The Real Story – A Column
HILLSBORO, OR — If you read Mike Rogaway’s article in The Oregonian today, you might be tempted to think Mayor Beach Pace has finally listened to the community. The headline paints a picture of a decisive leader “ordering a halt” to data center tax breaks.
https://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/2026/05/hillsboro-mayor-orders-halt-to-new-data-center-tax-breaks.html
But at the Hillsboro Herald, we don’t just read the headlines, we actually check the receipts. And the receipts show that this “halt” is a calculated political maneuver designed to steal the high ground from Councilor Kipperlyn Sinclair while ensuring 17 massive tax giveaways cross the finish line untouched. Beach Pace is shamefully claiming she has actually put a stop to the hundreds of millions in tax giveaways that City Manager Hammond and Economic Development Director Dan Dias just completed, and according to sources we spoke to, the City Councilors were not advised. Did Mayor Pace know about this, and is she now covering up? I mean, the buck stops with her, right? Well, without an emergency meeting and full public disclosure, we may never know. One thing we know is that Pace is not showing any proof of a written statement or action regarding the Data Centers that she took, which was not already a matter of public record. This feels like someone grandstanding for the big win, even though the game was over days earlier.
The “Dead Already” Timeline Mayor Pace’s “halt” was announced today, May 11th. However, the City of Hillsboro’s own official “Q&A” published last Friday, May 8th, already admitted that May 7th was the drop-dead date for new applications.
The City stated: “Given the approval process timeline, the City of Hillsboro does not anticipate any additional data center applications could be submitted after May 7, 2026… thereby creating a pause.”
The Takedown:…