Incumbents held the advantage Tuesday night in campaigns for the Clatsop County Board of Commissioners, maintaining an ideological balance on a board that has grown more conservative after recent elections.

In South County’s District 5, Commissioner Lianne Thompson led Steve Dillard, an innkeeper from Seaside who sits on the Port of Astoria’s Airport Advisory Committee, 61% to 38%.

“Thank you, voters of District 5,” Thompson said. “I’m so grateful for their vote of confidence. I just love the people, love the place, and am delighted I get to continue to serve them.”

The outcome keeps the ideological split on the five-member nonpartisan board that until 2020 was dominated by commissioners with more progressive policy values.

Political issues at the national and state levels did not drive much discussion among the candidates, who largely focused on the county’s shortage of affordable housing and child care options and the business community’s post-pandemic future.

The election came as commissioners are tackling vacation rentals, a long-standing activity that, except in Arch Cape, has never been a recognized use in the county’s development code. The county has a moratorium on new vacation rental permits in unincorporated areas.

Commissioner Pamela Wev led Nathan Pinkstaff, a deck mechanic from Astoria, 61% to 38% in Astoria’s District 3.

“I am honored by this opportunity to continue to serve District 3 as your county commissioner,” Wev said in a statement. “I want to thank my supporters and my team of volunteers for all their hard work. We are very proud of the positive campaign we ran. Especially, a huge ‘thank you’ to the voters who believe in my leadership. I look forward to serving my district and Clatsop County for another four years.

“I want to thank Nathan Pinkstaff for a hard-fought campaign,” she continued. “I sincerely hope he remains involved in Clatsop County issues. I commend him for running a positive campaign, focused on important issues.”

First elected in 2018, Wev ran for reelection on her government experience in land use and economic development. She contrasted her background with Pinkstaff’s inexperience.

Wev represents the commission on the board of the Northwest Oregon Housing Authority, which manages low-income units in Clatsop, Columbia and Tillamook counties.

Pinkstaff, a third-generation Astorian who works for Tidewater Barge Lines, embraced his outsider status. He ran on a promise to help unite people across the political divide.

Thompson, the longest-serving commissioner, was first elected in 2014. After almost eight years in office, she said the county was poised to make progress on housing, child care and bringing broadband to areas with spotty internet.

She emphasized relationships — among elected leaders and agencies, as well as among neighbors — as a key to getting things done and did not attack her opponent.

“We’re on a roll, we’re really committed to doing good work, and the voters saw that, and they want us to keep on working for them,” Thompson said.

Dillard ran on advocating for businesses recovering from the state’s COVID-19 shutdowns that disrupted the local economy and led to some closures.

As in the District 3 race, the challenger was more conservative than the incumbent.

Both Dillard and Pinkstaff said they wanted to address the housing crunch by taking a closer look at the development code and making it easier for developers to build units. Dillard said he would have supported a Planning Commission recommendation to ban vacation rentals in neighborhoods, other than Arch Cape, not zoned commercial and multifamily residential.

District 5, the largest district geographically, encompasses the South County communities of Cannon Beach, Arch Cape, Hamlet, Elsie, Jewell and part of Seaside.

Thompson collected more than $15,000 in campaign donations, while Dillard had almost $5,000.

Commissioner Mark Kujala, the board’s chairman, ran unopposed in Warrenton’s District 1.

Ballots will continue to trickle in up to seven days after the election, according to the county. Voter turnout in the county so far was 33%.