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Loretta Smith
Multnomah County Commissioner
In office January 2011 – January 2019
Preceded by	Jeff Cogen
Succeeded by	Susheela Jayapal
Constituency	2nd district
Member-elect of Portland City Council from District 1
Assuming office
Succeeding	office established
Personal details
Born	1966 (age 57–58) Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Children	1
Education	Oregon State University (BA)

Loretta Smith (born 1966) is an American politician and businesswoman who served as a Multnomah County commissioner from 2011 to 2018. She ran unsuccessful campaigns for Portland City Council in 2018 and 2020. Smith was a candidate for Oregon's 6th congressional district in the 2022 election, a new seat created after the 2020 United States census.

Early life and education

Smith was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1966.

Career

Soon after graduating college, Smith got a job as a staffer for then-U.S. Representative Ron Wyden. She remained on his staff for 21 years, eventually becoming his field representative.

Multnomah County Commission

Smith began her own political career by running for Multnomah County commissioner in 2010. She came in second place in the initial election, and advanced to the runoff, which she won by 26 percentage points. During her first term, Smith focused on investments in programs helping poor youth. She served on the Portland Metro Workforce Development Board, which aims to curb the unemployment rate especially among people of color. Smith won reelection in 2014 with little opposition.

During her second term, Willamette Week reported that Smith disproportionately spent her office budget on travel and nonprofit contributions. In 2016, the state of Oregon mistakenly claimed she owed $36,000 in taxes and fees, but in 2017 admitted it had made an error. In 2017, Smith was accused by two former staffers of "unprofessional and harassing conduct" and creating a hostile work environment. She was also accused of using county funds for personal expenses such as grocery shopping. Some Smith supporters questioned the unsubstantiated accusations and claimed she was treated harshly because she was a black woman, describing it as "a political lynching".

Due to term limits, Smith was not able to run again for County Commission and ran for Portland City Council in 2018.

In 2020, Smith ran in a special election for City Council to succeed Nick Fish, who had died in office. She earned the support of U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, Oregon Labor Commissioner Val Hoyle, several labor organizations, including Northwest Oregon Labor Council - AFL-CIO, Portland Fire Fighters Association, and SEIU Local 49, as well as NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon and Basic Rights Oregon. Smith came in first place in a crowded field, but lost narrowly to local schools foundation CEO Dan Ryan in the August runoff.

Business

In 2019, Smith started her own small business, a communications consultancy called Dream Big Communications specializing in building coalitions, bringing people together, and improving communities.

2022 congressional campaign

On June 22, 2021, Smith announced her candidacy for Oregon's 6th congressional district, when the district's boundaries had yet to be drawn. She finished in 4th place out of a total of 9 candidates in the Democratic primary.

Personal life

Smith has one son, Jordan, born in 1990, whom she raised as a single mother.

Electoral history

References

1. Oregonian/OregonLive, Everton Bailey Jr | The (January 1, 2020). "Former Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith files to run for Nick Fish's Portland council seat". oregonlive. Archived from the original on June 1, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
2. Bailey, Everton Jr. (August 12, 2020). "Portland voters pick Dan Ryan over Loretta Smith to join City Council". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
3. ^ Sparling, Zane (June 22, 2021). "Loretta Smith enters race for Oregon's new seat in Congress". Portland Tribune. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
4. "Biography - Loretta Smith Oral History Interview - January 21, 2015 - Special Collections & Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries". scarc.library.oregonstate.edu. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
5. ^ Dilg, Janice (January 21, 2015). "Biography - Loretta Smith Oral History Interview". Oregon State University. Archived from the original on June 21, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
6. ^ Templeton, Amelia (October 22, 2018). "Loretta Smith: A Record Of Accomplishment — And Conflict". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on August 29, 2020. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
7. "May 18, 2010 Primary Election". Multnomah County. March 2, 2011. Archived from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
8. ^ "Loretta Smith: A Record Of Accomplishment — And Conflict". opb. Archived from the original on August 30, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
9. housing, About Rachel Monahan Rachel Monahan joined Willamette Week in 2016 She covers; Hall, City (September 26, 2018). "County Commissioner Loretta Smith Cleared of Owing Back Taxes, Document Shows". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on June 11, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
10. Jaquiss, Nigel (February 3, 2017). "Staffer Accuses County Commissioner Loretta Smith of Misusing Public Resources on Campaigns". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on August 6, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
11. "Hardesty vs. Smith: Diversity, housing, homelessness and more". news.streetroots.org. Archived from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
12. "Municipal elections in Portland, Oregon (2018)". Ballotpedia. Archived from the original on April 15, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
13. "Dan Ryan Is Portland's Newest City Commissioner, Winning Special Election Runoff". Willamette Week. August 12, 2020. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
14. "Loretta Smith, Dan Ryan vie for Portland City Council seat left vacant by Nick Fish's death". opb. Archived from the original on August 18, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
15. Oregonian/OregonLive, Everton Bailey Jr | The (January 17, 2020). "Former Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith files to run for Nick Fish's Portland council seat". oregonlive. Archived from the original on June 1, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
16. ^ "May 17, 2022, Primary Election Abstract of Votes" (PDF). Oregon Secretary of State. May 17, 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
17. ^ "Smith, Loretta". Our Campaigns. Archived from the original on November 20, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2020.

External links

• Campaign website

• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission

• Living people
• 1966 births
• 21st-century American women politicians
• African-American people in Oregon politics
• 21st-century African-American women politicians
• Candidates in the 2018 United States elections
• Candidates in the 2020 United States elections
• Multnomah County Commissioners
• Oregon Democrats
• Oregon State University alumni
• Politicians from Grand Rapids, Michigan
• Women in Oregon politics
• 21st-century African-American politicians
• 20th-century African-American politicians
• 20th-century African-American women politicians
• 20th-century American women politicians
• Candidates in the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections