The Clackamas County Board of Commissioners has selected former Damascus Mayor Diana Helm to serve as its commissioner, capping off a replacement saga as unusual as the county’s politics.

The board’s 3-1 decision came at the end of a lengthy public discussion Monday among commissioners in Oregon’s third most populous county.

The deliberations did not appear tense, but commissioners shifted their stances repeatedly, ultimately compromising and agreeing to appoint Helm. The board, which is nonpartisan, praised Helm for her business experience and said she would improve county-wide representation on the board.

“I’m going to be getting a lot of phone calls tonight because there’s a lot of politics at play, as the way things go here,” Commissioner Martha Schrader, a Democrat, said after voting for Helm.

Helm will replace former Commissioner Melissa Fireside. Elected in November, Fireside resigned in March while facing felony charges of theft and forgery.

Fireside is accused of stealing $30,000 from an 83-year-old man and forging the signature of a state Rep. April Dobson, a Democrat who represents parts of Clackamas County. She has pleaded not guilty.

The board chose Helm over former Lake Oswego City Councilors Jeff Gudman and Jackie Manz; Happy Valley Mayor Tom Ellis; and Metro Councilor Christine Lewis. The board selected the five candidates after receiving 59 applications.

Chair Craig Roberts voted no, sticking with his sole choice during deliberations, Lewis.

As commissioner, Helm will make $130,213 annually. She is appointed through December 2026, meaning she will have to decide whether to run for the seat next year. When commissioners asked Monday whether she would run in the next election, she said she did not know.

This story is breaking and will be updated.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/05/19/clackamas-county-damascus-mayor-diana-helm-melissa-fireside/