Oregon county chair steps aside from leadership after gesture sparks backlash

Washington County Chair Kathryn Harrington will step back from leading the board and seek mental-health support after she flashed a middle finger at Commissioner Nafisa Fai during a work session. Fellow commissioners condemned the gesture and signaled possible sanctions, including removing her as meeting facilitator, restricting in-person access to facilities, and potentially reducing compensation until she separates from the county. Harrington will remain on the commission and is not seeking re-election; Jason Snider will serve as interim chair and Jerry Willey will lead in his absence. Fai urged higher standards of leadership, and Pam Treece is running against Fai for chair. The board plans to discuss further actions at the Oct. 1 meeting, amid a history cited by the Oregonian of Harrington’s troubling behavior toward staff.