YAMHILL COUNTY, Ore. — Chehalem Parks and Recreation District, the Newberg-Dundee School District, and Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue will all see new members join their boards of directors as the May 20 special election unofficially concludes.
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In the Chehalem Parks and Recreation At-large election, meaning the top three voters are elected to the board, Jim McMaster, the lone returning member of the CPRD board, was the top vote-getter, receiving 26.67% of the vote. He was followed by newcomers Brandon Slyter and Nick Konen, who received 21.15% and 20.28%, respectively. Slyter and Konen will join McMaster on the board beginning July 1. The positions were vacated by current board members Gayle Bizeau and Lisa Rogers, who did not seek reelection.
The Newberg-Dundee School District had two unopposed candidates: incumbent Aubrey Nichols and newcomer Celeste Jones. The sole contested race for the board was between former Dundee Mayor David Russ and incumbent Andy Byerley, an educator appointed to the board in March. Byerley secured the win with 63.84% of the vote. Nichols, Jones and Byerley will begin their terms on July 1.
Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue will see a new Position 3 director as Roy R. Rogers appears to have defeated incumbent Gordon L. Hovies with 52.95% of the vote. Rogers is a former Washington County commissioner, three-term Tualatin mayor and certified public accountant. Robert C. Wyffels and Clark I. Balfour ran unopposed for Positions 1 and 2, respectively.
Dundee Rural Fire Protection District candidates Don Carpenter and Dan Bechtold ran unopposed for Positions 2 and 3. Their four-year terms also begin July 1.
The May 20, 2025 special election saw higher voter turnout, with 26.41% of registered voters casting ballots. By comparison, the May 18, 2021 special election saw 23.91% turnout, and the May 16, 2017 election had 19.73%.
According to Yamhill County Elections, official results are still curing, meaning election officials are notifying voters whose ballots were challenged due to a missing or mismatched signature. Notifications are sent via mail or electronic message, if the voter opted into ballot tracking. The Yamhill County clerk anticipates this process will be completed by May 28 at 6 p.m.
The election will be officially certified on June 16 at 5 p.m.
For more information and to view full results, visit the Yamhill County Elections website.
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