2 weeks Ago By ALEX POWERS [email protected]
Incumbent Nancy Wyse likely will retain her position in local government after maintaining an apparently insurmountable lead in the three-way race for Benton County Board of Commissioners. Wyse said by phone Tuesday night, Nov. 5, that she had called her opponents, inviting the Republican challenger and Pacific Green upstart to debrief with her about constituents’ campaign trail complaints.
Benton County Commissioner Nancy Wyse speaks at the Corvallis-Benton County Library at a forum presented by the Corvallis Chamber of Commerce in April 2024. “I know it sounds cheesy, but contested elections make everyone work harder, and it makes voters pay attention to the election,” Wyse said. “It takes a lot to put yourself out there under public scrutiny, so I really appreciate them doing so.
” Wyse’s victory extends a nearly quarter-century Democratic supermajority on the local government’s board of elected leaders. Close to 100,000 people live in Benton County, with nearly 62,000 of those registered to vote, according to state figures. Democrats outnumber Republicans two-to-one.
“Sometimes they hear different things from the voters than I do,” Wyse said. Roy Keith Lembke, the Republican, captured nearly 14,500 votes, according to preliminary results from the Benton County Clerk. With no new figures by noon Wednesday, Nov.
6, Lembke would need about 12,000 votes to close the gap with Wyse. But just 13,800 potential votes remained, according to results from late Tuesday, in a region with about 85% to 88% voter turnout in presidential elections in 2016 and 2020. James Dashiell , running as a Pacific Green candidate, had about 3,500 votes.
Corvallis residents Nick Brown and Emily Longman cast their votes at the Benton County Courthouse in Corvallis before heading off to Saturday plans. Wyse will join Pat Malone as second-term commissioners. Gabe Shepherd — a Corvallis City Councilor, and former deputy recording official in Albany — will join them in January.
Shepherd ran unopposed Tuesday night after taking the Democratic nomination in Oregon’s May primary election, and after no Republicans filed to contest the seat that Xan Augerot has held since 2016. Meanwhile, Wyse said she's “excited to get four more years.” Wyse is in line to chair the board in 2025.
She also said she will accept an invitation to co-chair a committee developing land use and transportation policy at Association of Oregon Counties, the advocacy and lobby concern representing county interests in Oregon’s legislature. “Land use is one of my strengths, I would say,” Wyse said. Augerot had sat on a legislative committee at the Oregon Counties association and served in 2024 as the Benton Board’s chairperson.
“It gets us a very firm seat at the table when talking about what direction AOC should take with its policy,” Wyse said. More Benton County news More mid-valley elections Alex Powers (he/him) covers agri-business, Benton County, environment and city of Lebanon for Mid-Valley Media. Call 541-812-6116 or tweet @OregonAlex.
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