Oregon ethics officials will investigate whether the former leader of Portland’s housing authority violated state conflict of interest laws when she traveled out of state on the public’s dime
The Oregon Government Ethics Commission voted 8-0 on Aug. 14 to investigate Ivory Mathews, who resigned from Home Forward in April under scrutiny about her frequent and expensive out-of-state travel while her agency struggled to maintain its portfolio of low-income apartments
A complaint filed with the ethics commission alleged Mathews used her position as the leader of Home Forward to obtain financial benefits “by excessively spending agency funds on travel and lodging without authorization or justification.”
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According to a preliminary review by ethics commission staff, Mathews may have violated state conflict of interest laws “by regularly using the agency funds for travel that appeared to be inconsistent with or in violation of Home Forward’s travel policy. That included but was not limited to purchasing extra days of lodging for what appeared to be non-business purposes.”
Ethics commissioners unanimously voted during an executive session to investigate the potential violations
Mathews flew to Hawaii in October 2024, at a total cost to Home Forward of $7,269, to attend a conference on so-called captive insurance, as first reported by Willamette Week. Home Forward had established Home Forward Insurance Group in 2021 as a captive insurance company, a form of self insurance, which it said was meant to lower its insurance costs. Mathews’ trip was part of more than $100,000 in travel to events and conferences she’d made over three years that were paid for with public dollars, according to the newspaper.
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Records obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive also showed Home Forward had in fact sent several officials to Hawaii during the past four years, spending more than $25,000 of public money on the trips. Following the news reports, new executive director Michael Buonocore said Home Forward would not send staff to Hawaii this year
Mathews, who had an annual salary of $342,849, agreed to resign from Home Forward in exchange for a $171,424 severance, as well as employer-sponsored health insurance, known as COBRA, and a payout of her accrued paid time off. She was also eligible for up to $50,000 to help her find a new job
Mathews’ online resume lists her current job as running a housing leadership consultancy
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