Both would limit large data centers, one as a pause while the county writes rules, the other as outright opposition. Beyond that, compare faster permitting against independent fiscal review as the route to affordability.
Draft; human review pending.
Key
Said
A campaign statement, in our summary or their words.
Voted
A recorded Council roll call.
— Not found
Not in the sources we reviewed. A research gap, not a position.
Opposes large-scale data centers and emphasizes resource protection, affordability and transparent contracts.
Faster permitting (building approvals), limits on corporate home buying, more shelter beds.
Resources police and first responders; expands treatment with measurable outcomes.
Puts major projects through independent fiscal review; ends data-center subsidies.
Opposes large data centers over electricity, water and land; builds clean energy.
Summaries are our one-line readings of what each candidate says. Issue lines are short forms of the positions in each brief, AI-drafted and awaiting human review; “—” means not found in the sources we reviewed.
Four votes that split this Council
No candidate in this race sits on Council today.
— Not foundNo featured votes are selected for this race yet.
Candidate briefs, A–Z
Commissioner, Position 4 candidate · Clackamas County · November 3, 2026
Diana Helm
County commissioner, business owner and former Damascus mayor.
Photo: Candidate-submitted photo · 2026 Clackamas County voters’ pamphlet
In their words
Said: Commissioner Diana Helm has proven to be a strong voice for the citizens of Clackamas County by advocating for affordable housing, leading the effort to pause mega-sized data centers, addressing homelessness and addiction, and supporting safe communities.
Pamphlet p. 18
Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; extracted September 21, 2026
Skipped the “LEADERSHIP • TRANSPARENCY • INTEGRITY” labels. Verbatim opening of the candidate's own statement; publication by the county does not verify the claims.
The verbatim opening of their voters’ pamphlet statement, the same rule for every candidate. We chose nothing.
What they say they would do
Our summary of their platform, in our words
Emphasizes permitting reform, local jobs and a pause to evaluate large data centers.
Reduce unnecessary housing and permitting barriers.
Use a data-center moratorium to study impacts and involve residents.
Support shelter, recovery and related services.
Our reading
Our interpretation, not their words
Faster permitting
Data-center time-out
Her data-center position is a pause with a decision still to come, and her housing targets (900 units by 2030, permitting reform by 2028) are dated goals the whole board, not one member, would deliver.
Said: Would increase affordable housing by cutting regulatory burdens and speeding up permitting, and keep shelter, recovery and support services available to people who are homeless.
How
Said: A more customer-service-friendly permit process; completion and operation of the county Recovery Campus.
Measured by
Said: 900 more affordable units by 2030; regulatory burden reduced by 2028; the Recovery Campus completed and operating by 2027.
Crisis care, jail and deflection
Deflection, recovery
What
Said: Says the deflection program is working, with the Milwaukie Stabilization Center taking people in mental-health, substance-use or other crises and the Recovery Campus opening in fall 2027; says the county needs a new jail and will study its cost and site.
How
Said: The Stabilization Center in Milwaukie for people in crisis, the Recovery Campus (fall 2027) for substance use, mental health, homelessness, job training and transitional housing, and a Strategic Plan study of a new jail’s cost and site.
Measured by
— Not in their sources
Taxes and the budget gap
Balanced, safety first
What
Said: Every department must present a balanced budget each cycle, and with revenue trailing inflation some cuts are necessary; General Fund priority goes to public safety, health, housing and human services (including seniors and people with disabilities) and transportation.
How
Said: Each department presents a balanced budget every cycle, with cuts where revenue trails inflation.
Measured by
— Not in their sources
Roads, bridges and air
Data-center pause
What
Said: Led a moratorium on large data centers so the county can gather facts and hear the public before deciding, and would advocate for the Sunrise Corridor freight route.
How
Said: Keep the moratorium in unincorporated Clackamas County until the county codifies a policy on water use, energy use, sound and air quality; cities set their own.
Measured by
— Not in their sources
The choices this office faces
Every candidate in this race is asked the same 5 questions. Diana Helm is on record on 5. A question without an answer is a research gap, not a position.
On record
Ask voters again for a public safety levy in May 2027, and at what rate?
Said: Told the June 2 policy session after the levy's defeat that there needs to be a real effort right now to get out in front of people before asking again; the rate is unsaid.
Adopt a county moratorium on data centers now, or wait for the 2027 Legislature as staff recommended?
Said: Says she led the effort for a moratorium on large data centers after learning the county had no ordinances addressing them, to gather facts, analyze impacts and involve the public before deciding.
Declare that county agencies will not help federal immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant?
Said: Says the county is following state law and defers to County Counsel on whether to adopt a judicial-warrant declaration.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Push for a property-tax freeze or new relief for older homeowners?
Said: Would get ahead of senior homelessness, potentially by freezing property taxes for homeowners 65 and older within a certain income range, paired with senior services.
Back the Recovery Campus with county-issued bonds and operating money so it opens in fall 2027?
Said: Commits to addressing homelessness through completion and operation of the Recovery Campus by 2027.
Said: Our deflection program is working well and we now have the Stabilization Center in Milwaukie that handles those in crisis, whether it’s mental health, substance abuse or other issues. Our Recovery Campus opens in fall of 2027 and will assist those with SUDs, mental health issues, homelessness, workforce training and transition housing. We need a new jail but are doing the best we can with a very old building. Part of our Strategic Plan is to research the cost of a new jail and where to site it. However, this is years away at this point.
