In one of the more closely watched races in the county, Lt. Brian Pixley will now step up as the next elected sheriff at the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) after edging out top competitor Dave Brown by more than 1,000 votes.

Columbia County residents seem to have approved a gun rights ordinance that appeared in some version in 10 Oregon counties this year. Seven other counties also passed ordinances, according to early voting results.

As of the final count from Tuesday's election, challenger Steve Topaz leads incumbent Susan Conn by 42 votes, 2294 to 2252 in the race for St. Helens City Council Pos. 3. 

Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici released the following statement after winning reelection in Oregon's First Congressional District:

In a night of close early election results in St. Helens City Hall races, incumbent mayor Rick Scholl is the exception, appearing to be coasting to a second two-year term.

St. Helens Mayor Rick Scholl and challenger Al Petersen kicked off a debate forum hosted by The Chronicle this past week. Following the mayoral segment, the candidates for St. Helens City Council took the stage.

Five candidates for two city council positions in St. Helens took the stage following the mayoral debate hosted by The Chronicle. Steve Topaz challenged incumbent Susan Conn for council position one, and council president Doug Morten faces two opponents, Mark Griffith and Maggie Clayton.

Don Campbell

A forum hosted this past week by The Chronicle invited the residents of St. Helens to spend an evening with the candidates for Columbia County Sheriff.

In preparation for these interviews, The Chronicle was provided access to the personnel files of Brian Pixley and Dave Brown. Jim Gibson’s files were not immediately available before press time. His files will be reviewed at a later date. The Chronicle combed through the provided files looki…

Three candidates are running for the office of sheriff this election year: Brian Pixley, Dave Brown and Jim Gibson. The Chronicle has combed through campaign finance records from business donations and individual donors to campaign expenditures since June 1, 2018. 

Dave Brown: