Clackamas County · November 3, 2026

Portland City Council, Sheriff

2
Candidates: 1
Seats: Vote for one
Method: Nov 3
Due 8 p.m.

Our readingDraft

Both run on experience and careful spending. Compare an accountability-and-management case, with rural response times as its measured goal, against a list of operational priorities: traffic and impaired-driving enforcement, property-crime follow-up and fentanyl investigations.

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2 candidates, A–Z. Tap any position to read the sentence, how they would deliver it, and the source.

3 more choices, below3 more choices

Jump to a candidate

Where each candidate stands on four issues, in our short reading of their statements. Each position is a button; activate it to read the sentence, how they would deliver it, and the source. Candidates appear alphabetically.
Candidate	0 of 2 documented	2 of 2 documented	2 of 2 documented	0 of 2 documented	Save to my ballot
Brad O’NeilClackamas County undersheriff	Homes	Safety	Money	Roads
James RhodesAppointed sheriff	Homes	Safety	Money	Roads

What this office decides right now

Decisions ahead

The sheriff runs a 483-bed jail, patrol for unincorporated areas and three contract cities, investigations, civil process and parole and probation on a budget of about $156 million that the Board funds but does not direct. The office lost its elected sheriff in July, loses its five-year levy at the end of 2026, and will make its case to voters again in May 2027.

Each of this office’s 3 live choices is a board below, with every candidate’s stated position or the gap.

Sheriff resigned mid-term
Sheriff Angela Brandenburg resigned July 23, 2026 with two years left in her term. On July 28 the Board appointed James Rhodes over Chair Roberts's objection that candidates should be solicited publicly; Undersheriff Brad O'Neil, whom Roberts named as also interested, now runs against him.
Sheriff's budget and vacancies
The FY 2026-27 proposed budget gives the Sheriff's Office $155.8 million and 607 positions, 73 of them vacant, including 16 on patrol; the levy fund pays for 92 positions and the jail for 110, and the General Fund supplies $87.3 million, 56% of the office's budget.
483 jail beds
The county jail's housing capacity is 483 beds under the Board-approved Capacity Management Plan; when the population nears it the sheriff makes forced releases of eligible adults under state law, tracked on a public dashboard, and those released still owe court appearances.
Levy defeated, expiring
Measure 3-633 failed 62.13% to 37.87% on May 19, 2026 with 44.86% turnout. The levy, renewed every five years since 2006, expires at the end of 2026, and the county's consultant recommended a May 2027 referral with clearer messaging and a defined lead.
What the levy pays for
Measure 3-633 would have set the levy at 53.4 cents per $1,000 and raised about $202.9 million over five years for 84 jail beds, 26 medical and mental-health beds, 36 jail deputies, 34 patrol deputies, five detectives, a drug-enforcement team, body cameras and two internal-affairs investigators; the current levy expires December 31, 2026.
Retry set for May 2027
On July 28, 2026 the Board chose to return to voters in May 2027 rather than November 2026; Chair Craig Roberts said the team is not quite ready, and the county's consultant noted the May electorate skews older and more skeptical of tax increases.
Jail medical contract
The Board's August 13, 2026 consent agenda carried a five-year, $50.5 million contract with NaphCare for jail medical and mental-health care, funded partly by the public safety levy, alongside a $2.66 million state grant for shelter operations.

Where they stand · three more choices

Three choices Clackamas County faces

One question at a time: every candidate’s answer, A–Z, with its source. Open a topic to compare the answers and see where information is still missing.

Life after the levyIf voters reject a levy again in May 2027, which levy-funded services go first?2 of 2 on record

The public safety levy that funds 84 jail beds, 26 medical and mental-health beds, 36 jail deputies, 34 patrol deputies, five detectives, body cameras and two internal-affairs investigators expires December 31, 2026 after Measure 3-633 failed 62% to 38% in May 2026; the Board plans a new referral in May 2027, and the FY 2026-27 proposed budget books $28.4 million of levy money for 92 positions.

Brad O’NeilClackamas County undersheriff
Core services first
Said: What they said
Says budget pressure is real and ongoing, and core public-safety services will be protected first with resources directed to the front line; which levy-funded services would go first is unsaid.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.
James RhodesAppointed sheriff
Start at the top
Said: What they said
Says that when budgets are tight he starts with fourth-floor administration, discretionary spending and programs that must show value before cutting services residents depend on; which levy-funded services would go first is unsaid.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.

Cut administration firstWhen the Sheriff's Office budget shrinks, cut administration and programs before patrol and jail?2 of 2 on record

The FY 2026-27 proposed budget gives the Sheriff's Office $155.8 million, including $28.4 million from the expiring levy, and $87.3 million in General Fund support, 44.7% of all such support countywide; it funds 607 positions, of which 73 were vacant, 16 of them on patrol.

Brad O’NeilClackamas County undersheriff
Front line protected
Said: What they said
Would protect core public-safety services first, direct resources to the front line, guide staffing and spending with data and eliminate waste so the office runs leaner.
Our paraphrase of the candidate’s statement.
James RhodesAppointed sheriff
Fourth floor first
Said: What they said
Would find savings in top administration, discretionary spending and programs before touching patrol, corrections, detectives and parole and probation, with quarterly public budget reports.
Our paraphrase of the candidate’s statement.

Rural response timesMake response times in rural and unincorporated areas a measured priority?2 of 2 on record

Patrol has 71.8 budgeted positions with 16 vacant in the FY 2026-27 proposed budget; another 45 deputies work under contract for Estacada, Happy Valley and Wilsonville, and the Enhanced Law Enforcement District pays for 36 positions in urban unincorporated areas.

Brad O’NeilClackamas County undersheriff
Measured rural priority
Said: What they said
Would make coverage and response times in rural and unincorporated communities a measured priority, saying families in outlying areas wait longer for a deputy than families in town.
Our paraphrase of the candidate’s statement.
James RhodesAppointed sheriff
Faster response, more patrols
Said: What they said
Would improve response times with more visible patrols and restore traffic and DUII enforcement; rural and unincorporated areas are not singled out.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.

What the fundraising records show

January 1, 2025–2026-11-04 · Current transaction snapshot. November–December 2024 is missing; recent filings and manual-export coverage are provisional. Reviewed candidate–committee links do not make every transaction a 2026 campaign transaction. Official account balances and editorial findings are updated separately.

This race does not yet have reviewed, comparable fundraising records in this edition. No fundraising ranking is shown. Missing data is not zero fundraising.

About this race

How to vote

You vote for one candidate. How it works

Election Day: November 3, 2026 · official drop boxes close at 8 p.m.

Find an official ballot drop box

The League of Women Voters' VOTE411.org shows every race on your ballot from your address, in your choice of language, with candidates' answers to the League's questions where they gave them.

What this office can do

The sheriff runs county law enforcement and jail operations, subject to law and county appropriations.

How this list was made

Same questions for everyone, A–Z. Each short label summarizes a sourced position; we do not endorse, rank or score.

Original research reviewed September 18, 2026. AI-assisted; a separate human editorial review is still pending.

Terms explained

Amendment: A proposed change to a measure before the final vote. Voting for an amendment is not the same as voting for the whole measure.
Supplemental budget: A mid-year change to the city budget after the main budget is adopted.
Appropriation: Permission to spend money on something. It does not mean the money has been spent or the result achieved.
PCEF: The Portland Clean Energy Fund: a tax on large retailers that pays for climate projects. Council has debated using its interest for other services.
Term sheet: Starting terms for a negotiation. Approving one is not a final contract.
Social housing: Housing owned by the public or a nonprofit and rented at controlled prices.
CEI Hub: The fuel-storage area along the Willamette in Northwest Portland, where Zenith Energy operates.
Ranked choice: You rank candidates in order. If your first choice is eliminated or already elected, your vote counts toward your next choice.