Received 2026-09-25
Taxes and the budget gap
Said: Every budget cycle each department must present a balanced budget to the Board. Revenue is not keeping up with inflation, so cuts are sometimes necessary within each department. Priority General Fund dollars center on Public Safety, Health, Housing and Human Services (which includes seniors and those with disabilities), Transportation and more. Our County Budget is available at clackamas.us.
Received 2026-09-25
Roads, bridges and air (data centers)
Said: There is currently a moratorium on Data Centers in Clackamas County (with the exception of individual cities, which would have to institute their own policy). Nothing will happen until we codify a new policy that addresses water use, energy use, sound, and air quality.
Received 2026-09-25
Judicial-warrant rule
Said: County Counsel recommends we follow state law.
Received 2026-09-25
A question the evidence leaves open
What findings would justify allowing or rejecting data centers after the moratorium?
Sources (3)
Clackamas County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 18Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; reviewed September 18, 2026Written by the candidate or campaign. Publication by the county does not verify the claims.
Helm · home pageCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.
Helm · emailed response to the Lab’s questionsCandidate statement · Received September 25, 2026Written by the candidate in reply to the Lab’s questions and kept on file; the answers are quoted on the brief. Receipt does not verify the claims.
Commissioner, Position 4 candidate · Clackamas County · November 3, 2026
R W Smith
Environmental consultant with community-action and climate committee experience.
Photo: Candidate-submitted photo · 2026 Clackamas County voters’ pamphlet
In their words
Said: Clackamas County is my home. My wife and I are raising our three children here.
Pamphlet p. 18
Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; extracted September 21, 2026
Skipped the “CLACKAMAS VALUES. BIPARTISAN SOLUTIONS.” slogan (labels with no predicate); the first sentence is under 12 words, so two are given. Verbatim opening of the candidate's own statement; publication by the county does not verify the claims.
The verbatim opening of their voters’ pamphlet statement, the same rule for every candidate. We chose nothing.
What they say they would do
Our summary of their platform, in our words
Opposes large-scale data centers and emphasizes resource protection, affordability and transparent contracts.
Keep large-scale data centers out of the county.
Protect electricity, water, farmland and taxpayers.
Improve access to treatment with measurable outcomes.
Our reading
Our interpretation, not their words
No large data centers
Transparent contracts
His data-center stance is categorical rather than a pause; the treatment and shelter expansion he wants is not yet paired with a funding plan, though he pledges independent fiscal review of big projects.
Said: Would encourage housing working families can afford, streamline permitting for small builders, limit corporate purchases of homes, and add shelter beds paired with case management.
How
Said: Streamlined permitting so builders avoid repeated design revisions; limits on speculative corporate ownership; shelter capacity paired with case management; partnerships with nonprofits and Community Action Board programs.
Measured by
— Not in their sources
Crisis care, jail and deflection
Treatment with outcomes
What
Said: Would give police and first responders the resources they need, expand treatment for addiction and mental illness, and insist on measurable outcomes.
How
Said: Strategic planning to hold emergency response times as the county grows; cooperation among county agencies, cities and service districts; prevention programs for young people.
Measured by
— Not in their sources
Taxes and the budget gap
Independent fiscal review
What
Said: Would put major public projects and long-term contracts through independent fiscal review, report budgets and obligations openly, and end subsidies to large data centers.
How
Said: Independent fiscal review of major projects and long-term financial agreements; public review of major structural decisions; new clean-energy capacity to stabilize utility costs.
Measured by
— Not in their sources
Roads, bridges and air
No large data centers
What
Said: Opposes bringing large-scale data centers into the county, citing their electricity, water and land demands, and would build new clean-energy capacity.
How
— Not in their sources
Measured by
— Not in their sources
The choices this office faces
Every candidate in this race is asked the same 5 questions. R W Smith is on record on 4, with 1 still open. A question without an answer is a research gap, not a position.
No answer we could find
Push for a property-tax freeze or new relief for older homeowners?
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed.
On record
Ask voters again for a public safety levy in May 2027, and at what rate?
Said: Says a five-year levy can stabilize services but is not a complete solution, and any request must come with transparent budgeting, regular reporting and a long-term plan; May 2027 and a rate are unsaid.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid.
Adopt a county moratorium on data centers now, or wait for the 2027 Legislature as staff recommended?
Said: Opposes bringing large-scale data centers into the county at all, citing their electricity, water and land demands and the infrastructure they require; his position is a ban rather than a pause.
Declare that county agencies will not help federal immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant?
Said: Says the county should be clear that local agencies do not participate in federal immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant, calling it a clean legal standard that keeps trust in public safety.
Back the Recovery Campus with county-issued bonds and operating money so it opens in fall 2027?
Said: Would expand addiction treatment and mental-health stabilization and add shelter capacity with case management, insisting on measurable outcomes; the Recovery Campus and its bonds are unsaid.
What development rules would implement your data-center position, and how would treatment access improve?
Sources (3)
Clackamas County voters’ pamphlet · PDF page 18Candidate statement · November 2026 edition; reviewed September 18, 2026Written by the candidate or campaign. Publication by the county does not verify the claims.
Smith · policiesCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.
Smith · home pageCandidate statement · Website reviewed September 21, 2026Campaign position. Claimed results and numerical premises have not automatically been independently verified.
