Two seats on the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners are up for grabs this fall, and both races are unfolding under the weight of a budget crisis and a scandal that still hasn't fully played out. In Position 2, longtime incumbent Paul Savas faces a comeback bid from Mark Shull, the commissioner censured in 2021 for racist remarks. In Position 4, appointed commissioner Diana Helm is defending her seat against first-time candidate R.W. “Remy” Smith, running to finish the term of a predecessor who fled the country while facing fraud charges.
A Scandal That Still Hangs Over Position 4
Diana Helm holds the Position 4 seat because of the collapse of Melissa Fireside, who left her term early amid fraud and theft allegations, according to The Oregonian/OregonLive. The scandal has since escalated: a federal grand jury indicted Fireside on two counts of wire fraud earlier this month, accusing her of obtaining more than $290,000 in pandemic PPP loans and then fleeing the country with her son while she awaited trial on the earlier state theft charges, as reported by the Wilsonville Spokesman. Fireside had resigned in March 2025 after the initial state theft and forgery charges were filed, per OPB.
Helm, a 65-year-old former Damascus mayor, was appointed to fill the vacancy in 2025 and then advanced through a crowded seven-candidate special primary in May 2026 to reach the November runoff for the seat's unexpired term, which runs through December 2026, the station's report notes. Before joining county government, Helm served as mayor of Damascus, according to Willamette Week. She now runs unaffiliated.
Helm and Smith Diverge on Experience and Fundraising
Helm's Position 4 opponent, 52-year-old first-time candidate R.W. “Remy” Smith of Milwaukie, is a registered Democrat who has served on community boards including the Milwaukie Climate Action Committee. Smith has been endorsed by Milwaukie Mayor Lisa Batey, Councilor Adam Khosroabadi and Council President Will Anderson.
Helm also plans to simplify and accelerate the county's permitting process and make it easier to start or expand a business in Clackamas County, the report states.
Savas Seeks a Fifth Term Against a Censured Predecessor
In Position 2, 70-year-old incumbent Paul Savas is seeking a fifth term after 15 years on the board. He lives in Oak Grove and is a registered Republican. His opponent, 74-year-old Mark Shull, served one term as commissioner before losing to Fireside in 2024 and is also a registered Republican running to reclaim the seat.
Shull's single term ended in controversy. The board censured him in 2021 and later stripped him of all committee liaison assignments after he proposed a draft resolution comparing COVID-19 vaccine passports to Jim Crow laws, according to OPB. The board's censure specifically cited derogatory, offensive, insensitive and racist remarks, and Shull had already faced calls to resign over social-media comments made shortly after taking office in 2021. Sharia Mayfield has called Shull unfit to serve, per the seed report.
Shull is campaigning on restoring public order, affordable housing and a stronger local economy, and says he wants to seek property tax relief for senior citizens while cutting wasteful spending. He has raised $12,901 for the race and has been endorsed by the Libertarian Party of Oregon and former Sheriff Angela Brandenburg. Clackamas County Board of Commissioners Chair Craig Roberts has not endorsed a candidate in the Position 2 race, the outlet reports.
Public Safety Levy Failure Looms Over Both Races
Money troubles frame both contests. Clackamas County voters rejected the sheriff's office levy earlier this year — Measure 3-633, a proposed 45% property tax increase — with 61% opposed in preliminary Wednesday-morning returns, according to OPB. The current operating levy, first passed in 2006, expires in December. Savas has said the levy's rejection will significantly affect public safety and that the county lacks the funds to fill the resulting budget gap, and he identifies providing services amid budget woes as the county's chief challenge.
Shull says he supported the public safety levy last year and will vote for it again next spring if it returns to the ballot. County leaders are already discussing the size and details of another levy effort for next spring.
Courthouse Debt and a Stalled Bay Park Project
Savas points to another financial strain: the county now pays $17 million annually toward its new courthouse. Savas cast the lone vote against the courthouse deal in 2021, and he says expenses continue to outpace revenue, pressuring the county's budget and service levels.
Savas has also cited rising homelessness among elderly people as a concern, noting that people aged 50 and older are the fastest-growing demographic experiencing homelessness nationally and are expected to reach higher numbers by 2030.
Endorsements and the Stakes for Voters
Savas has raised $115,893 as of Wednesday and has racked up endorsements from the mayors of Canby, Gladstone, Lake Oswego, Molalla, Oregon City, Sandy, Tualatin and West Linn, along with Clackamas County District Attorney John Wentworth. Local resident Ben West has voiced support for both Savas and Helm, saying the two bring experience and track records for county leadership.
Whoever wins will earn an annual salary of $133,859 to help govern Clackamas County. With the sheriff's levy failure and courthouse costs still in play, the two winners will inherit a board working to stabilize county finances and rebuild public trust after Fireside's exit.
