Benton County Announces Resignation Of County Administrator - 02/18/26

CORVALLIS, Ore. — The Benton County Board of Commissioners announced Wednesday that Rachel McEneny has stepped down from her position as county administrator effective end of business that day. Board Chair Pat Malone notified County employees of McEneny’s resignation in an email to all staff. 

Assistant County Administrator Rick Crager routinely covered county administrator duties when McEneny was out of office, and he will act in that capacity while the County begins a search for her replacement.

Malone assured employees that the County will continue to provide the expected level of service to community members and partners throughout the transition.

McEneny’s resignation letter does not include specific reasons for her departure, but shares her heavy heart as she made the difficult decision to focus on her extended family and other opportunities.

Malone, who is in his eighth year as County Commissioner, remarked on how much McEneny accomplished in two and a half years in the role.

“I want to publicly thank Rachel for her service to Benton County,” said Malone. “She is leaving County operations in better shape than when she came. She identified and addressed areas that were overdue for change. She made hard decisions when they needed to be made.”

McEneny’s resignation letter expresses gratitude for the honor and privilege of being part of Benton County government. Above all, she is proud of the workforce she served and the relationships she built with hardworking colleagues, especially AFSCME leadership.

After the historic strike in November 2024, leadership and union-represented employees learned to listen to one another and remain committed to shared goals for the community.

With a wave of executive-level retirements in recent years, McEneny welcomed new leadership in several departments. She focused on recruiting leaders who understand today’s workforce and can build connected teams.

McEneny believes strongly in government transparency and empowering communities to engage. She supported the very successful switch to a new platform for the Board of Commissioners Meeting Portal, making decades of meeting minutes available online and easily searchable, and making it much easier to access materials for current and upcoming meetings.

She also built a team to bolster external communications and worked toward making County websites easy to navigate and accessible to all community members.

In 2025, changes at the federal level led to unforeseen cuts to health and human services that people of all ages and circumstances depend on. McEneny anticipated budgetary challenges by implementing a hiring freeze that avoided the staff layoffs other Oregon counties experienced.

Later that year, the County passed a responsible biennial budget that held the line on taxes and fees. 

Benton County made an unprecedented amount of progress on capital projects during McEneny’s tenure. She is proud of the teamwork that made these projects possible and the service improvements they bring to our communities.

The Barbara Ross Building opened in 2024 and was formally named and dedicated in 2025. The Benton County Crisis Center opened in July 2025 — one of only three such facilities in the state.

The County broke ground for the new County Courthouse and Emergency Operations Center in May 2025. The buildings are slated to open in spring 2027.

The historic McBee campground was generously donated to the County, and infrastructure improvements are currently underway.

In a challenging time for local governments, Malone appreciates the long list of recent successes and things to look forward to. “Rachel led County operations as we navigated both challenges and successes, and we are grateful for her impact.”

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Benton County Marks Day Of Remembrance With Personal History Of Deputy District Attorney (Photo) - 02/18/26

CORVALLIS, Ore. — Benton County recognized the Day of Remembrance for Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II in the Feb. 17 Board of Commissioners meeting.

Dr. Janet Seiko Nishihara, director of the Educational Opportunities Program at Oregon State University, read a proclamation recognizing Feb. 19 as the Day of Remembrance of Japanese Americans Incarcerated During World War II.

The national Day of Remembrance commemorates the signing of Executive Order 9066 in 1942, which led to the forced removal and incarceration of more than 120,000 Japanese Americans. Communities across the United States hold events each February to honor those affected and reflect on civil rights and civil liberties.

Benton County Deputy District Attorney Kevin Hashizume joined Nishihara before the Board to share personal connections in his family’s history. A recording of the proclamation reading is available on the Benton County Board of Commissioners meeting video at the 14:30 mark.

Nishihara reflected on both injustice and resilience, emphasizing that sharing personal and family histories remains critical to helping the broader community understand the lasting impacts of incarceration and why the message of “Never Again” must continue. 

“Our stories are two of the thousands from the incarceration and can add greatly to the understanding of the larger community about the ramifications of what happened and why ‘Never Again’ is a theme that we must keep going,” Nishihara said.

She also emphasized that remembrance includes recognizing both the hardships faced and the strength communities demonstrated under confinement.

“Despite the conditions in which they lived, Japanese Americans were resourceful and stood up systems and structures that continued to bring their community together,” Nishihara said. “During this time, they created their own churches, post offices, security departments, fire brigades, schools, and recreational and educational activities for the many children in the camps."

"While all of these activities and internal structures were built by the incarcerated Japanese residents, they were still surrounded by armed guards and barbed wire, which were constant reminders of the denial of their civil rights.”

For Hashizume, this history hits close to home. His father, Naotaka “John” Hashizume, was a young child when his family was incarcerated at the Heart Mountain camp in Wyoming. Growing up, Kevin Hashizume said the experience was rarely discussed directly at home.

“We just called it ‘camp,’” Hashizume said. “As kids we thought it was like a summer camp or something.”

He said it was not until adulthood that he fully understood the emotional weight the experience carried for his father. Looking back, he began to notice patterns — including his father’s reluctance to travel outside California.

