The Multnomah County Republican Party (MCRP), acting on behalf of Multnomah County taxpayers, has made a formal demand to the Multnomah County Tax Supervising and Conservation Commission to investigate illegal uses of City funds associated with Councilwoman Chloe Eudaly’s announced plan to direct City workers to canvass door-to-door on November 2, 2018, to encourage voters to cast ballots.

“This is a transparently partisan misuse of City funds to aid Kate Brown’s losing campaign,” said Chair James Buchal, “but it is also plainly illegal.” ORS 294.100(1) makes it unlawful for any public official to expend any moneys in excess of the amounts provided by law, or for any other or different purpose than provided by law.“

With rising problems of disorder and decay, even the City Council has not been so foolish as to budget scarce tax funds for marching City workers door-to-door to collect Democratic ballots,” said Buchal. “That makes the use of funds illegal, and the law will make Councilwoman Eudaly personally liable for these expenditures.”

With the presentation of a formal demand to investigate to the Multnomah County Tax Supervising and Conservation Commission, ORS 294.100(3) requires the Commission to “make an investigation of the facts as to the expenditure” and initiate legal action “against the public official who has unlawfully expended the moneys for the return of the moneys unlawfully expended to the treasury of the municipal corporation.”