Oregon City Mayor Resigning, Rachel Lyles Smith Moving Out Of State

OREGON CITY, OR — "It is my desire to put family first and I can only hope tat you would do the same for your family."

With those words, Rachel Lyles Smith explained why she is stepping down as mayor of Oregon City as of April 22.

"I am resigning so that my husband and I can move out of state to be near our families," she wrote.

"Over the last year our families have experienced multiple medical incidents that have heightened our awareness, desire and need to be near them."

Lyles Smith said that "the last couple of years has reminded many of us the value of family and the irreplaceable time that can and should be spent with them."

She first became interim mayor in November 2020 when Dan Holladay was recalled after a series of controversies including downplaying police brutality and urging residents to defy state orders that were intended to slow the spread of COVID-19. She had been a member of the City Commission.

After several months, she was then elected to her own term.

"The last three years serving on the City Commission have been an honor and privilege and filled with many great accomplishments that I am very proud of," she wrote the other members of the commission.

"I still believe that we have one of the strongest, non-partisan set of volunteers on the City Commission that this city has ever had."

When Lyles Smith steps down, City Commission President Denyse McGriff will become interim mayor. that will make McGriff the first person of color to be mayor of Oregon City.

"I am confidant that new leaders will step up and serve Oregon City as they have done for many years," Lyles Smith wrote in her letter.