Loretta Smith, a Multnomah County commissioner running for Portland City Council, on Tuesday accused her challenger, Jo Ann Hardesty, of failing to register her consulting business and called on Hardesty to publicly release company documents.

Hardesty has since 2001 operated Consult Hardesty, according to the "occupational background" section of her city candidate filing. But Consult Hardesty is not listed in the state, city or county business registries. A search of the registries using Hardesty's current and maiden names and addresses show no companies registered with the state and an out-of-date registration with the city of Portland.

Anyone doing business in Oregon, Portland or Multnomah County must register. The definition of "doing business" is broad and encompasses anyone performing services for pay or employing themselves. Businesses may be subject to tax and must file annual reports and, in some cases, tax returns.

Those doing business as a sole proprietor are not required to register with the state unless they use an assumed business name, said Peter Threlkel, head of the corporations division at the Secretary of State's Office. "Consult Hardesty" would be an assumed business name, Threlkel said, and require registration with the state.

Those who do not register or pay taxes owed are subject to financial penalties. Failing to register carries a "minimal" penalty, Threlkel said. The state does not pursue violators, he said.

Hardesty did not return a message seeking comment Tuesday. Her campaign manager, Anna Nguyen, said in an email that the Smith campaign's call for Hardesty documents is "simply a cheap trick and typical, establishment dirty tactics to distract voters and the media from the real issues at hand in this race."

If Consult Hardesty was not in fact operational, Hardesty would not have been required to register it. But that does not appear to be the case. Though the website for Consult Hardesty has been taken down, archival web records show Consult Hardesty once touted a variety of services for political campaigns and activists.

The website had a page titled "We Can Make State Law" that said the firm has "a demonstrable ability" to write legislative bills. Hardesty submitted testimony to the Oregon Legislature in 2015 on Consult Hardesty letterhead, referring to herself as its "principal partner."

Because her firm registration is marked "unable to confirm compliance," it's unclear if Hardesty owes back taxes to the city of Portland or Multnomah County. In addition, whether an individual or business has paid Oregon income taxes is not a public record.

Smith's campaign manager, Elizabeth Mazzara Myers, said Hardesty should release records of her business registration and government contracting, if her firm did any work for a government, to "set the record straight."

Hardesty and Smith are the two general election candidates vying to replace Commissioner Dan Saltzman, who is retiring. Hardesty is the presumed frontrunner after winning 46 percent of the primary election vote compared to Smith's 21 percent.

-- Gordon R. Friedman

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