A dispute over why James Rhodes was demoted in 2019 has become a flashpoint in the Clackamas County sheriff’s race, with incumbent Rhodes and former Sheriff Craig Roberts offering sharply different accounts as Rhodes campaigns against Undersheriff Brad O’Neil. Roberts, now chair of the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners, said this week that he demoted Rhodes from undersheriff to captain because of job-performance concerns. Rhodes has said the move was political and that the county’s paperwork described it as part of a general restructuring. Roberts said Rhodes oversaw patrol operations, detectives and search-and-rescue functions at the time. He said he consulted county human resources and the county attorney before making the decision, but declined to provide further details, citing the confidentiality of personnel matters. Rhodes said Roberts refused to explain the demotion when it happened. The county form he provided described the change as a “sheriff’s restructure,” he said. Records Rhodes made available show that supervisors rated him as meeting or exceeding performance standards in his evaluations. In 2015, he received an “exceptional merit increase.” In 2018, then-Undersheriff Matt Ellington wrote to county human resources supporting a raise, saying Rhodes had “consistently excelled in his current position.” A later evaluation noted that Rhodes handled the transition professionally. Rhodes’ internal affairs file included three investigations. Complaints from 2015 and 2016 were not sustained. A 2020 investigation resulted in “command counseling” after finding that he used vulgar language while interacting with a member of the public. Rhodes said the man had been verbally aggressive and intimidating toward civil staff. The controversy has also drawn attention to O’Neil’s statement in the state Voters’ Pamphlet. O’Neil said he was the only candidate with state law-enforcement certification and a record free of discipline. In an interview, he said he did not mean to imply that Rhodes had been disciplined and did not know whether Rhodes had ever faced discipline. Two retired sheriff’s employees, former deputy Jeremy Rippe and former detective William Rowlands, filed a complaint with the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, asking the agency to examine whether O’Neil’s statement violated professional standards on honesty or misrepresentation. The agency certifies law-enforcement officers. Rhodes’ attorney sent Roberts a letter alleging that Roberts’ public comments about the demotion were defamatory. Rhodes said it was “unfortunate” that Roberts had entered the campaign dispute, adding that he was running because he loved the office, not against Roberts. Rhodes became sheriff in August after the departure of former Sheriff Angela Brandenburg. The county commissioners brought him out of retirement; Roberts was the only commissioner to vote against the appointment. Rhodes filed to run for election soon after, and O’Neil entered the race as well. Campaign-finance filings show Rhodes has raised about $136,396, compared with about $59,535 for O’Neil. The public disagreement over Rhodes’ personnel record has added a credibility test to a contest for leadership of the county law-enforcement agency.