This story was originally published on LincolnChronicle.org and is used with permission.
Lincoln County commissioners have officially recognized commission chair Claire Hall as the acting county administrator despite a recall threat and ongoing health issues that have kept her out of the office for two months.
During another tense meeting Wednesday, commissioners decided to formally select the commission chair – currently held by Hall – as the acting administrator and look for an interim to fill the position.
The county hired Tim Johnson as its first administrator in April 2022 after commissioners decided they needed someone to focus solely on directing department heads and overseeing its budget. Since Johnson’s resignation in February, Hall and county counsel Kristin Yuille have divided his duties.
The county has been advertising for an administrator the past eight months and using a head hunter company that specializes in government recruitment – with no success.
Hall, who attended the meeting over the phone, has not been physically present since suffering a fall in September and being treated for additional health issues. Hall is also facing a potential recall as voter signatures in favor of removing her made their way to the clerk’s office this week to be verified before determining if a recall will be on the ballot.
Commissioners voted 2-1 to formalize the acting administrator role after a lengthy discussion.
Commissioner Casey Miller argued to put off making a decision since the item was not included in the original agenda that went out Friday, only added Monday and felt it wasn’t enough time for sufficient review.
“We’ve had so much change going on over the last year,” Miller said. “A lot of deep change that affects this organization greatly.”
In the past year, commissioner Kaety Jacobsen stepped down, commissioner Walter Chuck was appointed, the county administrator resigned, commissioners put on a hiring freeze, and the Oregon Government Ethics Commission is investigating the board’s electronic voting process for hiring decisions.
Miller advocated for looking closer at the administrative role and connecting with department heads to evaluate its effectiveness. Hall had a different take and advocated for voting Wednesday.
“I believe we need to do this, and I am ready to move forward now, because this really is codifying what has been our practice for months and again, this hopefully will be a relatively short term thing, not a permanent thing,” Hall said.
“I know that publicly, I personally have been accused by people of somehow wanting to consolidate or seize power,” Hall said. “Once the position is filled, the need to exercise the authority will cease. The ordinance also spells out that if the board of commissioners changes, the new chair would take these duties and the chair is chosen by the board.”
Chuck said he was in favor of the administrator model.
“I think that by not being involved in the day-to-day operation, it allows us to work with and trust our department heads that we appoint, and our other elected officials to manage their departments,” he said.
He said he was looking forward to the search for an administrator and would consider finding an interim so that the county could be prepared for the upcoming budget season and the increased uncertainties from state and federal resources.
Miller advocated for feedback from department heads and more discussion to see if the administrative model is working for everyone.
“I do not dispute what Commissioner Miller is saying,” Hall said. “The kind of review of the position and the associated things he’s talking about are perfectly valid and logical. But what this feels like to me at the moment is the courthouse is on fire, and instead of calling 9-1-1, we fiddle around trying to figure out what happened …The immediate needs, I believe, have to come first.”
Commissioners ultimately voted 2-1 to appoint the board chair as the acting county administrator with Miller voting no. But they unanimously approved a motion to begin looking for an interim county administrator.
While the action Wednesday specifically names the board chair as the acting administrator, it allows the county administrator to designate a person to temporarily exercise duties at their discretion. In Hall’s case that will continue to be Yuille, she confirmed after the meeting.
Hall told the Lincoln Chronicle on Thursday that hiring for the administrator’s position hasn’t been a priority for a number of reasons. Keeping the position open means some savings for the county’s strapped budget and that internal turmoil between department heads has also taken time and added to the distraction.
The two-hour long meeting was also tense at times and included a heated public comment period where District Attorney Jenna Wallace asked again to fill some of the positions affected by the county’s budget-triggered hiring freeze.
