During a September 15 work session of the Washington County Board of Commissioners, a moment captured on video showed Chair Kathryn Harrington extending her middle finger toward fellow commissioner Nafisa Fai. The gesture, recorded at the 22:30 mark of the meeting, quickly spread across social media and prompted an outpouring of criticism from elected officials, community leaders, and advocacy groups.
Fai, a former Somali refugee and the only person of color ever to serve on the Washington County commission, questioned the board after the incident, asking if anyone had seen the act. When the room remained silent, Harrington resumed the discussion without further comment. The episode added to a pattern of alleged bullying by Harrington toward staff and colleagues, a behavior that has been documented in earlier meetings.
The video and immediate reactions
The recording shows Harrington speaking to Commissioner Jason Snider before turning toward Fai and making the obscene sign. Prior to the gesture, Harrington had asked Fai not to block her “line of sight” toward Snider. Obscene gestures in a public meeting are considered a breach of decorum and can erode public trust in elected bodies.
Within hours, a coalition of Oregon leaders of color—among them Portland Community College board member Kien Truong State Representative Travis Nelson and the Oregon Democratic Party’s Black Caucus—condemned the act as more than a lapse in etiquette. Truong described the incident as an attempt to intimidate an elected official of immigrant background, while Nelson called for Harrington’s resignation.
Political fallout and calls for resignation
The backlash quickly expanded beyond local officials. State Senator Courtney Neron-Misslin Representatives Ben Bowman and Sue Rieke Smith as well as Tigard Mayor Yi-Kang Hu and members of the Tigard-Tualatin School Board, issued a joint statement demanding that Harrington step down, stating that a chair must uphold “high standards of professionalism, respect and decorum.”
Even officials who had previously worked with Harrington, such as Metro Councilor Juan Carlos Gonzalez said they were not surprised, recalling his own “sharp interactions” with her. Commissioner Pam Treece who is running against Fai for the chair seat, announced she would return Harrington’s $10,000 campaign contribution and remove the former chair’s endorsement from her website.
In a written apology, Harrington expressed regret, acknowledging that her reaction was “not appropriate in any instance” and that she had caused hurt. She also announced she would seek mental-health support and step back from the chair position while remaining a commissioner. The board’s statement, signed by Commissioners Jason Snider, Jerry Willey, and Pam Treece, recognized the apology but warned that if Harrington does not resign voluntarily, they will limit her duties, replace her as meeting facilitator, require virtual participation, and cut her compensation to cover only medical and dental insurance.
Snider will serve as interim chair, with Vice Chair Willey assuming leadership when Snider is on vacation. Harrington, who is not seeking re-election, will finish her term as a regular commissioner. Meanwhile, Commissioner Fai has framed her candidacy for chair as a promise to change the commission’s culture, emphasizing respect, dignity, and accountability.
The incident has resurfaced past accusations of racist, anti-immigrant, and Islamophobic comments aimed at Fai online, especially during the election cycle. Advocacy groups argue that silence from other board members during the incident only deepened the harm, a point highlighted by Milwaukie City Council candidate Allie Ball who noted that “silence matters.”
As the November 3 runoff approaches, voters will decide whether the commission’s leadership will shift toward a more inclusive tone. The episode underscores how personal conduct in public office can trigger broad political repercussions, prompting discussions about mental-health resources for officials and the mechanisms for holding elected leaders accountable.
