Rene Gonzalez’s office under investigation following Wikipedia spending
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A complaint has been filed and the City of Portland has confirmed an investigation is underway involving Commissioner Rene Gonzalez after reports emerged that his office used over $6,000 of public funds to beef up his Wikipedia page.
First reported by the Oregonian, records obtained by KOIN 6 show that Rene Gonzalez’s office paid a total of $6,400 to Codename Enterprises, who operate under WhiteHatWiki and offer “ethical Wikipedia strategy” and writing services, according to their website.
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According to an “Agreement and Statement of Work” signed by Shah Smith, Gonzalez’s Chief of Staff, WhiteHatWiki agreed to assist with edits and contentious matters on Gonzalez’s Wikipedia page.
Gonzalez’s office claims in a statement to KOIN 6 that the money went to train staff on how to follow Wikipedia standards.
“We retained professional help to train staff on how to adhere to Wikipedia standards in addressing inaccuracies in his online profile that were creating safety issues and undermining public discourse,” the statement said.
The statement goes on to say that the requested changes were to remove inaccuracies and to add information regarding past instances of vandalism, threats and arson that Gonzalez, his family and staff have faced, under the belief the inaccuracies are leading to more threats against Gonzalez.
“For nearly two years a tabloid post about a social media like stood on the entry, without any background on the threats, vandalism, and arson Commissioner Gonzalez, his family, campaign, and staff have faced since being elected,” the statement says. “We believe these inaccuracies are leading to further threats against the Commissioner; fortunately Wikipedia has finally corrected this matter.”
Days after the news broke, local civic engagement non-profit Portland for All announced it had filed a campaign finance complaint against Gonzalez, seeking to determine if his use of money violated city campaign finance regulations.
After receiving the complaint, the Portland City Elections Division confirmed to KOIN 6 that they have opened an investigation into the alleged campaign finance violations.
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Jackie Yerby, a board member at Portland for All, stated Gonzalez used public funds to bolster his public image and benefit his candidacy for Portland mayor.
“Gonzalez not only spent City funds to shape his public image, he clearly did so to benefit his candidacy,” said Yerby. “We believe these contributions do not comply with City and State regulations on campaign contribution sources and limits, expenditure reporting, and acceptable use of public funds.”
Portland for All also points to previous situations involving Gonzalez which they deem questionable, like how during his 2022 commissioner campaign he received a campaign office at a massive 96% rent discount from donor Jordan Schnitzer.
The campaign office situation originally resulted in a $77,000 fine; however, that was later revoked by a judge who said that the City of Portland Elections Division was unable to carry the burden of proof in the case.
“Voters should be concerned about candidates who skirt the rules and use taxpayer dollars for personal gain,” Yerby said.
The full statement from Gonzalez’s office reads:
We retained professional help to train staff on how to adhere to Wikipedia standards in addressing inaccuracies in his online profile that were creating safety issues and undermining public discourse.
Our proposed changes include items that are factual, inflammatory, or distort difficult policy decisions the Commissioner has had to make.
For example, for nearly 2 years a tabloid post about a social media like stood on the entry, without any background on the threats, vandalism, and arson Commissioner Gonzalez, his family, campaign, and staff have faced since being elected. We believe these inaccuracies are leading to further threats against the Commissioner; fortunately Wikipedia has finally corrected this matter.
Further, there is discussion about the Commissioner’s decision to halt tents and tarps, without mention that 70% of homeless offered shelter turn it down in the city. We will continue to work to correct this matter on such an important public policy issue.
Ensuring constituents have access to complete, accurate information about the people who represent them and polices they adopt is an important task. This educational resource for staff was an allowable expense, went through all appropriate channels, and came from our own office budget.
However, Yerby claims Gonzalez’ statement is overactive and dangerous because it “tries to link what happened with Commissioner Gonzalez’s car to Portland For All.”
In a follow-up statement, Portland For All shared the following:
Portland for All condemned the incident when it occurred and strongly condemns any political violence. We expect our leaders to reject political violence and avoid actions that incite acts of violence against our communities.
We also expect our local officials to act with more integrity than Commissioner Gonzalez is doing now. Gonzalez has a track record of deceiving the public. In addition to using taxpayer money to update his Wikipedia page to advance his political campaign, video and audio recordings demonstrate Gonzalez lied about being assaulted on the MAX and lied in his 911 call about the incident.
Portlanders deserve better from their elected officials.
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