Portland’s woke District Attorney is facing accusations that he’s shirking his duties to the drug-ridden city, and failing to show up in the office — with on employee saying he hasn’t been seen “in months.”
Over six months, Multnomah County DA Mike Schmidt swiped his access card into the office on about 60 percent of work days — equivalent to just three days a week, according to data published by The Oregonian.
His challenger in the upcoming Democratic primary, Nathan Vasquez, clocked in about 90 percent of the time — which he says makes him better suited for the job.
“It’s pretty clear I’m the only candidate in this race who is consistently in the office prosecuting serious cases, standing up for victims, and providing the present, dedicated leadership that my fellow prosecutors need day in and day out,” Vasquez, a senior prosecutor in the district attorney’s office, told the outlet.
The data, published by The Oregonian, underscores the opponents’ differing views on what the district attorney’s job should look like, with Vasquez raising questions about whether the current District Attorney is working hard enough.
Schmidt, a Democrat who was elected during peak remote work in 2020, said he spends a considerable amount of time meeting with various local and state leaders and attending public events and conferences on progressive prosecution.
Schmidt himself has no caseload, similar to prosecutors in other major Oregon counties.
Only one day on his calendar was marked “WFH,” or “work from home,” according to the Oregonian.
Even so, Vasquez says the district attorney should be more hands-on, claiming that Schmidt’s out-of-office priorities have left the staff burdened by high turnover. A recent internal office survey detailed staffers’ complaints of heavy caseloads, with one saying they hadn’t seen their “supervisors or even the DA in months,” the newspaper reported.
Vasquez blames Schmidt’s absence on the lack of morale. He has been endorsed by the union representing prosecutors.
Meanwhile, Schmidt’s campaign manager, Andrew Rogers, said the District Attorney works out of the office, as well as on nights and weekends.
“When Mike is working outside the office, it is because he is working on policy, advocating for resources, and meeting public safety partners, neighbors, and community groups where they’re at,” he said.
Schmidt also took three work trips out of state in September and October, according to his calendar.
He visited San Diego, Washington, D.C., and Toronto for conferences on progressive prosecution and a specialty court for homeless defendants.
The data, taken from September to February, did not reveal how long each prosecutor was in the office after swiping their badge.
The news organization also collected badge swipe data for Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton and Clackamas County District Attorney John Wentworth over the same period.
Both were shown working in person more often than Schmidt with Barton coming into the office about 80% of the time and Wentworth 91%.
