Commissioners
Appointments Result in Lost Rights to Vote
By: Terry Noonkester Redoubt News Opinion, US Elections March 7, 2023
At the close
of the January 11th meeting that appointed David Brock Smith as an Oregon State
Senator, Commissioner Tim Freeman explained: “This is the 4th legislative
appointment in 8 years that I have been involved in, and we have also appointed
a clerk, a surveyor, an assessor and … a treasurer and an interim commissioner,
that’s 9 elected officials appointed in a matter of 8 years. Nine elected
officials that, but for one, one gentleman died and that was certainly not an
intent of his own, but the others left early. They created the problem. We are
here today to try to solve a problem that we did not create. I want to make
sure that folks understand that.”
At the January
11th meeting, the selection by Commissioner Freeman and the other 8
commissioners led to the next two vacancies. The commissioners chose David
Brock Smith, who then vacated his House seat. A month later, Court Boice (Chris Boice’s 2nd cousin)
was chosen by the same commissioners to replace Brock Smith. Court Boice abstained and Coos County Commissioner Rod Taylor was
the only commissioner to vote against Boice. Court Boice’s Commissioner seat was then left vacant to be filled
by Jay Trost.
Previously, In
the summer of 2021, a vacancy was caused by the death of House Representative
Gary Lief, his seat was filled by the appointment of
private citizen Christine Goodwin. She had been interim Douglas County
Commissioner from Sept. 2018 through Dec. 2018.
Still earlier,
In 2018, another series of vacancies had ensued when
Jeff Kruse resigned on March 15, 2018. Dallas Heard was appointed to replace
Senator Jeff Kruse. Douglas County Commissioner Gary Leif was appointed to
replace Dallas Heard. Private citizen Christine Goodwin was appointed to fill
Gary Lief’s County seat. Here again, the county
commissioners “solved a problem” of 1 vacant senate seat by choosing 2
politicians that were already serving terms of office.
There is an
unintended effect of using midterm commissioners as appointees to fill vacant
House of Representative seats. The staggering of election cycles of the Douglas
County Commissioners has shifted. Now all three seats become vacant at the same
time. To solve this problem, David Brock Smith has sponsored House Bill 2244
that states “:… In a county in which the terms of the
three offices of county commissioner are not staggered because two positions
elected to fill midterm vacancies were extended to four-year terms, the current
term of the third office of county commissioner shall be extended by two years
so that the terms of the three offices are staggered”.
If this bill
passes, Commissioner Tim Freeman who testified for its passage and is in Seat
2, would receive the proposed two year extension. Passage of HB 2244 would result in legislation
substituting and thus circumventing the voters choice
for the duration of those two years.
Appointments
are frequent in the Douglas County elective positions as well. Of the 6 current
elected officials in Douglas County, 4 were originally appointed and 2 were
elected by the people. Sheriff John Hanlin and
Treasurer Samuel Lee III are the two originally elected.
The County
Clerk position that also conducts elections has had the last three clerks enter
the position by appointment. (1) In 2019
Dan Loomis was appointed to replaced Patricia Hitt. (2) In 2013 Patricia Hitt
replaced Barbara Nielsen. (3) In 2003
Barbara Nielsen replaced Doyle Shaver Jr. Each was later elected to the
position as an incumbent.
Special elections
and appointments have taken a dramatic rise in replacing elections “by the
people” in recent years. A resignation from any elected office breaks a
commitment to voters and narrows the field of candidates. Whether or not the
vacancy is created by the resignation of an elected official, or by
commissioners filling a position with another politician serving a term of
office, an election “by the people” is bypassed and the voters are
disenfranchised.
Editor’s Note: Corrected
To reflect Commissioner Tim Freeman, who would receive the two
year extension.