Lincoln County Commissioner Claire Hall died suddenly on Jan. 4, just days before a scheduled recall election. At the time of her death, Hall was 66 years old. She was first elected to the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners in 2004 and served six terms over 21 years. She was board chair and was reelected in November 2024, with her term ending Dec. 31, 2028.
In compliance with Oregon law, the remaining two commissioners met virtually Wednesday to discuss the process of selecting a replacement.
Lincoln County commissioners Walter Chuck and Casey Miller agreed to begin accepting applications to replace Commissioner Hall. According to County Counsel Kristin Yuille, the county is well-prepared because it enacted the exact same process a year ago, following the resignation of Kaety Jacobson and subsequent appointment of Walter Chuck.
“So we have the process that is set. We have an application that we used last year, and we have a press release ready to go out,” Yuille said.
The application process has begun and the deadline to apply is January 30. The commissioners will then evaluate the applicants and decide on a short list of candidates.
During a work session in February, the commissioners will interview the finalists and then make a decision.
To be eligible, an applicant must have been a resident of Lincoln County for at least one year and be a registered voter. The person selected will serve until the next election.
The application can be found here.
