Council Experience

Hillsboro voters elected Councilor Rob Harris in November 2024 to a four-year term representing Council Ward 3, Position B. Councilor Harris’s term began on January 7, 2025 and will expire in January 2029. He is eligible to run for re-election in November 2028.

Community Experience

Councilor Harris and his wife Gail moved to Hillsboro in 1987 when he took a position at the Washington County District Attorney’s Office. He has served on the Hillsboro Library Board, the Hillsboro Library Foundation Board, the Public Plaza Design Committee, and the Hillsboro School Bond advisory committee.

He was very active in the Washington County justice system and established a nonprofit public defense consortia where he served as the executive director until he retired from the practice of law in 2023. He was chair of a task force on the future of public defense and in 2023 was appointed by the Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice to serve on the Oregon State Public Defense Commission.

Education & Work Experience

Councilor Harris attended Camas Public Schools, Clark Community College, the University of Washington, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning, and Lewis and Clark Law School, where he received his Juris Doctor (JD) degree in law, with honors.

He worked briefly in a medium-sized law firm, then as a Deputy District Attorney in Washington County before establishing his own law firm in 1990. He served as the Hillsboro Municipal Court Judge, a Washington County Circuit Court Judge Pro Tem, and as a Hearings Officer in Multnomah, Clackamas, and Washington counties. He also started and operated a small construction company. When he retired, his law firm had grown to include a dozen lawyers and over 20 employees.

Why do you serve on the Hillsboro City Council?

“I have always felt it was a blessing to be able to serve my community. I am well aware of the challenges and opportunities Hillsboro is facing over the next few years, so when a Council seat opened up I thought my many years of experience, deep knowledge of this community, and my skill set could be useful to the Council in navigating some challenging issues.”

What are your hopes and goals for serving on the Council?

“Both my hope and my goal is that when I have completed my service on Council, every person in Hillsboro is more prosperous, happier, and more content, and every family has found a community where they are welcome and belong.” 

What should Hillsboro residents know about how you serve the community as a Council member?

“I will be as transparent as possible in my decision-making and be willing to explain my votes. You may or may not agree with some of my votes, but you will understand why I voted as I did. Hillsboro has grown from 35,000 to 110,000 people since I moved here. That’s a large city. So, I intend to take the time to engage every corner of Hillsboro to help me understand the struggles, concerns, and issues that people all over Hillsboro face.”

Fun Facts about Rob

• Favorite food & beverage: Pizza and a cold beer
• Favorite dessert: Anything sweet and baked
• Favorite type of book: Spy novels and Biographies
• Favorite activities & hobbies: Music: Playing and going to see live acts
• Favorite musicians: Steely Dan, The Lumineers, Bonnie Rait, Hozier
• Favorite TV show: Lost
•  Favorite movie: The Godfather II
•  Favorite vacation spot: Cannon Beach
• Favorite quote: “Foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds” (Ralph Waldo Emerson). The quote reminds me to ask questions and consider alternatives to “the common wisdom.”
• Favorite community spaces in Hillsboro: The Public Library  

See More City Council Spotlights

• Mayor Beach Pace
• Councilor Olivia Alcaire
• Councilor Saba Anvery
• Councilor Elizabeth Case
• Councilor Rob Harris
•  Councilor Cristian Salgado
• Councilor Kipperlyn Sinclair

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