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221 20 from PIoneerIng women to “mean gIrls,” Plus a ControVersIal sherIff (2001–2009) Money took a back seat to pettiness and minor scandals in Multnomah County government during the first decade of the twenty-first century. Not that the money troubles got any easier. After more a decade there was still no money to open Wapato Jail. It was simply that financial troubles were less prominent in the news than personality issues involving the county’s two most high-profile elected officials, Chair Diane Linn and Sheriff bernie Giusto. Despite putting up strong resistance, Giusto ended up resigning before the end of his electoral term, while Linn, to virtually no one’s surprise, saw her elective career end within seconds of the polls closing on primary election night in 2006. At the start of the decade, no one would have predicted such a downfall for either of them. Linn, who had been elected as a commissioner in 1998, stepped up in 2001 to run for the vacancy created by bev Stein’s resignation as county chair. In its endorsement of her candidacy, the Oregonian praised Linn’s style of leadership as “tactful, shrewd, balanced.” her credits included her accomplishments as a commissioner in helping redesign the county’s mental health system, leading efforts to create more affordable housing, working on library renovation projects, and building stronger partnerships with school districts.1 “For Linn,” said the Portland Tribune,“the job is about working with all groups and getting things done, not fighting. She would play the insider, the deal maker. She comes off cool, smart, and well schooled on the issues.”2 Linn became the third successive woman to hold the county chair job when she defeated Jo Ann bowman, a former member of Stein’s staff. the day after the May 2001 ballots were counted, an Oregonian article attributed Linn’s victory to the difference in leadership styles of the two candidates. Linn had a reputation “for working cooperatively with others to find compromise and common ground in dealing with issues,” while her opponent had a more aggressive style, 222 chapter 20 which she touted during the campaign. Linn outspent her opponent three-toone , raising $121,000 to win 54 percent of the vote; bowman raised $40,000.3 At the same election, newcomer Maria rojo de Steffey was elected to complete Linn’s unexpired commissioner term. by winning more than 50 percent of the votes tallied, both Steffey and Linn avoided a fall run-off.4 Cruz and rojo de Steffey were the first Latinas elected to Multnomah County office. the board was comprised of four women and one man from 2001 through 2006: Chair Diane Linn; commissioners Lisa Naito and Serena Cruz, elected 1998; commissioner Lonnie roberts, elected 2000; and commissioner Maria rojo de Steffey, elected 2001. As the former director of Portland’s Office of Neighborhood Involvement, executive director of a nonprofit organization, and interim manager for Paragon Cable, Linn promised visibility and accountability.5 She had been elected to represent her southeast/southwest county commission district in 1998, so had two years of experience serving on the board. During her first year as chair, she was widely viewed as charismatic, articulate, photogenic, and a rising star in the Democratic Party, although county elective offices were now nonpartisan. Meanwhile, nine months before the May 2002 primary, Sheriff Dan Noelle announced that he would not seek reelection, giving potential candidates ample time to plan their campaigns.With typically droll humor, Noelle declared himself an “elder statesman” rather than a “lame duck.”6 he had received high marks for his performance in the job. two months after announcing his retirement, Noelle had participated in the ground-breaking ceremony for the new Wapato Corrections Facility, slated to open in 2004—the same unopened jail that two Oregonian reporters would call “a monument to government waste and dysfunction ” in 2008.7 the top contenders to replace Sheriff Noelle were a former Gresham police chief, bernie Giusto, and an African-American sheriff’s deputy, vera Pool. Giusto proved so popular that he garnered 63 percent of the vote—a landslide victory that allowed him to bypass a fall run-off. vera Pool received 25 percent of the May vote; Kirby bouillard, 12 percent.8 Giusto’s prior credentials included twenty-eight years in law enforcement, including a stint working for the Oregon State Police on assignment to Governor Neil Goldschmidt’s security detail. While his extensive background obviously impressed county voters...

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