Wood Village’s first Hispanic mayor wants to ‘open doors’ to city hall

Published 5:00 am Friday, February 14, 2025

The new mayor of Wood Village had the perfect model for what community service looked like growing up, he just didn’t always recognize that.

Jairo Rios-Campos’ mother, Teresa Campos-Dominguez, worked in community health for 25 years — a dedicated public servant who was always focused on improving things for her neighbors.

“People used to always tell me I would follow in her footsteps, and I would say, ‘No, no, no,’” Rios-Campos said with a smile.

That “no, no, no” became “yes, yes, yes” and the city of Wood Village is all the better for it.

“I’ve learned to never say no — when a community is in need of people to step up,” he said. “I won’t ever be ready, but you get thrown in the deep end and it is sink or swim.”

“I’m trying to swim,” he added.

Wednesday evening, Jan. 15, Rios-Campos took his oath of office as the 13th mayor of Wood Village, filling the role of his predecessor John C. Miner, who stepped down to serve as a councilor after two years at the helm.

Things are done differently in Wood Village. Rather than leave it up to an election, the council selects a mayor from within its ranks every two years. The new mayor was chosen unanimously, and his term will run through 2028.

“It is a huge responsibility,” Rios-Campos said. “It is always an honor when your peers select you.”

Rios-Campos is the first Hispanic mayor in the history of the small municipality (he was also the first Hispanic city councilor). That matters because of Wood Village’s demographics — the city is 43% Hispanic.

“A heartfelt congratulations to Wood Village Mayor Jairo Rios-Campos,” wrote Rep. Ricki Ruiz, D-Gresham, on social media. “As a colleague and a friend, I couldn’t be more proud of Jairo for this incredible achievement.”

Joining council

Rios-Campos has been an important figure in East County for many years.

The new mayor leads PlayEast!, a collaborative recreation program between the cities of Fairview and Wood Village. What began as an endeavor within the Reynolds School District has grown well beyond those confines.

There is a wide array of programming: traditional sports like soccer and basketball; arts and crafts; Lego; dance; and more. PlayEast! largely serves kids 15 and younger, though there are classes like adult yoga and others that encourage parents to participate alongside kids.

“We connect with the community and hear their stories,” Rios-Campos said. “So often a parent will come up to me and say, ‘If it wasn’t for PlayEast! my child wouldn’t have opportunities for fun.’”

It was through that position that he got his first taste of elected service, as he often found himself inside city halls advocating for new programs. During that time that representation from the Hispanic community was missing, and folks started putting the bug in Rios-Campos’ ear to run.

“There were areas where things could be improved,” he said.

It wasn’t something he ever wanted — remember those protests to following mom’s footsteps — but eventually the calls became deafening. So, with his wife Victoria Rios-Lara’s blessing, he ran.

“With her support it was that much easier to say, ‘All right, here we go,’” Rios-Campos said.

His was a contested race against former mayor Patricia Smith, who had been an elected leader more than 15 years.

“We had a friendship, so I warned her I was going to file,” he said. “It was a clean race, no bad will.”

He was elected to council in 2020 — Smith returned to an appointed role, and the pair became strong collaborators on behalf of the city.

“As a council the common goal of bettering our community has always been at the forefront,” he said. “We don’t always agree on everything, but we have those conversations.”

First year priorities

There are some important discussions to be had and decisions to be made during his first year in charge.

“My position is to prioritize public safety, homelessness and community engagement,” he said. “We have to be willing to veer into new opportunities, follow our imaginations because we never know what we could come up with.”

The crux for public safety is ongoing contract talks with Gresham Fire & Emergency Services, which Wood Village is negotiating for alongside Fairview and Troutdale.

“We are looking at this as a regional opportunity,” he said. “We want to continue those strong partnerships because we can’t do this alone.”

The mayor wants to enhance youth opportunities so they can participate across all city departments.

“I would like to establish more relationships and ask youths to come to the table,” Rios-Campos said.

For parks the city is constructing new restrooms at Donald Robertson City Park. There are also plans to upgrade the baseball/softball diamond to hopefully attract more tournament-style play.

On business he will continue to look at ways to remove any impediments keeping business owners from opening and thriving in Wood Village.

For education it is continuing to grow the city scholarship program for high school graduates, and being a better partner with the Reynolds School District — Rios-Campos is a Raider grad (Class of 2004).

And, true to why he was first elected, Rios-Campos wants to engage and support that large Hispanic community. He has already made some inroads — in 2021 he spurred a push to release documents and information in multiple languages.

“Establishing that relationship between the community and local government, that is why I ran,” Rios-Campos said. “The community should feel more comfortable coming into city hall to speak about any issues or ideas.”

“We have to keep meeting the community where they are at, showing up at events,” he added.

He is a mainstay at many events, big and small, a mindset shared by his fellow councilors.

“The goal when I joined was to have that intentional community engagement,” he said. “We have to make that appearance at as many things as possible.”

There is a lot of unease within the Hispanic community following the new administration in Washington, D.C. Rios-Campos has been working to ensure everyone feels safe.

“We are allies in this — we are not here to impede law enforcement, they have a duty and job we respect and appreciate — but if our community needs help reach out,” Rios-Campos said.

There has been a lot of misinformation around U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in East Multnomah County.

“We are asking the community to take pictures, get more information, before posting and potentially spreading fear,” he said.

Opening doors

Rios-Campos isn’t sure what the future holds.

Wood Village is home — he grew up in Hood River and moved to East County when he was 16 — and he and his wife are happily raising a 17-year-old daughter and 10-year-old boy.

He is still getting his mayoral footing, and doesn’t know if he will seek another term in two years. He may not even be on council.

“I want to take it step by step,” he explained. “I’ve talked with my wife about a sunset date for all this because it was never what I envisioned.”

His goal is to inspire others to run for public office.

“People need to believe they can do something like this,” Rios-Campos said. “I want to open the doors to city hall, because if I can do it, they can too.”

“All of us on council are just regular people, there is no ‘type’ of person who can do this,” he added.