Nafisa Fai, the only Progressive Choice for Washington County
If you are a resident of Washington County you probably have received this mailer from Washington County Commissioner District 1 candidate Manuel Castaneda.
Manuel sounds like a pretty progressive guy right? A champion of the environment!
Don’t be fooled.
Manuel Castaneda has been making a great effort to hide his true political leanings. He has been a registered Republican for years, and only ten days before he submitted to run for this position: he changed his registration to non-affiliated. When he ran for office in 2012 for seat HD-28; he ran as a Republican.
Did you know…
- He serves on the board of the Cascade Policy Institute, a conservative organization that supports right-to-work (anti-union) policies, school vouchers for private schools, and has published climate change denial material on their website.
- He was supported by Oregon Right to Life when he ran against Representative Barker in 2012.
- When running as a Republican in 2012, Manuel received $75,000 from state and national Republican groups.
- In this race for County Commissioner, he has received
Does that sound like a candidate that will fight for the environment?
We don’t think so. We have seen this tactic before. Some of you may know that Knute Buehler tried to run as an “independent” candidate against Kate Brown, but like Castaneda, he had also been a registered Republican. This is just a tactic to attempt to gain votes in a region where their views are not the views of the people. Washington County is a Progressive county, and we want Progressive candidates to be elected into the positions that matter.
Today the Washington County Commissioners board is comprised of five commissioners. If you are active in Washington County or local politics you definitely know our County Chair, Kathryn Harrington. Kathryn and the current board have worked very hard in the last couple of years towards forwarding the progressive values that we definitely care about as Democrats. A great example is the recent “Resolution on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” that the board passed. It really shines forth the ethics and policies that we would like to see emerge from progressive leaders.
The County Commission, District 1 seat is an open seat, and there are three candidates running for this position.
Nafisa Fai is the only candidate who is a Democrat… and absolutely the only Progressive candidate. 
Jeff Hindley, as can be seen in the voter pamphlet is a conservative, and calls himself as much. Do not be fooled by Castaneda. He is not a Democrat, he is not a Progressive, and he is not going to bring forth true Progressive change in Washington County. If this seat goes to Hindley or Castaneda, the board will become a conservative board. All of the effort put forth thus far by the current County Commissioner board will come to a screeching halt.
Nafisa says: “I believe strongly that an inclusive and equitable society must be fair to all, and I will center that belief in my work as a County Commissioner. My journey to run for public office has been a long one, starting with my family’s decision to leave Somalia as refugees when I was a child. Growing up in the United States, I know personally the importance of these values, and of our government centering the experience and needs of vulnerable communities. Government can be an important force for good, standing up for regular people and ensuring that prosperity is shared across our community. I believe we have a lot of work to do for Washington County to be a place where everyone can thrive, and that is what I will prioritize as a Commissioner.”
Nafisa will add her diverse and meaningful perspective to this important seat in our local government.
If any of our endorsed candidates excite you, please volunteer!
With the COVID-19 pandemic, these are very strange times, and it is hard for the candidates to get the word out. Normal canvassing activities have come to a halt, and it is up to us to help the candidates that inspire us. Help them by volunteering to get the word out as best we can.
Fellow Democrats, help these candidates get elected so we can continue to keep Washington County bright blue!
