PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland city commissioner and mayoral candidate Rene Gonzalez is the subject of an investigation after multiple complaints that he used taxpayer funds to support his campaign, the City Elections Division confirmed Monday.
On Friday, a board member for the organization Portland for All filed a formal complaint with the city, pointing to $6,400 in city funds Gonzalez's office used toward editing his Wikipedia page.
According to the group, a rejected edit to Gonzalez's Wikipedia page requested by his office read, "In December 2023, Gonzalez announced his candidacy for mayor of Portland on the platform of public safety, homelessness, drugs, and revitalizing the economy.”
In a statement, the organization said that Gonzalez "not only spent city funds to shape his public image, he clearly did so to benefit his candidacy," adding that they believe the contributions do not comply with city and state regulation on the use of public funds.
Gonzalez's office acknowledged using the funds to spruce up his Wikipedia page after The Oregonian reported on it earlier this month.
"Our office has multiple legitimate interests in managing the Commissioner's public profile, all flowing from his public service," his office told KGW in a statement. "In this case, we hired a vendor to advise and educate staff on how to operate above-board in that space and make edits according to the rules."
Deborah Scroggin, manager of the City Elections Division, said they'd received a formal campaign finance complaint and two informal complaints about Gonzalez via email. Her office is required, she said, to open an investigation after receiving a complaint regarding alleged campaign finance violations.
In response to a request for comment, Gonzalez's campaign said the following:
"Whether they're torching the Commissioner's family's car or filing false complaints, let's call this what it is: a politically motivated attack by extremists tied to fringe candidates. If only they poured the same energy into ending homelessness or making Portland safe for all, as the Commissioner is doing."
During his campaign for city commissioner in 2022, Gonzalez's campaign was subject to a $77,140 fine from Portland's small donor elections program after they learned that he was renting office space with an advertised fair market value of $6,900 per month at just $250 per month from real estate magnate Jordan Schnitzer. Schnitzer had also donated $250 to Gonzalez's campaign.
A city official argued that the discounted office space represented an unreported in-kind donation, violating the rules for Portland's small donor elections program. Gonzalez's campaign appealed, arguing that the bargain rate was justified because of "the dismal state of downtown."
An Oregon administrative law judge ultimately overturned the fine, agreeing with the Gonzalez campaign's argument.