ClatskanieNot a ballot

Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Clatskanie Mayor & City Council Election 2026

4 of 7 council seats are on the ballot, with 8 candidates running. Updated Oct 21, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check

Not sure who to vote for? Answer 5 questions and see which candidates agree with you, and why.

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Nov 3Election Day

How to vote · 11 days left

Find where to voteCheck your registration
Election Day (Nov 3): the election office's notice

These links go to official state and county election sites. Hours and rules differ by state; your election office has the final word.

The candidates

Listed alphabetically by last name. Every position links to its source.

Every Clatskanie voter picks one mayor for a two-year term and up to three councilors for four-year terms; all seats are citywide. The mayor also votes on council questions.

Election Day · Nov 3

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Also on your Nov 3 ballot

We research city races only. For these races, go to the state's official guide or a nonpartisan one.

Official voter lookupState voter guideVote411 (League of Women Voters)

Districts come from 2020 Census blocks and the district maps for this election. Your address decides your districts.

Already on the council, not on the ballot

Whoever you elect will govern alongside these members.

Officeholders' pages compare what they've said with how they've voted, with sources.

What the next council decides

01Wastewater plant and sewer fee4 sourced facts

Where it standsClatskanie is building a new wastewater treatment plant funded in part by a State Revolving Fund loan, and a sewer fee to repay it began phasing in from March 2026.

What's on the tableHow hard to push for outside money to shrink the loan, and whether to help ratepayers on low or fixed incomes.

02Policing and public safety3 sourced facts

Where it standsThe Columbia County Sheriff's Office patrols Clatskanie and reports to the council each month.

What's on the tableHow much patrol coverage the city buys and whether to look again at local policing.

03Jobs and local business3 sourced facts

Where it standsIn May 2026 the council voted to add about 48 acres near the former sorting yard to the Lower Columbia Maritime Enterprise Zone for a new wood products plant.

What's on the tableHow the city courts new employers and supports existing businesses and visitors.

04FEMA floodplain rules3 sourced facts

Where it standsClatskanie chose a permit-by-permit approach to FEMA's Pre-Implementation Compliance Measures and has paid into a legal effort against them.

What's on the tableWhether to keep funding the legal and negotiating effort over the floodplain rules.

05Illegal fireworks2 sourced facts

Where it standsResidents have raised illegal fireworks at several meetings, and the Sheriff's Office suggested a local ordinance could be easier to enforce than state criminal law.

What's on the tableWhether to adopt a city ordinance with a local penalty for illegal fireworks.

2 notes on these statements

Mayor Bob Brajcich is not running for reelection, so the mayor's seat is open. The Spotlight (Your Oregon News) · Oct 14, 2026

Shaun Ripplinger, Robert (Bob) Emminger, Russell Finney-Leggroan, Amanda Owen and Scott Hadlock did not respond to The Spotlight's candidate Q&A. The Spotlight (Your Oregon News) · Oct 2, 2026

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Who matches you?

Answer any of these questions. We compare your answers with each person's sourced record, and nothing is stored. Questions where no one has a sourced record yet are left out. Tap a selected answer again to skip it.

  1. 1. How should Clatskanie handle the sewer fee for the new wastewater plant?

  2. 2. How should the city handle law enforcement?

  3. 3. Where should the city focus to grow local jobs?

  4. 4. Should the city keep paying toward the legal effort over FEMA floodplain rules?

  5. 5. How should the city deal with illegal fireworks?

Seat the councilSeat the Council →Pick a winner for each open seat and see where the resulting council stands on each issue.On the recordHow the council voted11 council decisions, each member's vote side by side, with a link to the minutes.

Key dates

The seat math

3 stay (not up this year): Jeff Horness, Bruce Jolma, Heidi White4 on this ballot

7 council seats. The council decides by a 4-vote majority.

  • Council terms are four years, and three terms expire at the end of each even-numbered year; the mayor's term is two years. City of Clatskanie
  • The mayor chairs the council and has a vote on all questions before it, but has no veto. City of Clatskanie
  • The council works under a council/manager form of government, with a city manager as chief executive. City of Clatskanie

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