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The Portland Metro Council unanimously appointed Miles Palacios, a longtime political aide, to the District 4 seat on Thursday.
The 4-0 vote to appoint Palacios came after he won a nail-biting May race for the District 4 seat, which covers northern and western Washington County, including Hillsboro, Cornelis, Forest Grove, Beaverton and Aloha. Palacios won just over 50% of the vote to clinch the seat over real estate agent Alex Pham, who was second at 48.7%. Palacios collected 700 more votes than Pham did.
While newly-elected Metro Council members often wait to begin their four-year terms in January, Palacios’ early appointment comes because of a vacancy in the District 4 seat. (One other person, Joshua Manous of Hillsboro, sought the temporary appointment on Thursday.) The empty seat comes because Juan Carlos González, who formerly held the post, assumed the Metro presidency last month.
The Metro Council appointed González to the vacant president position after he won the contest for the seat in the May election. That position was left vacant after Lynn Peterson resigned in March to take a new position as Lake Oswego’s city manager.
“I am appreciative to my community and to this council for giving me the opportunity to get started early,” Palacios said after his appointment. I’m really looking forward to partnering and working with my new colleagues for the betterment, not just of this District 4 but the entirety of the Tri-County area.”
Palacios, 33, recently began a new role as the government affairs manager for the Hospital Association of Oregon. He will continue in that job while serving on the Metro Council. He had previously served as chief of staff to state Sen. WInsvey Campos (D-Aloha) and as the legislative affairs manager for the Association of Oregon Counties. Since 2023, he’s been a director on the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District board.
