The bigger story here is about how many leaders have left. In less than three years, Multnomah County has had:

3 homeless services directors

3 homelessness response system directors (yes, they’re different offices)

3 health department directors

4 mental health directors

3 public health directors

2 chief operating officers

2 equity office directors

2 Preschool For All directors

None of this includes the turnover in the office of the county chair, or the unprecedented number of consultants hired at substantial cost to compensate for the churn of department leadership. This is not just about the shortcomings of individual public servants. It is about an unhealthy business model and culture at the governing body responsible for our health and welfare.

What we need to do:

1 Hire actual subject area experts with proven track records to lead departments.

2 Promote critical thinking and innovation rather than rewarding go along to get along.

3 Set clear goals and measure results so that we know whether what we are doing is actually working.