This year, the City of North Plains, Oregon, has been ground zero for a tumultuous battle between an aggressive City Council and its people. Led by Mayor Teri Lenahan and Councilor Russ Sheldon, the Council pushed for a massive 855-acre growth package that would have more than doubled the size of this small Oregon town just West of Portland and North of tech hotbed Hillsboro. Still known for its farmers and locals with that salt of the Earth persona, this fine rural town spent all of 2024 embroiled in a nasty battle between those backing massive growth and those wanting smart growth. On the growth side was Mayor Lenahan and the Council led by Sheldon. On the other side was Friends Of North Plains Smart Growth, an upstart group of citizens and farm advocates who found the massive Industrial growth plans objectionable, not to mention the lack of a robust public process.
The year featured the City going on record as being required by the State of Oregon to grow, only to reverse itself later when the Herald obtained and printed a letter from the DLCD at the State, making it clear that growth was optional and controlled by City leaders. Unrelenting, the powerful cabal pushed ahead with their plans, insisting the city had to grow and do it on that massive scale.
After the Council voted for the growth plan you see above, citizens were fed up. Hundreds of signatures were gathered, and a lawyer was hired to draft an initiative petition to place a referendum on the ballot so that the people of North Plains could vote on the matter. Known as Measure 34-327, that referendum was set to be voted on in May. But before it could go too far, Lenahan and her Council, along with City Attorney Christopher Crean (who is also the City of Hillsboro Attorney), filed an injunction to stop the vote by having the referendum stopped and to prevent the County from printing the matter in the Voters guide. They were unsuccessful, and the matter was referred to the voters. A campaign like no other was held in May of 2024, the likes of which few have ever seen. On the YES side were Lenahan and Sheldon, along with outsiders who control massive land holdings. The Portland Realtors and others, seeking to benefit from the incredible amount of money to be made by this land gold rush, poured almost $100,000 dollars into the YES efforts. The NO side was more like the side that said, “Growth is ok, but can we do actual planning and tone it down?” and they had no funds. But they did have a parade in Downtown, a concert featuring local music star Jacquie Roar, and sort of a bake-sale campaign. The battle for North Plains was in the hands of the people. They survived being bombarded from all sides with texts, calls, mailers, and door knockers. It was wild!
Despite City leaders boasting they had 70% of the vote, they were wrong and were walloped by a 72% to 38% No Growth vote. i
Read 10 Background Stories On this North Plains Saga Here from 2024
After the Vote, the court proceedings continued in Washington County Court, as the City of North Plains spent a considerable sum to have the “no” vote thrown out on constitutional grounds that no city has the right to let an initiative vote dictate its growth plans. Oregon House Bill 4026 was passed/modified in 2024, which sought to eliminate the ability for citizens to have a say via the ballot box in growth decisions in their communities. Big Sisters & Brothers in Salem don’t like it when locals fight to maintain their community however they want. On September 9th, Judge Andrew Irwin found that neither the City nor the County had the right to revoke the referendum Vote, and he also found that the Oregon House Bill 4026 was not enforceable. His landmark ruling has Statewide implications.
“Because the Oregon Constitution first reserved initiative and referendum powers to the people before vesting remaining powers to the legislature, the legislature has no authority to limit the people’s referendum rights,” Erwin wrote in his decision.
So, is North Plains not going to grow by Twice its size or not?
Now you know its 2024. And we all see what is happening. So all of that energy and angst, and yes, all of that outside money poured right back into town and was used to fund campaigns for 3 City Council Seats and the Mayor’s Office. The campaign that followed made the growth referendum look like Little League stuff. Russ Sheldon created a political PAC to raise money for his run for Mayor and Lenahan’s run for City Council. More money was poured in from the Portland realtors and land owners outside the city. Another pro-growth candidate jumped in to help the current power structure remain in control. On the other hand, the smart growth side saw the rise of the North Plains 4. They were underfunded with just the grassroots campaign they could muster.
