Clackamas County commissioner race too close to call

The race between Clackamas County Commissioner Mark Shull, a conservative Republican running for a second term, and Melissa Fireside, a Lake Oswego small business owner and Democrat, was too close to call, according to partial results tallied Tuesday night.

As of 8 p.m., Fireside had 52% of the vote to Shull's 48%. Roughly 46% of ballots cast may remain to be counted.

Clackamas County Chair Tootie Smith appeared to be losing her bid for reelection to retired Sheriff Craig Roberts , according to partial results tallied Tuesday night. The returns as of 8 p.m. show Smith with 42% of the vote to 58% for Roberts.

Live Results Page | Election Live Updates

Shull, 72, a military veteran from Sandy, faced off against Fireside, 43, a political novice who lives in Lake Oswego. Four years ago, she lost her bid for a seat on the Lake Oswego City Council.

Commissioners are elected to four-year terms; each receives a salary of $130,213. While the five seats on the Board of Commissioners are nonpartisan, Shull was part of a Republican voting bloc.

Fireside, who owns a construction management consulting company, said she ran to bring "prosperity and a competitive edge" to the county.

Shull, who started his own design and home building company, was elected in 2020, securing just over 50% of the vote to oust former Clackamas County Commissioner Ken Humberston.

Early in his tenure, Shull faced backlash when county residents discovered he had posted derogatory comments about Islam and Muslims, among other offensive remarks.

That prompted the Board of Commissioners to vote to censure Shull and call for him to resign just two weeks after he joined the county commission. He voted "yes" on the resolution, but remained on the board.

He stirred up outside during the pandemic when he compared COVID-19 vaccine passports to Jim Crow laws that enforced racial segregation. Chair Tootie Smith and the other three commissioners at the time voted to strip Shull of all liaison duties and committee assignments. He later shared a meme on Facebook that appeared to compare COVID-19 health restrictions to the Holocaust.

Before the election, Shull declined a request for a phone interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive, responding only to written questions. He wrote that he has "stayed true to what he believes" and that he and Fireside hold "a very different view on the role of government."

Asked about his contributions to the county Board of Commissioners, Shull declined to cite policy proposals he championed. He said he spends "a great deal of time" learning about the issues facing the county and exercising good judgment to ensure the county is efficient.

In an earlier interview, Fireside cited public safety, increasing housing availability and economic development as key issues.

She said she supports a "much more robust" approach to homelessness, substance abuse treatment and jobs training, as well as programs "that we know that help people get off the street and have safe and stable housing."

She said she would prioritize support for programs targeting youths who experience homelessness and would like to see a 24-hour shelter open in the county.

- Noelle Crombie is an enterprise reporter with a focus on criminal justice. Reach her at 503-276-7184;