Hoodland CPO Community Meetings

Agenda

Clackamas County Sheriff Candidate Forum

Thurs. Oct. 15, 2026
Mt Hood Oregon Resort, Main Lodge
7:00 p.m.

HEAR FROM THE CANDIDATES:

Sheriff James Rhodes
Undersheriff Brad O’Neil

Minutes

Hoodland CPO Meeting Minutes – October 15, 2026

Prepared by Pat Erdenberger, Secretary/Treasurer

Meeting details

The Hoodland Community Planning Organization (HCPO) met on Thursday, October 15, 2026, from 7:00 to 8:30 PM at the Mt. Hood Oregon Resort. The meeting included a public forum with the two candidates for Clackamas County Sheriff.

Board member	Office	Attendance
Marti Bowne	Chair	Present
Lisa Mesenna	Vice Chair	Present
Pat Erdenberger	Secretary/Treasurer	Present
Monica Taylor	Member at Large	Present
Peter Himes	Member at Large	Present
Marie Kennedy	Member at Large	Present
Gerald Murphy	Member at Large	Absent

Six of seven board members were present; a quorum was established.

Guests: Sheriff James Rhodes (appointed Clackamas County Sheriff, candidate) and Undersheriff Brad O'Neil (candidate). 32 Members of the public also attended.

Call to order and HCPO business

Chair Marti Bowne called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM, introduced the board members, and welcomed both candidates for sheriff.

Minutes. The previous month's minutes had already been approved by the board by email and distributed to the CPO mailing list and published to the County CPO webpage.

Anyone wishing to join the mailing list was asked to provide an email address.

Treasurer's report. The Chair read the report on behalf of the Treasurer, who was checking in attendees:

Cash on hand: $36.25.
The county provides an annual stipend which can be drawn on for office materials, which is $350 As yet, unspent.
A board member from Rhododendron CPO added that the Rhododendron CPO holds about $950 in trust for the HCPO, designated for the HECN radio program. These funds may be used only for the radio program, not for general CPO expenses.
The treasurer noted that to transfer the funds the HCPO intends to open a checking account with $36 earmarked for the CPO And $950 you’re Marked for HECN a committee of the CPO. A decision statement will be available and voted on by the board at the next community meeting in November.

Land Use Committee. The committee is following eight code enforcement violations, listed on the back of the agenda handout. Handout was distributed via email. The Chair invited questions after the meeting.

Short-Term Rental (STR) Committee. The Chair reported for committee lead Peter Himes that the county will hire two full-time employees to administer the new STR program. As the county indicated, startup will take 6 to 12 months; the positions are expected to be in place around January 2027. To be announced to solicit candidates for the positions. After a selection, we should expect them to move on to implementation and enforcement.

Hoodland Emergency Communication Network (HECN).

Repeater 15 antenna at the Brightwood Fire station is still in the process of being elevated, with a target height of 110 feet to substantially expand coverage.
HECN has 102 licensed users.
A weekly net is held Mondays at 6:00 PM. Anyone with a radio may listen; transmitting requires an FCC license.
A Coffee and Radio get-together is held the second Saturday of each month at 9:00 AM at Coffee House 26 for anyone curious about radios and the program.

There were no board comments on the committee reports. No audience members raised non-election comment when invited.

Sheriff candidate forum: opening statements

The Chair explained the format: about 10 minutes per candidate, then questions from the board, then questions from the public. Sheriff Rhodes spoke first.

Sheriff James Rhodes

Background. Raised in Oak Grove; Rex Putnam High School graduate; B.S. in law enforcement from Western Oregon University. Began his career in 1992 with Oregon City Police, joining the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) in 1997. Roles included patrol deputy, search and rescue coordinator, U.S. Forest Service deputy on the mountain, narcotics, detective (child abuse, robbery/homicide, violent crimes), Public Information Officer, Wilsonville police chief, captain, and undersheriff. Retired in 2021. In retirement he served on the County Budget Committee, the Enhanced Law Enforcement District Sheriff's Advisory Board, the Vector Control District, and a retiree trust committee. Appointed Sheriff by the Board of County Commissioners after the previous sheriff retired mid-term; sworn in August 3, 2026.

Priorities.