“He wanted to stay where he felt safe and comfortable, and he wouldn’t always say why,” Hashizume said. “It wasn’t until I was older that I realized how much it affected him.”

Hashizume said his own visit to Heart Mountain brought a new level of understanding. Seeing the location in person while his children were close to the same age his father had been at the time created a powerful emotional connection.

“I thought about what that must have been like and whether I would have been strong enough,” he said. “They had a comfortable life in Hollywood with a nice house. Everything was taken, and they left with only what they could carry.”

Watching preserved home movies and photographs of his family playing as children while at Heart Mountain added another layer of emotion. Hashizume said he is proud his grandfather intentionally documented and safeguarded that history.

“It’s something we were never taught in school,” he said. “To know my grandfather put real effort into preserving it means a lot to be able to bring that history back into focus.”

The Hashizume family maintains strong ties to the Japanese American National Museum and to the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center in Wyoming, where interviews, photographs and artifacts connected to the family are archived and shared with the public.

Hashizume also noted that some modern migrant detention facilities exist near or on the same sites as former incarceration camps, one reason many families and advocacy groups continue to speak out and work to keep the history visible.

Benton County District Attorney Ryan Joslin said Hashizume’s family connection makes him a valuable resource when discussing the topic. Joslin noted that Hashizume keeps several historic photographs and related items displayed in his office and willingly shares them to help others better understand the history. 

While D.A. Joslin does not have a personal family connection to wartime incarceration, the subject is meaningful to him. He lived in Japan from 1987 to 1989 and later majored in Japanese as an undergraduate, experiences he said gave him a lasting appreciation for the people of Japan, their culture and history.

An interview with Naotaka “John” Hashizume, conducted by the Japanese American National Museum when they brought part of the Eaton Collection to the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center in 2016, is available on Japanese American National Museum YouTube.

Amateur footage from the Hashizume family collection, including scenes from Heart Mountain, is available through Discover Nikkei.

Proclamations read before and adopted by the Benton County Board of Commissioners are a tool to formally acknowledge history and promote public understanding. The Hashizume family’s history serves as an important local example of the relevance of continuing to honor and learn from the past.

Benton County Proclaims February 2026 Black History Month, Highlights Local Legacy (Photo) - 02/13/26

The Benton County Board of Commissioners proclaimed February 2026 as Black History Month during its Feb. 3 meeting, recognizing the achievements, history and cultural contributions of Black Americans both locally and nationwide. 

 

John Phillips IV, president of the Linn-Benton NAACP, read the proclamation and spoke about the importance of honoring Black history while encouraging continued learning and open dialogue in the community. 

 

John Phillips IV, president of the Linn-Benton NAACP, pauses for a photo after reading the Black History Month proclamation at the Benton County Board of Commissioners Office on Feb. 3, 2026, in Corvallis. 

 

“It serves as a time to honor cultural heritage and promote awareness, education and inclusion,” Phillips said.

 

The proclamation notes that Black History Month began in 1926, through the work of historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson, and expanded to a month-long national observance in 1976. The 2026 national theme, “A Century of Black History Commemorations,” marks 100 years since the first formal celebrations of Black history in the United States. 

 

But Black history in Benton County goes back a lot farther than that. The stories of Black pioneers remain visible in local names and community records. Crystal Lake Cemetery in Corvallis, managed by Benton County, is the final resting place of some of these local trailblazers.  

 

Hannah and Eliza Gorman were among the first recorded Black residents of Corvallis, arriving in the 1840s as enslaved people and later purchasing property in the 1850s despite Oregon’s exclusion laws. Eliza became known locally for her seamstress skills, and her obituary in the Corvallis Gazette reflected the respect she earned within the community. 

 

Louis, sometimes spelled Lewis, Southworth was born into slavery in Tennessee, bought his freedom and became a respected farmer, blacksmith and fiddler. He later lived in the Corvallis area. Southworth Creek bears his name as a lasting reminder of his presence and community impact. 

 

Reuben and Mary Jane Shipley were early Black settlers who secured their freedom, became landowners and later donated the land that became Mt. Union Cemetery in Philomath. A historical marker today honors their family’s legacy and community contributions. Together, these local histories underscore the perseverance, resilience and community impact of Black Oregonians. As Benton County observes Black History Month, these stories help connect the past to the present, reminding residents that Black history is not only national in scope, but deeply woven into the foundation of our local community. 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Mary Jane Holmes Shipley Drake (1841–1925), early Oregon resident and matriarch of one of Benton County’s Black pioneer families. Born into slavery, she gained her freedom and, with her husband Reuben Shipley, became a respected community member whose family helped shape local history. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (public domain). 

 

 

The Hannah and Eliza Gorman House in Corvallis, associated with two of the earliest documented Black residents of Benton County. Hannah and her daughter Eliza arrived in the 1840s as enslaved people and later became property owners, with Eliza known locally for her seamstress work and community standing. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (public domain). 

 

 

Louis Southworth (c. 1800s), formerly enslaved, self-emancipated Black pioneer, farmer, blacksmith and fiddler in the Corvallis area. His legacy lives on in local place names such as Southworth Creek. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (public domain).