I grew up in a small town in Indiana.  After high school graduation, I served in the Navy with two of the years taking place in the Mediterranean, being stationed in Athens Greece when its government was overthrown and then through the Yom Kippur War. 

Over the years I have had many occasions to serve in my community.  I coached little league baseball, then Babe Ruth baseball, serving as Vice President of Babe Ruth.  I also served on various boards of my homeowner’s associations.  When I became an avid bicyclist, I was elected vice president of the Portland Wheelman club. Later two others and I broke off from the group and formed Portland Velo, now probably the largest cycling club in Oregon.  I was also a very active trip leader for the club, which included planning and executing multiple trips a week, many starting from Jessie Mays CC.  When I married my wife Cindy, we moved to North Plains.  Here I have served for the last 2 years on the Parks and Rec board as vice chairperson.

I am looking forward to continued service to North Plains.  Among the things that I would like to help happen are: expanding and improving our parks, with an eye to possibly having a new city hall/parks combination; bringing in new commerce to help boost the tax base; and working with the mayor and other councilors to plan the future growth of North Plains.

Councilor Smith was first elected in November, 2018 and was re-elected in 2022. His  current term expires December 31, 2026. His email is rickey.smith@northplains.org.

Read a Q&A below with Councilor Smith to learn more about why he serves on Council, what City accomplishment he is proud of, what he's most passionate about in the community, and more.
Meet Your Council: Councilor Rickey SmithCity Councilor Rickey Smith has served on Council since 2018. Previous to that he served as vice-chair of the Parks and Recreation board for two years. Councilor Smith grew up in Indiana, and after graduating from high school served for 3 years in the United States Navy. From coaching little league baseball, to serving on various homeowners association boards, to co-founding Portland Velo - one of the largest cycling clubs in Oregon - Councilor Smith has been actively engaged in community service for many years. As a North Plains City Councilor, he is particularly interested in helping to expand and improve parks with an eye to possibly having a new city hall/parks combination. He also wants to be part of bringing in new commerce to help boost the tax base and working with the Mayor and other Councilors to plan for the future growth of North Plains.

Q. Why do you serve on the City Council?

A. I like working with people, particularly to help them solve and complete projects. I especially enjoy it when these projects improve their life. With all of the new housing development and city growth, challenges will inevitably arise. I want to be there to advocate for the individual.

Q. What city accomplishment are you most proud of helping the City achieve during your time on City Council?

A. The things I am most pleased to have helped accomplish include pushing to make sure the new North Ave road improvements will include bike lanes, the city purchasing land along Glencoe Road to help with development, and contracting with Washington County Sheriff to consolidate with our police department to save money and yet expand police resources at the same time.

Q. What opportunity or challenge in the community are you most passionate about and why?

A. I feel that the biggest opportunity and, at the same time, challenge to the community will be the expansion of the Urban Growth Boundary. These next decisions will be key to how the city grows, working to find the right balance between housing, commercial, industrial and geographic relationships to our neighbors in the county.

Q. What would you say to a resident who asks you, "What is the best way to get involved in North Plains?"

A. Volunteer! Check out the city website for upcoming committee meetings and events. Attend a couple of different committees to see what sparks your interest. The city has a wide variety of opportunities to be involved with multiple levels of involvement possible. The senior center, library, and parks are always good for ways to serve. Also, the City of North Plains partners with the North Plains Event Association and the North Plains Chamber of Commerce to put on many city events each year, the largest being the Elephant Garlic Festival but the Ice Cream Social and National Night Out also bring big crowds.

Q. Can you share a few fun facts about you? 

A. I have been involved in many different sports over the years, but I especially enjoyed my time participating in street biking. I have peddled across much of Oregon and almost all of Washington County, and it's a great way to enjoy the natural beauty around. I have ultimately reached a "Super Randonneur" by completing 200, 300, 400, 600K rides and qualifying for the Paris Brest Paris 1200K event. I vividly remember the time I biked from Portland to Seattle in one day, then back to Portland the next!