Hillsboro: Who Is Running for City Council in Wards 1, 2 and 3 on the Nov. 3 Ballot

Nine candidates are on the Nov. 3 ballot for three Hillsboro City Council seats, one in each ward, according to the city recorder’s Sept. 1 certified candidate list. Washington County’s election calendar set Oct. 14 for mailing ballots to all registered voters, and ballots must be postmarked by Election Day or dropped off by 8 p.m. that night.

Two of the three seats have no incumbent on the ballot. The city recorder’s office page lists Councilor Kipperlyn Sinclair in the Ward 2 seat and Councilor Olivia Alcaire, in “year four of final term,” in the Ward 3 seat, and neither name appears on the certified list.

Three seats and nine names

The city’s 2026 candidate packet says Hillsboro’s six councilors are “elected-at-large,” meaning by voters across the city, with two councilors living in each ward. The table below is built from the certified letter, in its order, and the recorder’s page.

The winners’ terms run from Jan. 1, 2027, to Dec. 31, 2030, the packet says. The seats are nonpartisan, and no one may serve more than two consecutive terms, according to the city’s June 23 filing announcement.

The summaries below come from the county voters’ pamphlet, pages WC-15 to WC-18; each carries a note that it “has not been verified for accuracy by Washington County.”

Four candidates seek the Ward 1 seat

Salgado was appointed in 2025, the June announcement says, and the recorder’s page describes the appointment as “Filling an unexpired term.”

• Diana Jackson lists the occupation of legal assistant at the Metropolitan Public Defender’s Office and a seat on the Hillsboro Planning Commission. Jackson’s statement says the campaign aims “to make Hillsboro more affordable,” citing housing, small businesses over data center tax breaks, and “ICE out of Hillsboro.”
• Luis Garcia lists the occupation of health information systems designer at Kaiser Permanente and service on the Hillsboro Police Chief’s Advisory Committee. Garcia’s statement lists roads, clean water and affordable housing, protecting farmland from semiconductor and data center impacts, and decisions “based on science and data.”
• Cristian Salgado, the appointed incumbent, lists the occupation of small business owner and consultant. Salgado’s statement cites pushing on council for “thoughtful data center growth” and utility affordability, and names responsible growth, strong neighborhoods and broader local opportunity as priorities.
• Sarah Marugg lists the occupation of revenue and tax specialist and no prior government experience. Marugg’s statement lists affordability and housing, protecting farmland, making data centers “pay their fair share,” defending civil rights, and safer streets around schools and parks.

Two names for the Ward 2 seat

The recorder’s page shows Sinclair in “year four of first term,” and the county’s election page lists Sinclair in the runoff for Washington County commissioner, District 4.

• Ivette Pantoja lists the occupation of owner of Briar Rose School, a preschool, and prior service as Hillsboro School District board chair, 2024–2026. Pantoja’s statement names affordability and prosperity, housing, and public safety as the campaign’s three priorities.
• Karim Delgado lists the occupation of owner of 649 Bar and prior government experience as an enlisted member of the U.S. Marine Corps. Delgado’s statement calls for “No Blank Checks for Corporations,” enforcing Hillsboro’s sanctuary law, a Human Rights Office and weekly town halls.

Ward 3 candidates vie for Alcaire’s seat

Alcaire was appointed in 2017, elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2022, and she is term-limited, the June announcement says.

• Titonian Wallace Sr. lists the occupation of small business owner and ride-share driver, and service on the Hillsboro School Board Bond Development Committee. Wallace’s statement lists local jobs and economic development, safe neighborhoods and transportation, and more housing for working families and seniors.
• Dorian Russell lists the occupation of executive director of HomePlate Youth Services and artist, and past service as Hillsboro Library Board chair. Russell’s statement focuses on affordability and homelessness, says “unchecked data center expansion” harms air, water, land and jobs, and backs living wages.
• Kimberly Culbertson is on the certified list for Ward 3, Position A. The pamphlet’s Hillsboro council pages, WC-15 to WC-18, contain no statement from Culbertson.

Getting a ballot back in time

The county’s drop site page says: “Your ballot must be postmarked on or before Election Day, or delivered to the Elections Office or an Official Dropsite by 8:00 p.m. Election Day.” The city’s Oct. 15 ballot tips advise mailing at least seven days ahead, which means by Oct. 27 (our calculation).

To follow a ballot, voters can sign up for text, email or voice alerts at washcovotes.ballottrax.net/voter or call county elections at (503) 846-5800, the pamphlet’s page WC-66 says. The city’s tips also link to a recorded Hillsboro City Council candidates’ forum on YouTube. The same ballot carries the Hillsboro School District’s bond measure 34-355.

Residents can find their ward by searching an address on the city’s interactive ward map, which reflects boundaries adopted Jan. 3, 2023. For drop-off, the county lists five official sites in Hillsboro, open 24 hours a day until the 8 p.m. deadline, with no postage needed:

• Hillsboro Brookwood Library, 2850 NE Brookwood Parkway
• Hillsboro Public Library-Shute Park, 775 SE 10th Ave.
• Public Services Building parking lot, 155 N. 1st Ave.
• Washington County Elections Office, 2925 NE Aloclek Drive, open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day
• Westside Commons, formerly the Fair Complex, 801 NE 34th Ave.

Any official drop box in Oregon will also take the ballot, the pamphlet says.

Top image: File photo, 2009: downtown Hillsboro. Photo: M.O. Stevens, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped).