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.
| Candidate | 0 of 2 documented | 2 of 2 documented | 2 of 2 documented | 0 of 2 documented | Save to my ballot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Homes | Safety | Money | Roads | |
 | Homes | Safety | Money | Roads |
What this office decides right now
What’s at stake
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 all to see who has said nothing about what.
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 undersheriffCore 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.
- James RhodesAppointed sheriffStart 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.
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 undersheriffFront 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.
- James RhodesAppointed sheriffFourth 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.
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 undersheriffMeasured 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.
- James RhodesAppointed sheriffFaster 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.
About this race
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 chip is our short reading of a sourced statement; we do not endorse, rank or score.
Reviewed September 18, 2026 · lines 2026-09-19.1 · AI-assisted, human review 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.
- 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.