St. Helens City Council · 2026
Live within our means, protect our library, and bring real financial discipline to the city budget — steady, independent leadership for St. Helens.
Meet Jeremy
My family came to St. Helens in 2016, and we came on purpose. My wife was born here, and her family has deep roots across the city and Columbia County. We wanted a small-town life built around family. For four years, I rode the CC Rider to Portland and back each day rather than trade the community we chose for a shorter commute.
The month we arrived, we learned our son was on the way. He's nine now and has never known another home. His favorite holiday is Halloween — fitting, in Halloweentown. Our first year, we bought 100 full-size candy bars and thought we were ready; more than 400 kids came to the door. Counting trick-or-treaters and bagging candy with family has been our tradition ever since.
I'm an actuary by profession, which means I spend my days measuring risk and asking whether the numbers will hold up over the long run. On the city's Budget Committee, I've seen how financial choices affect the library, everyday services, and the cushion that carries St. Helens through hard years.
I'm running because this is the city where we're raising our family and where we plan to stay. I'll bring financial discipline, an independent voice, and a simple approach to every decision: gather the facts, hear every side, and make sure both the numbers and the neighbors have been heard.
— Jeremy Evans
What I'll focus on
The commitments this campaign is built on.
St. Helens shouldn't rely on one-time plays — selling land, cutting timber — to cover everyday costs. On the Budget Committee I'll push to match spending to the recurring revenue we can actually count on, and rebuild the reserves that have fallen far below the city's own policy targets.
The turnout when the library's future came into question showed what this community values. I'll treat it as essential — secured and prioritized in the budget, not funded halfway — along with the everyday services residents count on, like normal city business hours.
I'm an actuary, not a career politician. I'll bring financial discipline and an independent voice to the council — one that weighs every side, reserves judgment until the facts are in, and genuinely partners with the public instead of talking past it.
How I'll serve
Good city government requires clear numbers, earlier public input, and the discipline to think beyond the next budget year.
Residents shouldn't need an accounting degree to understand where their money goes. I'll push for clear, plain-language budget summaries that show recurring revenue, ongoing costs, reserve levels, and the real tradeoffs behind major decisions.
Public input should happen before major decisions are effectively settled, not afterward. I'll support earlier notice, clearer explanations, and meaningful opportunities for residents to be heard.
I'll judge proposals by what they cost today, what they commit us to tomorrow, and whether the city can sustain them without putting the library or basic services at risk.
On the public record
See the work for yourself in these official City of St. Helens recordings from the 2026–27 budget process.
Opening meeting for the City of St. Helens FY 2026–27 budget process.
Watch on YouTube May 14, 2026The committee's second meeting in the City of St. Helens FY 2026–27 budget process.
Watch on YouTube May 28, 2026The Urban Renewal Agency budget meeting and the committee's third May session.
Watch on YouTubeJoin the campaign
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