Anthony Martin seeks Washington County District 4 seat

Running in a crowded field of six candidates for Washington County Commissioner District 4, Anthony Martin, a former Hillsboro City Councilor, said he is running because his passion, vision, and knowledge can address cost of living and housing woes facing families.

Background

Martin, the Public Works Budget and Finance Manager for the city of Hillsboro, also served two terms as a city councilor, including as council president, in Hillsboro.

He graduated from Banks High School, and earned a Bachelor of Arts with honors in political science and Spanish with a minor in religious studies from the University of Oregon.

He said he considers his time in the Banks area, where he moved from Portland around the eighth grade, to be formative.

"That's one of the reasons why I feel like Banks really raised me, because that's where I turned into a full person," he said.

He earned his master's degree in public affairs from the University of Texas at Austin.

He worked as a financial and economic consultant for cities and utilities in the Pacific Northwest after attending graduate school.

"I did things like economic analyses, rate studies, financing strategies, basically making sure that governments had the financial information to make solid decisions that were built on sustainability in that long term," he said.

Running for office

Martin said he worked for seven years in Portland's sewer and stormwater utility.

"I also served as the financial planning manger for the $700 million sewer and stormwater utility," he said. Martin drew a comparison to Washington County's sewer agency, Clean Water Services, which he described as being slightly larger than Portland's sewer and stormwater utility.

Clean Water Services was roiled by scandal after investigative reporting by the Oregonian exposed exorbitant spending at dinners and luxury hotels by the agency's administration.

Clean Water Services is overseen by the Washington County Board of Commissioners.

"We saw misspending in that, and I think it's indicative of a broader need to make sure that we have transparent and accountable spending, we're using public money responsibly," he said.

Martin now works as the Public Works Budget and Finance Manager for the city of Hillsboro.

There, he oversees transportation, sanitation, storm, fleet, and facilities.

"The root of all of that is making sure that public entities take care of public money with transparency, accountability and responsibility," he said.

He said his decade of work in public finance and his eight years as an elected official have produced a unique skillset that the other candidates don't have.

"I know how to collaborate and produce change as a councilor, and I know what it takes to actually implement that change as a person who's worked in the public sector," he said.

Martin said he is running because families are facing housing and cost of living struggles throughout the county.

"I'm running for office because families are being stretched so thin by the cost of living and housing, and county commissioners do so many things that shape our daily lives," he said.

He said county leaders make decisions on public safety, libraries, homeless services, transportation, and housing.

"I have the passion, vision, and knowledge to make Washington County prioritize working families and lift them up," he said.

Asked what his top three priorities were, he listed affordability, economic development and infrastructure.

In the affordability category, Martin said he wanted to build affordable homes for all income levels, create a low-income utility billing program, and have a strategic plan that "right sizes" the budget.

"I also think that affordability means using our tax money wisely and having long-term planning," he said.

For economic development, Martin said he wanted to connect people to living-wage jobs, continue workforce development training, support small businesses and ensure tax breaks and incentives align with the county's values.

"Places like data centers, that don't provide a lot of living-wage jobs per dollar of tax benefit, making sure we can, you know, remove those incentives," he said.

He said that while the county doesn't control incentives, they can ensure that the county's sewer and stormwater rates reflect the impact on the system, and in so-called "soft power" as the county works with cities like Hillsboro.

As for other urbanization policies, Martin said the county needs to overhaul its two-decade-old urban planning area agreements.

He said that balancing the needs of rural and urban portions of the district meant creating strong connections to the smaller cities like Gaston and Banks and providing support where needed.

He cited Banks' 2018 development moratorium enacted after the city's leaking water system forced the city to halt development until it was addressed.

"That's something that the county can and should have tried to provide some amount of professional support and services there," he said.

He said the county does some work with the smaller cities in the district, but that there needs to be more.

Martin spent his Banks-area youth in one of the most remote Washington County locales north of Stub Stewart State Park near Tophill.

"I saw, hey these roads aren't being paved, there's almost no right-of-way there, we're not seeing the same service that urban areas see," he said.

He said not investing in rural areas has an impact not only on the local area, but the rest of the county too.

"You think about Highway 6 being washed out and just straight being closed. I mean that is a problem for everyone," he said.

He said the county needs to follow through on the plans it's made for agriculture and agritourism and increase connections with farmers and those in the timber industry.

"[We need to] make sure that we treat farmers in the same way that we treat other forms of economic development. Making sure that they have incentives, that they have the support they need to thrive," he said.

He said he stands out from other candidates in the race.

"I'm the youngest candidate in the race," he said. "I'm 36 years old," he added.

"I'm the sole provider for my family, I have a young daughter who's six years old, I'm the only paycheck in my household, so I know what it means to really balance those day-to-day struggles and try and plan for the future," he said.

"And while I was doing all of those things, I also served as a city councilor," he said.

"I really believe that government, in particular local government, is the best way to make a positive impact on those around me," he said.

"At the end of the day, the county needs to focus on prioritizing working families," he said.

Find more information about Martin's candidacy online.

The May 19 election closes at 8 p.m. Find a ballot drop site, a voters’ pamphlet, and more information on voting online.