After a wild and, at times, nasty campaign that showed who was/is behind the growth agenda (see Herald articles linked below), the North Plains 4 prevailed. Ariel Goodwin, a political first-timer, will take the Mayor’s office. Mandy Hagedorn, Katie Reding, and Aaron Dumbrow, also newbies to political leadership, will fill three North Plains council seats. The new mayor and the three new Councilors will join the three remaining Councilors who were/are a part of the Yes on Growth group. Gone will be Lenahan and Sheldon- the two most significant drivers of the growth bus, who also accepted the most money from the PAC, which those landowners and outside interests funded.
WHEW- Is It Over Yet?
I’d love to tell you it is. But incredibly, it is not!
- On Monday, there was a presentation on growth, and many people did not like what they heard and saw. It sure did not look like Lenahan, Sheldon, and the current power structure listened to the Voters. The UGB Relook Community Meeting #1 is online here, and while it was long and well-documented, it really came across as a sales pitch for the old plans with some possible changes. Many who were at the meeting posted across social media this week the sentiment that the City Manager and new planning team tried to make the case that “The growth we have had didn’t pay for itself, so what we need is more growth to pay for it”. It seems that the Lenahan-Sheldon Leadership is going to remain tone-deaf to 72% of the Voters all the way to their last days in office. SO: Growth is needed because??? ANSWER FROM THE BELIEVERS: It is necessary because growth is good- landowners need to sell their land and have Millions- and builders need to make money and sell homes. After all, they donated campaign money and needed something for it. And all these homes and factories will pay for all the cool stuff, roads, and such that we already have- they really will! :) Yes, we need housing. And there is time for that, and it will happen with thoughtful planning and growth. It is undeniable that with thousands of recent layoffs right here locally, taking some time now is the smart thing to do.
- There was also an executive session at City Hall held in secrecy on Monday night—I’m not sure what that was for. Still, they may have been discussing whether the City, which they will no longer lead after December, will commit tens of thousands for the mystical Mr Crean to appeal Judge Irwin’s ruling. That fight will be costly and could expose the City to having to pay all of the other sides’ lawyers’ fees, which could be well over $50,000 by now. Talk about pissing in the pool when you can’t swim in it anymore.
- Lastly, there is this little gem. Sitting Councilor Rickey Smith announced Monday that it was time to resign. This opens a seat at the very last minute. Hmmm—- I wonder who might take that seat? Who might be interested in finishing the 2 years left on Smith’s term? Could it be someone who just lost a City Council race? Or might it be the vociferous champion of growth and Mayoral hopeful Russ Sheldon? Or who could it be?
Lenahan posted to her Facebook Page two things tonight:
- The Announcement of Smith’s retirement and the fact that the City will post on its Website how citizens can apply for this open Council Seat—Resolution 2283—is the agenda item. The Council Opening will be posted for two weeks starting November 21st. All applications will be reviewed, and she and the sitting Council will decide who gets the balance of the two-year term.
- She also posted, apparently after accusations rose that she was going after the seat, that “I have no intentions of submitting an application”.
Another growth Re-Look is happening on November 20th. It looks like this Council intends to pass a new growth plan before the new Mayor and Council are installed. It sure looks that way. I mean, after a complete ass-whooping at the ballot boxes and in the courts, having outspent your opponents 100 to 1 and still got your teeth kicked in, wouldn’t it seem like the best thing to do is listen to the people of North Plains and leave things alone? That is what Ethical people do. That is what people who love their town would do.
This has been a tough year for so many of us. Isn’t it time for this North Plains chapter to end and a new one to begin? Or will the leaders inflict as much damage as they can before they leave? We will keep telling you this story because, on its face, this has been one of the most unbelievable turns of events we have ever seen.
Next time, we will talk about the new City Manager, who is already accused of unethical behavior, and his new contract that Mayor Lenahan signed, which gives him massive pay windfalls if he is ever let go. Oh, Goodie!
“That is what Ethical people do. That is what people who love their town would do.” Yes, that is what Ethical people do. That is what people who love their town would do. But it seems ethical and and love for a person’s town, isn’t of concern. It’s greed, ego, and the need to win at all costs. Shame on those who are in this park. All of them. No regard for citizens and their vote. None what so ever.
