ms. Kafoury never denied the name calling. All in all, the article seems quite biased against Ms. Smith.
Of course it goes without saying that only a white woman could get away with this kind of behavior as a public official. Multnomah county residents deserve better.
oh i’m sorry but it had nothing to do with race. It had to do with authority over ANY one in the room. She would have shut em all up abruptly if they objected to her choice. There was a personality clash there, obviously! unless YOU are a racist always looking thru racial glasses.
But the real fact is, that unless the laws say otherwise, Khafoury has the legal right to APPOINT a person of her choice, without approval, for those duties, does she not? in the scenario being discussed. I’m not sure anyone has a legal right to dispute or approve her choice of whom to appoint. Unless it’s an unqualified person by law. so an objection is one thing, but an actual right to do anything about it is quite another. Is Khafoury the only one with this right to appoint a person to take over their duties? do the other members have any similar rights for their own positions? if so, then they can appoint whom THEY choose. It isn’t up for a vote or even for discussion, it seems. Check the written rules folks. That’s where the answers lie. I’d be interested if anyone can come up with proof that Khafoury LEGALLY had to allow others to weigh in on her decision on whom to appoint. Post it here if you do.
i really think she was calling her a name due to her overpowering attempt to dominate, harass and accuse ms khafoury and also it was quite a disruptive outburst. Smith had no right to say anything except that she objected. She seemed to want to control Khafoury, was a bit paranoid, belligerent and acted out of order for such a meeting in fact. Khafoury was a bit overwhelmed, taken by surprise and not exactly on top of things. She could have just said “control yourself” instead….based on Smith’s inappropriate outburst and over-excited behavior.
cully, what do you mean, she got away with it? i doubt that . she may yet pay at election time. in the meantime, i don’t care what color she is, there is no procedure for dragging away someone who calls someone else a bitch under their breath. are you joking?