PORTLAND, Ore. — Multnomah County's chief operating officer on Thursday announced the start of an independent investigation into county policies and practices concerning conflicts of interest.

The investigation was prompted, a statement from the county indicated, by the recent ouster of Preschool for All program director Leslee Barnes. Willamette Week broke the story that a childcare center owned by Barnes was the primary subject of a secretary of state's office audit that found "wasteful spending" by Oregon's Preschool Promise program.

“The community needs to know they can trust public employees and that the decisions we’re making are for the public good,” said county COO Christopher Neal. “We’re going to take a hard look at how we’ve been doing things, and take action everywhere

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