Financial reform: balance the budget and redirect spending to frontline services. Starting at the top, he would reduce his own salary to the state minimum, reduce command staff (stated as from three to two), and shrink or eliminate some administrative programs.
Support frontline deputies with training, equipment, and staffing. He noted that at some overnight hours as few as seven deputies cover the entire county.
Provide leadership, direction, and accountability, and address morale and retention problems.

Undersheriff Brad O’Neil

Background. Raised in Gladstone; Gladstone High School graduate; Eagle Scout. Joined the CCSO Explorer program in 1995 and was hired as a deputy in 1999. K9 handler for about 13 years, later sergeant over the six-dog program, and president of the Oregon Police Canine Association. As lieutenant he oversaw investigations; as captain (from 2021) he led patrol during COVID, raising hiring from about 10 to 25–30 deputies a year and ending mandatory overtime. Helped rebuild search and rescue with in-house volunteers. Now oversees patrol and parole and probation. Holds state executive certification, is an FBI National Academy graduate, and has about 3,800 documented training hours.

Priorities.

Rebuild relationships and community presence, from the top down, with commissioners, cities, and CPOs and hamlets.
Career development and succession planning, since much of the staff has five years' service or less.
A sustainable budget that pushes resources to the front line, including jail staffing and parole and probation follow-up.

Questions and answers

Questions were addressed to the Chair and answered by both candidates, alternating who answered first.

Board questions

1. Hoodland's place in county priorities, and a sheriff presence at the new Hoodland fire station (Lisa Messena).

Rhodes: CCSO's main responsibility is rural, unincorporated areas like Hoodland, which is a priority. Increased staffing will improve response to safety and livability issues, including short-term rentals. He expects CCSO to set up a substation in the new fire station where deputies can write reports and resupply, though they will mostly be out on patrol.
O’Neil: More staffing would allow a deputy to stay in this area rather than covering Boring and the mountain together. Hoodland sits mid-district, a prime location. He has discussed with Chief Kline a dedicated deputy space with an exterior door in the new station.

2. Weekend deputy coverage during short-term rental season (Pat Erdenberger). Crime data show little serious crime here; the common problems are STR-related (parties, trash, dogs, illegal fires). Could deputies be stationed at the firehouse, even two days a week, in summer?

O’Neil: Cited this year's joint New Year's Eve plan with the Government Camp community, which added patrols and reduced problems. The HCPO's STR map could feed a dashboard to identify hot spots and times and build a joint plan.
Rhodes: Increased staffing would allow this. He would bring back the Neighborhood Livability Team for chronic problem properties and would like part of the STR transient lodging tax dedicated to CCSO staffing.

Public questions

3. Speeding in the Highway 26 45-mph zone. A resident said enforcement appears only around events like Hood to Coast, and suggested a full-time officer writing tickets, paid for by fines.

Rhodes: Fines are set by the state and he cannot raise them. He plans to restore a dedicated traffic team (motorcycle deputies) to focus on the safety corridor and continue work with Oregon State Police. The resident suggested a grassroots effort in Salem to raise fines.
O’Neil: Supports restoring the traffic team and encouraging patrol deputies to do traffic enforcement. OSP recently resumed more frequent trooper coverage on the mountain. He noted Welches Road is also a hot spot and that visible patrol cars slow traffic.

4. Using data and technology to target the few people committing most crimes (Dennis).

O’Neil: Agreed; focusing on problem people and problem houses really works. He would restore the Neighborhood Livability Team, use data dashboards, train deputies to work on problem cases, and rely on residents' local knowledge.
Rhodes: CCSO already relies on intelligence-led work and information sharing and keeps investing in new tools to target prolific offenders.
Chair's comment: Residents often don't report minor crimes because response is slow. Every call to the non-emergency line creates a report that feeds the crime data, so residents should report even minor incidents.

5. The failed public safety levy (Rich).

Rhodes: The public safety local option levy failed in May 2026. The current levy expires December 31 but, with November tax collection, is funded through about July 1, 2027. It is $26 million and supports 92 positions (about half jail, half patrol), the interagency narcotics task force, body cameras, and vehicles. Losing it would mean closing about a third of the jail and nearly halving patrol. He has moved body cameras and vehicles to other funding and is preparing a leaner replacement for the May 2027 ballot, aiming near $0.45 per $1,000 (current levy about $0.37; the failed proposal about $0.53).
O’Neil: Will support whatever levy the Sheriff crafts. Losing 92 positions would be catastrophic; Clackamas is the safest large county in Oregon.
Chair's comment: The HCPO will hold a meeting third Thursday of April 2027on this issue.

