County Emails Include Flirting Between Jeff Cogen and Sonia Manhas

"You're the only thing that makes the photo enjoyable..."

Multnomah County Chair Jeff Cogen
By Nigel Jaquiss and Aaron Mesh

Multnomah County is planning to release County Chairman Jeff Cogen's emails with county employee Sonia Manhas this afternoon.

On Tuesday evening, Cogen, the county's highest-ranking official, admitted that he'd carried on a two-year-long affair with Manhas, the policy and planning director for the Multnomah County Health Department.

Cogen acknowledged in the Tuesday interview that he and Manhas—whom he claims is not his subordinate because there are two layers of management between them—regularly communicated by phone, text and email and regularly ate lunch together. 

Records will show they used their government emails to do so.

Here's a representative sample of their email communication.


UPDATE, 1:36 pm: On June 28, 2011, Cogen's calendar shows he attended a Rush concert at Sleep Country Ampitheater in Washington state with Manhas and his teenage son. The Portland Mercury first reported they attended the show, part of the "Time Machine" tour.

County emails show Cogen discussing the show with Manhas.

"I look forward to seeing your rock-n-roll obession," Cogen writes. "[Son's name redacted] and I are ready to rock too, should I pick you up at home".

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