A Multnomah County circuit judge has ruled that former Portland Commissioner Rene Gonzalez was denied due process by the city auditor after findings alleged he broke campaign finance laws during his 2024 mayoral bid.
Judge Melvin Oden-Orr’s ruling refrains from directly addressing whether Gonzalez violated those laws.
In a closely contested election, Gonzalez finished a distant third and was persistently overshadowed by allegations regarding the misuse of campaign funds.
Oden-Orr’s decision reverses a prior judgment made by the auditor’s office, stating that the actions taken by the city government deprived Gonzalez of his constitutional rights to defend himself and receive a full hearing prior to fines being issued for the claimed violations.
In a post on Facebook, Gonzalez expressed his gratitude to supporters and commented on the broader implications of the ruling.
“These complaints were a significant factor in the 2024 election, orchestrated and amplified by members of the region’s political power structure,” he noted.
“While we cannot undo the election that these disputes tarnished, hopefully this decision will provide some justice for supporters and lay the groundwork for a fairer campaign finance system in the future.”
The city auditor, Simone Rede, released a statement emphasizing her office’s commitment to evaluating the situation and recommended potential changes to existing laws.
Rede assured that the auditor’s office would collaborate with the City Council to promote fair and transparent electoral processes while ensuring candidates enjoy their individual due process rights.
One significant instance highlighted involved a fine issued to Gonzalez’s campaign in November amounting to $9,180 for not returning certain contributions that exceeded Portland’s limit on donation amounts.
According to Gonzalez, his campaign team had consulted with a leading treasury firm that many other candidates used and insisted that they acted in good faith to comply with campaign finance regulations.
He also pointed out in a court filing that records showed other mayoral candidates, such as Keith Wilson and Carmen Rubio, had failed on multiple occasions to return excess contributions within the stipulated seven-day timeframe.
City regulations stipulate that campaign contributions exceeding $579 from individual donors during an election cycle must be returned or declined within seven days.
This limit is even more restrictive at $350 for candidates who participate in Portland’s public matching funds program, a category Gonzalez was part of.
Portland adopted a campaign finance measure in 2018, which received overwhelming support at 87% from voters, amending the city charter to cap contributions to $500 per election cycle.
This cap is adjusted for inflation and currently stands at $613.
Campaigns for mayor, city council, and auditor are also under obligations to publicly disclose their major donors in advertisements and are subject to other regulations.
In a separate case, which Oden-Orr also ruled on, Gonzalez faced a $2,400 fine for allegedly misusing city staff resources and finances when he hired a New York-based company to enhance his Wikipedia page’s visibility regarding his affiliation as a Democrat.
Gonzalez contended that he was not provided a hearing or any opportunity to contest the findings in both instances before the auditor’s office made the decisions public, arguing this violated his due process rights.
image source from：oregonlive
