Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Three seats on PCC board go to voters in May

Photos and story by Dana Haynes

Oregonians will be asked to vote on several local elections in May, including three of seven seats on the Board of Directors of Portland Community College.

The election is set for Tuesday, May 17.

The races are for Zone 2, now served by Harold Williams; Zone 3, served by Bob Palmer, and Zone 7, served by Deanna Palm.

Palmer has filed for re-election and faces no opponents. The filing deadline has passed.

Also seeking the Zone 2 seats are William (Al) Petersen, Michael (Micro) Durrow and Kitty C. Harmon. Running for Zone 7 are Chuck Riley and Jerry Tobin.

Voters pamphlets should be distributed in April.

Zone 2

Zone 2 is a long, narrow district that stretches from the Cascade Campus in North Portland all the way up to northern Columbia County, including the town of St. Helens.

According to election documents, Durrow, of Portland, is a student in the Paralegal Program at PCC, is a licensed realty broker and is trained in computer network service as well as software development.

Harmon, of Portland, is a program counselor at the University of Portland School of Engineering, where she has worked for two decades. She also attended UP.

Petersen is a resident of St. Helens, has a master’s in architecture and works for AKAAN Architecture + Design LLC of St. Helens.

Williams, of Portland, is president of CH2A Associates, a contracting firm. He has been a labor relations manager and equal employment opportunity coordinator for the state of Oregon. He was appointed to the PCC Board in 1990 and elected to the position five times.

Zone 7

Zone 7 features the Rock Creek Campus and stretches along northwestern Washington County – including Hillsboro and Forest Grove – as well as a swath of Columbia County that includes Vernonia.

Palm, of Hillsboro, was appointed to the PCC Board in 2009 to replace Marilyn McGlasson, who resigned. Palm received an associate’s degree in business from PCC and, since 2001, has served as president of the Greater Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce.

Riley, of Hillsboro, is a computer consultant and served in the Oregon House of Representatives, District 29, from 2006 to 2010, when he stepped down to unsuccessfully challenge State Sen. Bruce Starr.

Tobin, of Portland, has been a college-level instructor in math, physics, electrical engineering and physical science since 1971; his election documents did not specify which colleges or universities.

Board of Directors

The PCC Board of Directors consists of seven members elected by zones to four-year terms. The board members govern the college, which includes selecting the president, approving the hiring of other staff and faculty, approving the college budget and establishing policies that govern the operation of the college.

For more information, visit www.pcc.edu/about/administration/board