The Dalles Mayor Rich Mays will not seek reelection after third term

The Dalles Mayor Rich Mays will not seek another term after completing his third mayoral term, according to a July 24, 2026, report from Columbia Community Connection. The decision changes the city’s 2026 mayoral contest into an open-seat race for local voters.

Instead of deciding whether to return an incumbent mayor to office, voters in The Dalles will choose among candidates seeking to become the city’s next mayor. The development concerns the City of The Dalles specifically, rather than another community in the Columbia Gorge.

What the report says

Columbia Community Connection described the contest as a three-way race to succeed Mays. That description provides an early view of the field, but it is not the same as a final or certified candidate list.

The available report does not identify all of the candidates or establish whether their filings are complete, formally accepted or otherwise confirmed through election records. As a result, the reported count of three candidates should be treated as qualified information until the county’s records verify the field.

The source material also does not state why Mays decided not to seek reelection. No reason for his decision is included beyond the report that he will not pursue another term after his third term.

What changes for voters

Mays’s decision removes the incumbent from the reported succession contest and puts the city’s next mayoral leadership at the center of the 2026 local election outlook. The change is relevant to The Dalles voters and to residents following the city’s municipal leadership, although the available source does not provide candidate platforms, campaign positions or reactions from local groups.

It also leaves important election details unresolved. The exact election date and filing deadlines were not established in the approved source material. Those details matter for determining when the contest will take place and who has officially qualified to appear before voters.

Next step

The next reporting step is to verify candidate filings and election deadlines through Wasco County election records. That review should establish which candidates have officially entered the race, whether the three-candidate description remains accurate and what dates apply to the contest.

For now, the confirmed development is Mays’s decision not to seek reelection after his third term. The July 24 report marks the opening of a new mayoral contest in The Dalles, while the formal candidate lineup and election calendar remain to be confirmed.