Washington County names building official, principal engineer

Washington County Department of Land Use & Transportation (LUT) hired a new building official in the Planning and Development Services Division (PDS) and a new principal engineer in the Operations and Maintenance Division (Ops).

Donald "Scott" Linfesty started as the building official Jan. 8; Aaron Clodfelter's promotion was effective Dec. 30.

Linfesty replaces Hank McDonald, who retired as building official on Nov. 30. Linfesty was most recently employed as the interim manager of the State Field Service Office for the Oregon Building Codes Division. His other positions include Commercial Inspections Section manager for the city of Portland Bureau of Development Services, building program manager/Land Management Division assistant director for Lane County, and building official for the city of Oregon City. He has an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Building Inspection Technology from Portland Community College.

"I am very excited to get Scott on board," said Andy Back, PDS division manager. "He has extensive and relevant experience, and I believe he will be a good fit. He understands the needs of the development community, the importance of a building safety program and the day-to-day procedures of a building code section."

"Aaron is a tremendous asset not only to Ops, but to LUT and Washington County as a whole," Watkins said. "His dedication is unmatched, his ideas are creative and his common sense is practical. I look forward to the positive impact Aaron will continue to have on the organization in his new role as principal engineer."

Washington County is committed to planning and protecting the uses of the land and to building and maintaining a great transportation system, balancing care for the natural environment, economic development, safety and community livability.