VANCOUVER – Eileen Quiring O’Brien, candidate for Clark County Auditor, has published a detailed campaign article exposing partisan bias during The Columbian’s Clark County Auditor candidate forum and highlighting the paper’s recent endorsement of Mitchell Kelly as an effort to protect the local administrative establishment.
The newly released article provides an unedited breakdown written directly after the July forum, detailing how The Columbian’s editorial panel abandoned professional journalistic standards to shield incumbent practices and engineer partisan attacks. The piece highlights how the panel fixated on 32-year-old associations while entirely ignoring Quiring O’Brien’s extensive executive record as former Clark County Council Chair and State Legislator.
"For nearly 28 years, the courthouse establishment has relied on a compliant media environment to shield its operations from external inspection and paper over administrative failures," the campaign stated. "By handing their endorsement to Greg Kimsey’s handpicked proxy, Mitchell Kelly, The Columbian is attempting to protect a closed-door status quo."
The article contrasts the establishment's reliance on media protection with Quiring O’Brien’s platform of absolute transparency and executive accountability. Key takeaways from the release include:
- Exposing Strategic Restraint: Following The Columbian’s formal endorsement of Mitchell Kelly, the campaign released its full account of the July candidate forum to reveal how establishment players and media partners protect insider networks.
- Financial Conflicts of Interest: The breakdown highlights the paper's deep financial ties to municipal insiders who fund publication revenues through taxpayer-backed legal notices.
- The Day-1 Audit Commitment: Quiring O’Brien reaffirmed her core pledge to authorize a comprehensive, 3rd-party independent baseline audit on Day 1 in office- covering all voter rolls, financial operations, software contracts, and election security protocols.
"Clark County voters deserve an Auditor’s office that operates with total transparency, complete neutrality, and an unwavering commitment to real, third-party audits," said Quiring O’Brien. "On Election Day, voters can choose four more years of insider self-policing- or independent executive oversight that puts taxpayers first."
The full article is available for public review on the campaign website.
About Eileen Quiring O’Brien:
Eileen Quiring O’Brien is a candidate for Clark County Auditor, bringing proven executive experience as former Clark County Council Chair and Oregon State Legislator. Her platform focuses on restoring public trust through independent baseline audits, clean voter rolls, fiscal responsibility, and transparent governance.
Website: www.eileenforauditor.com
Submitted by the Campaign for Eileen Quiring O’Brien.
