Loretta Smith
Multnomah County Commissioner
In office
January 2011 – January 2019
Preceded byJeff Cogen
Succeeded bySusheela Jayapal
Constituency2nd district
Personal details
Born1966 (age 57–58)
Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Children1
EducationOregon 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.[1][2] Smith was a candidate for Oregon's 6th congressional district in the 2022 election, a new seat created after the 2020 United States census.[3]

Early life and education

Smith was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1966. Loretta's father, Wade Smith, was a Hall of Fame boxer.[4] In high school, she was a member of the Black Student Union as well as the track and cheerleading teams. At 17, she began attending Oregon State University. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications in 1987.

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.[5][6]

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 overwhelmingly by 26 percentage points.[7] She was only the second Black person elected to the Board since the County's founding in 1855. During her first term, Smith focused on investments in programs helping poor youth, created thousands of jobs for vulnerable young people, and expanded programs to keep seniors in their homes.[8] 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.[6]

In 2017, Commissioner Smith brought together local and national Black county officials for a Black and Brown Boys and Men Town Hall to discuss racial disparities in law enforcement and incarceration. Author, actor, and social justice advocate Hill Harper emceed the town hall event, which was a precursor to the National Organization of Black County Officials' annual Economic Development Conference.[9] That same year, the NW Oregon Labor Council recognized Smith with the Labor Partner Award, noting her family's close connections to organized labor.[10]

During her second term, Willamette Week reported that Smith disproportionately spent her office budget on travel and nonprofit contributions.[8] 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.[11][8] In 2017, Smith was accused by two former staffers of "unprofessional and harassing conduct" and creating a hostile work environment.[8] She was also accused of using county funds for personal expenses such as grocery shopping, claims that were later dismissed.[6][12] 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".[6]

Due to term limits, Smith was not able to run again for County Commission and ran for Portland City Council in 2018. She came in second place in the initial election and lost to Jo Ann Hardesty in the runoff. Smith picked up several prominent endorsements, including from all four of Oregon's black state legislators at the time and from former County Commissioners Jules Bailey and Diane McKeel.[13][14]

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.[15][16]

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.[17] Through this work, Smith represents clients on social justice and education initiatives.[18] Smith is active in the Greater Portland region, serving as a volunteer board member for Black Women for Peace, Promise Neighborhood Coalition, Travel Portland, Airway Science for Kids, and Start Making A Reader Today (SMART).

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.[3] She finished in 4th place out of a total of 9 candidates in the democratic primary.[19]

Personal life

Smith has one son, Jordan, born in 1990, whom she raised as a single mother.[5] Smith is a grandmother of two and resides in Northeast Portland.

Electoral history

2010 Multnomah County Commission District 2 election[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Karol Collymore 10,527 35.88%
Nonpartisan Loretta Smith 5,397 18.40%
Nonpartisan Tom Markgraf 4,029 13.73%
Nonpartisan Gary D. Hansen 2,663 9.08%
Nonpartisan Maria C. Rubio 1,951 6.65%
Nonpartisan Paul van Orden 1,790 6.10%
Nonpartisan Chuck Currie 1,785 6.08%
Nonpartisan Roberta Phillip 1,076 3.67%
Other Write-ins 122 0.42%
Total votes 29,340 100.00%
2010 Multnomah County Commission District 2 runoff[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Loretta Smith 34,303 62.79%
Nonpartisan Karol Collymore 20,329 37.21%
Total votes 54,632 100.00%
2014 Multnomah County Commission District 2 election[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Loretta Smith 23,644 78.54%
Nonpartisan Bruce Broussard 3,595 11.94%
Nonpartisan Teressa Raiford 1,986 6.60%
Nonpartisan Kelvin Hall 881 2.93%
Total votes 30,106 100.00%
2018 Portland City Commission Position 3 election[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Jo Ann Hardesty 56,364 46.31%
Nonpartisan Loretta Smith 25,743 21.15%
Nonpartisan Felicia Williams 13,198 10.84%
Nonpartisan Stuart Emmons 11,391 9.36%
Nonpartisan Lew Humble 1,953 1.61%
Other Write-ins 316 0.26%
Total votes 121,718 100.00%
2018 Portland City Commission Position 3 runoff[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Jo Ann Hardesty 165,686 61.81%
Nonpartisan Loretta Smith 99,823 37.24%
Other Write-ins 2,538 0.95%
Total votes 268,047 100.00%
2020 Portland City Commission Position 2 election[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Loretta Smith 39,304 18.80%
Nonpartisan Dan Ryan 34,693 16.60%
Nonpartisan Tera Hurst 30,982 14.82%
Nonpartisan Julia DeGraw 26,441 12.65%
Nonpartisan Sam Chase 23,466 11.23%
Nonpartisan Margot Black 14,091 6.74%
Nonpartisan Cynthia Castro 7,762 3.71%
Nonpartisan Jack Kerfoot 7,195 3.44%
Nonpartisan Terry Parker 5,095 2.44%
Nonpartisan Jeff Lang 3,837 1.84%
Nonpartisan Ronault "Polo" Catalani 3,512 1.68%
Nonpartisan Ryan Farmer 2,407 1.15%
Nonpartisan Aquiles U. Montas 2,175 1.04%
Nonpartisan James "Jas" Davis 1,842 0.88%
Nonpartisan Alicea Maurseth 1,632 0.78%
Nonpartisan Diana Gutman 1,597 0.76%
Nonpartisan Walter Wesley 1,405 0.67%
Nonpartisan Rachelle Dixon 1,097 0.53%
Other Write-ins 498 0.24%
Total votes 209,031 100.00%
2020 Portland City Commission Position 2 runoff[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Dan Ryan 88,433 51.17%
Nonpartisan Loretta Smith 83,073 48.07%
Other Write-ins 1,324 0.77%
Total votes 172,830 100.00%
2022 Democratic Primary, Oregon's 6th congressional district[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Andrea Salinas 26,101 36.77%
Democratic Carrick Flynn 13,052 18.39%
Democratic Cody Reynolds 7,951 11.20%
Democratic Loretta Smith 7,064 9.95%
Democratic Matt West 5,658 7.97%
Democratic Kathleen Harder 5,510 7.76%
Democratic Teresa Alonso Leon 4,626 6.52%
Democratic Ricky Barajas 292 0.41%
Democratic Greg Goodwin 217 0.31%
Other Write-ins 508 0.72%
Total votes 70,979 100%

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. 1 2 Sparling, Zane. "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. ↑ "Knott Street Boxing Club – Special Contribution to Sports | Oregon Sports Hall of Fame & Museum". Archived from the original on June 11, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  5. 1 2 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. 1 2 3 4 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. 1 2 3 4 "Loretta Smith: A Record Of Accomplishment — And Conflict". opb. Archived from the original on August 30, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Commissioner Smith brings together local community, U.S. Black county officials to discuss racial disparities in law enforcement". Multnomah County. June 1, 2017. Archived from the original on June 11, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Questions for Portland City Council Candidate Loretta Smith". nwLaborPress. May 3, 2018. Archived from the original on June 11, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  11. ↑ housing, About Rachel Monahan Rachel Monahan joined Willamette Week in 2016 She covers; Hall, City. "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)
  12. ↑ 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.
  13. ↑ "Hardesty vs. Smith: Diversity, housing, homelessness and more". news.streetroots.org. Archived from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Municipal elections in Portland, Oregon (2018)". Ballotpedia. Archived from the original on April 15, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Dan Ryan Is Portland's Newest City Commissioner, Winning Special Election Runoff". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  16. ↑ "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.
  17. ↑ 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.
  18. ↑ "LinkedIn".
  19. 1 2 "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.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Smith, Loretta". Our Campaigns. Archived from the original on November 20, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
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