Great article Dirk. Being a worker bee for over a year on the referendum, reactivating CPO 8, and finally the election, one common denominator became clear: greed. Those who own farm land were promised inflated prices beyond imagination; it’s not clear what city leaders were promised, but their unceasing efforts to power through with a UGB expansion despite losing in court and the ballot box twice holds the answer. Thanks for keeping a bright light on this.
Linda you’ve stated my thoughts exactly. The landowners motivation is clear. The elected officials is less so. The elected officials are all residents of North Plains, and yet seem hell bent on going against their constuents and neighbors. Why?
The general belief is that growth is good and that the City will generate enough property tax revenues to make the negatives of growth tolerable. It never works. As one person said on the Facebook thread- the new City Manager is arguing that the growth they already allowed in the past few years, is not paying for itself. So this new growth is supposed to bail out the old growths negative effects on the City. That is part of this- but moreover I think there are other things going on here.
Although I’m not a resident of North Plains, I am in support of and impressed with the hard work its citizens to block the major financial interests. I also agree with sensible well planned growth. Having lived in the same house in NW Multnomah County for close to 53 years, i obviously have witnessed the effects of massive growth in Washington County. I do support the tech industry but the rights of the communities’ citizenry needs to be heard. Growth is inevitable but it needs to be done right.
Why are urban people able to tell a minority, land owners, that they cannot sell their land to developers?
Dick-
Anyone can sell anything they want to anyone. It is still America. Your statement makes no sense. Where do you see anything in this debate that would proclude a landowner from sellinhg to someone?
It’s literally your whole point: that these farmers should be prohibited from selling their land to developers.
You lack any understanding of how the UGB works. Or land use planning. Or annexations. Or basic Zoning laws. So much so that any intelligent answer I can give you is wasted on you. I sell Develoeprs farm land often and they buy it, own it, and wait for the time that their city or county, and the people of the areas they invest in decide it is time to expand. And yes, some of them have paid for influence and planners to lobby muicipalities. But many of them have waited for decades to get their land in. Several have paid $20 to $40K an acre and still farm it today. Others got their land in the growth boundary and hit the jackpot. The fact is there are rules and processes. Having said that a City, and the people of that City, have the right under Oregon laws to grow as they see fit. You are not grasping that.
Sell it to a developer today, Joe! Go right ahead.
But if you’re waiting for the urban growth boundary to make your land part of “urban folks,” then you might be waiting a good, long, into-the-great-beyond time.
You can sell your land to developers all you want, Dick.
Lots of people outside the urban growth boundary do just that. They sell to speculative investors who hope that, one day, that line moves. Go right ahead: Sell. Nobody’s stopping you.
But that’s not your issue, is it, Dick?
No: The problem is what you see as an inherent right of an individual to sell their property at the most inflated value possible. Your point is that once they’re done flying drones or riding Triumphs around their rural acreage and enjoying the tax benefits thereof, they should have it pulled into the UGB posthaste and cash in immediately.
Sorry, Dick, but “urban people” don’t owe you that luxury.
And Dick… are you really using the “rural folk” defense here? Tell me what farms A/V equipment grow on, hoss.
Dick has been picking on me for a while. Or at least hi thinks so. He is a Next Door Warrior and wins wins wins all those hated arguments while sitting on his throne of anger. The Winningstad name used to mean a lot in this community. It did – well at least in Beaverton. Not sure what all the issues are, but he has a penchant for trying to fluster me. Sadly it really doesn’t.
He’s no Norm.
Really trying to understand your argument here. That urban people don’t owe rural people the “luxury” of selling their land for the highest and best value? Or the luxury of deciding on a different legacy for their families other than a grass seed farm?
They don’t owe you the luxury of immediately pulling your farmland into the UGB once you, personally, feel you’re done with that usage.
You have the right to sell the next generation out of the grass seed industry any time you’d like. But if someone else wants to take a crack at it—or to use the land for vineyards, hops, lavender, stables, or japiero—they have the right to buy what you’re selling.
You see “Joe,” the urban growth boundary doesn’t exist as a jackpot for families who don’t let their babies grow up to be farmers. It’s there to preserve farmland for people who actually want to keep production going and are working to do so while reminding urban areas that they should be zoning for density and walkability.
Hope that demystifies your confusion a bit… even if it doesn’t quite fall into your false binary of potential answers.