Jewel Beck Lansing (1930 – 2024)
Jewel Lansing served as Multnomah County Auditor from 1975 to 1982 and as Portland City Auditor from 1983 to 1986. She was one of the first two women elected to Multnomah County government and was the fifth elected to Portland City government. She introduced performance auditing to both jurisdictions, which focuses on how well operations and programs are performing.
At the City, this began in 1983 when Auditor Lansing appointed a Citizens Task Force to make recommendations on the proper structure and functioning of the Auditor’s Office. Early in their work, they identified the need for performance auditing at the City and proposed guidelines and budget that were approved by Council in July 1983. To memorialize this change, the Auditor proposed Resolution 34054, a Charter amendment referred to voters by City Council on March 13, 1986.
Approved by voters in May 1986, Ballot Measure 51 amended Charter to allow the Auditor to conduct performance audits. This change formed the foundation of the Audit Services Division’s work today and has served as a model for many other municipalities across the country.
Auditor Lansing was a tireless champion for performance auditing, always eager to share and promote its value. In addition to developing guides to the City Auditor’s Office’s services for the public, she authored articles on the history and benefits of performance auditing for the Internal Auditor magazine and the Local Government Auditing Quarterly.
When she left public service, Lansing became a respected local civic historian, authoring many books including histories of Portland and Multnomah County. “Portland: People, Politics, and Power,” is considered a definitive civic history of the city.
The City honored Lansing for her contributions to local government on May 23, 2018, proclaiming it “Jewel Lansing Day,” encouraging all residents to observe this day and naming a room in City Hall in her honor.