6. CCSO's relationship with ICE. An attendee asked whether ICE may use CCSO facilities and whether the county would ever respond with or for ICE.

O’Neil: Oregon law is specific. CCSO acts only on a judge-signed warrant. It does not respond to ICE administrative subpoenas and must report ICE information requests to the state Criminal Justice Commission. ICE may access only public areas, such as the lobby and parking lot, and public information. CCSO would respond only to secure a scene for public safety, such as shots fired.
Rhodes: Local law enforcement does not enforce federal immigration law, and state law bars sharing information or resources with ICE. CCSO has no relationship with ICE. It enforces state criminal law regardless of immigration status and will respond if public safety is threatened.

7. Dependence on levies and the general fund share (Shirley). The questioner said the levy has been renewed since 2006, the sheriff receives about 44% of county general fund dollars, and core services belong in the general fund.

Rhodes: CCSO's budget is about $165 million: $86 million general fund, $26 million levy, $9 million Enhanced Law Enforcement District, plus contract cities, fees, fines, and grants. He agreed core services and the 92 positions belong in the general fund, but commissioners control the county's $1.4 billion budget and would have to cut other departments. He urged residents to tell commissioners public safety is the priority.
O’Neil: The sheriff is one voice; residents' collective voice carries more weight with commissioners. CCSO will present data showing the value of its spending.
The questioner closed by noting that voters rejected the levy decisively in May.

8. Readiness on day one (Steve).

O’Neil: Ready on day one; holds current state executive certification and FBI National Academy training.
Rhodes: Ready; has been doing the job for two and a half months.

9. Follow-up on Sheriff Rhodes's certification. A resident read a question asserting that Sheriff Rhodes lacks current Oregon police certification and that 16 weeks of training would conflict with levy work. The Chair allowed both candidates to respond.

Rhodes: He holds full sheriff authority. DPSST requires a sheriff to obtain police certification within 12 months of election. His prior certifications through executive level lapsed during retirement. DPSST will decide between a two-week and a 16-week course; he expects two weeks. He has up to 18 months with extension, would attend after the levy campaign, and would continue running the office.
O’Neil: No additional training needed; ready on day one.

10. Breaking down silos and attending community meetings (Ric) A former CPO member asked why CCSO doesn't attend county community leaders' meetings and wildfire partnership meetings, and why code enforcement can't use deputies to photograph violations rather than driving from Oregon City.

O’Neil: The answer is showing up. If the sheriff can't attend, another CCSO representative should. CCSO has worked closely with disaster management since the 2020 wildfires, and code enforcement coordination is low-hanging fruit.
Rhodes: Before COVID, lieutenants were assigned to attend all CPO meetings, and he will restore that. The Neighborhood Livability Team works directly with code enforcement. Relations with Clackamas Fire are strong.
Comment: An attendee who serves on the county's community involvement committee said CCSO was not invited to the last two community leaders' meetings, likely due to election-year caution, and that they will ask Public and Government Affairs to invite CCSO in future.

11. Vehicles without license plates. A resident described an unplated car occupied for days on their street around 2023 with no enforcement and has noticed other unplated vehicles.

Rhodes: During and after COVID, state policy discouraged towing vehicles people lived in. A parked, unplated car can't be cited unless it is driven, but unplated vehicles on the road should be ticketed. He urged residents to report these via the non-emergency line or app.
O’Neil: The "Power" plate is a dealership placard. The state gave registration leeway during COVID, but CCSO has since cracked down; deputies stop unplated cars because they may be stolen.

Close of forum, other business, and adjournment

The Chair thanked both candidates. Both remained after the meeting for individual conversations, and campaign literature for both candidates was available at the back of the room.

Old business. None.

New business.

The HCPO will not meet in December, January, or February.
Speakers are scheduled for March and April. The April meeting is expected to address the public safety levy.
Meeting notices will go to the mailing list; attendees not on the list were invited to provide an email address.

Adjournment. The Chair moved to adjourn; the motion was seconded and carried without discussion. The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:30 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Patricia Erdenberger

Pat Erdenberger, Secretary/Treasurer