Who Represents Me?
Your City, County, & Special District Representatives
First, a quick explainer about those pesky voting districts, zones, and precincts:
Most of our local entities’ elected positions are “at-large,” meaning that a person residing anywhere in the county can run for the position. But three of them (Hood River County Commission, School Board, and Columbia Gorge Education Service District) have specific voting zones, meaning that candidates for each position must reside in the position’s zone.
You can find out what voting districts, zones, and precincts you’re in by looking on the county’s GIS map. Follow these quick instructions to find the info for your address.
City
There are two incorporated cities in Hood River County: Cascade Locks and the City of Hood River.
If you live in the City of Hood River, your elected reps are the Mayor and six City Council members.
If you live in Cascade Locks, your elected reps are the Mayor and six City Council members.
County
Your elected reps in Hood River County are the County Commissioners. The Board of Commissioners consists of a Chair and 4 County Commissioners, one from each County Commission district.
To find out which County Commission district you’re in, you can look at the County Commission district map. However, it’s clearer to look up your address on the county’s GIS map. Find GIS instructions here.
Special Districts of the County
There are 14 “special districts” within Hood River County, and another 2 that are regional and include Hood River County. Each has elected positions, usually called board members or directors.
Hood River Valley Parks & Recreation District has a five-member Board of Directors. The district includes all of HR County except the city of Cascade Locks.
HRC School District has a seven-person School Board, one member elected from each of 6 zones, and one at-large.
To find out which School Board zone you’re in, you can look at the SB zone map. However, it’s clearer to look up your address on the county’s GIS map. Find GIS instructions here.
HRC Transportation District has a seven-person elected Board.
Port of Hood River has a five-person elected Port Commission.
Port of Cascade Locks has a five-person elected Port Commission.
HRC Library District has a five-person elected Board.
Columbia Gorge Community College has a seven-person elected Board. Four of the Board positions are elected from Wasco County, and three are elected from HR County.
Columbia Gorge Education Service District covers Hood River and Wasco Counties and has a seven-person elected Board. Six of the Board members are elected from their specific ESD zones, and one is at-large.
Which ESD zone am I in? The voting precincts in HRC are divvied up to form the three ESD Zones (5, 6, and 7) that cover HRC. See here for which HRC voting precincts are in which ESD Zone.
To find out which voting precinct you’re in, you can look at the voting precinct map, but it’s clearer to look up your address on the county’s GIS map. Find GIS instructions here.
Other Special Districts with elected members include:
Westside, Wyeast, and Parkdale Rural Fire Districts
Odell and Parkdale Sanitation Districts
Crystal Springs and Ice Fountain Water Districts
HRC Soil and Water Conservation District