Biography

Jay Dixon, an effective community leader with experience in government, industry, education and civic organizations, was first elected Benton County Commissioner in November 2000. Prior to becoming a commissioner, he was an elected member of the Corvallis School Board and owned a local hardware store with his family. Before that, he was a senior bank officer at several financial institutions in the San Francisco area. He began his professional career as a lieutenant with the Seattle Police Department, moving on to become a public safety policy advisor and private security manager.

During Jay’s time in office, Benton County has achieved stable funding for public safety, enhanced livability through new parks and natural areas, and received state and national recognition for its youth and public health programs. In addition to his work on the Board of Commissioners, Jay is Benton County’s voice on numerous regional, state and national organizations, leveraging partnerships with other governmental agencies and guiding policy decisions for the benefit of local residents. He serves on Cascades West Council of Government, Benton County Homelessness Oversight Committee, Oregon Juvenile Crime Prevention Advisory Committee, Oregon Commission on Children and Families and the Benton County Commission on Children and Families. He is also liaison to Monroe City Council and the Benton County Fair Board.

Jay is focused on improving customer service and efficiency in county government while reducing costs. Benton County has consolidated several departments, shifted resources to priorities, including the Juvenile Department, and is hiring a chief operating officer with the goal of streamlining operations and bringing costs in line with available revenue. Jay has kept his campaign promise, voting to lower property taxes by reducing the amount levied proportional to funding received from the federal forest payments each year.

Jay has a distinguished background in law enforcement that has earned him credibility at the state and national level and allows him to advocate for appropriate funding for community corrections programs. His involvement with the juvenile justice issues has influenced state and federal funding for those programs as well. Jay serves on the Oregon Community Corrections Commission, Willamette Criminal Justice Council, Oregon Juvenile Crime Prevention Advisory Committee, National Association of Counties Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee, Oregon Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee. During his time in office, Benton County’s crime rate has continued to decline.

Jay has a balanced approach to economic development and environmental stewardship. Benton County now uses federal funding to restore fish migration routes and more than 1,000 acres of open space and parkland has been added since he took office. He has partnered with the City of Corvallis on economic development issues, including establishing and expanding the Enterprise Zone. As a member of the executive committee of Cascades West Council of Governments, Jay is involved with a project to identify and mitigate wetlands to prepare shovel-ready sites for development. He serves on the Corvallis Economic Development Commission, the Oregon Seismic Rehabilitation Grant Program, and is past chair of the Corvallis Budget Commission and the Corvallis Chamber of Commerce.

Currently Jay is focused on creating a healthy economy and family wage jobs, ensuring vital services continue to be available for children, families, veterans and seniors and advocating on behalf of Benton County at the state, regional and national level.