Frustrations Over Unfilled County Commission Seat

Lincoln County’s months-long stalemate over filling a vacant county commission seat is drawing criticism from both finalists for the appointment, who say the delay is hurting public trust and may discourage future candidates from stepping up to serve.

Lincoln County commissioners again hit a dead end Wednesday over how to fill the long-vacant Position 2 seat, leaving the board operating with only two members more than seven months after the death of Commissioner Claire Hall.

During the Aug. 19 virtual meeting, Commissioner Casey Miller pushed to move the process forward and avoid appointing anyone currently on the November ballot. Commissioner Walter Chuck held firm that the board should finish the original appointment process and name candidate Cristen Don, who has already been interviewed and advanced as a finalist.

As he opened the discussion, Commissioner Miller said, “I do want to fill this vacancy today, and the board needs three members, and the public deserves full representation.”

Since the May primary, the political landscape has shifted. Don and candidate Joe Steere are both advancing to the November election. Miller told the public he does not want to appoint someone who is currently on the ballot.

“One of my thinking was is that due to fairness, due to election neutrality, I didn’t want those two individuals on the table,” Miller said. “So today, I hope we can move forwards and appoint somebody.”

Chuck Remains Committed to Appointing Don

Chuck objected, saying the board should honor the original process they agreed to earlier in the year. “We never finished the process that we’ve started,” he said. “I intend on honoring that process that you and I first agreed on. There was nothing in there about who was going to be winning elections.”

Chuck expressed concern about whether Marci Baker would be able to commit to the commission position over the next four months. “Miss Baker is currently running for Lincoln City mayor. So I’m not sure what her availability is, but I’m sure that she would be wanting to do a little bit of campaigning and not have other duties on top of that.”

Miller floated several alternative names and even suggested checking back with applicant Baker. After that failed to gain traction, Miller put a formal proposal on the table: hold a special public meeting no later than Aug. 26 focused solely on filling the vacancy and require each commissioner to publicly submit up to three “election-neutral” candidates whose eligibility and willingness would be verified by the county clerk and county counsel.

Chuck refused to second the motion. “I don’t think we need to start the process over. I think we need to finish where we’re going.” Chuck repeatedly pressed Miller to state on the record why he opposes appointing Don.

“You still have not told me why you don’t feel Cristen’s worthy of filling that position,” Chuck said. Miller responded that he has already explained his concerns. “I’ve stated that to you numerous times,” Miller said.

Commission Candidates Speak Out

Lincoln City Councilor Marci Baker, speaking as a private citizen, said she has had no official communication regarding the vacancy from the county since her interview for the vacant commissioner position on April 20.

Baker criticized the way commissioners handled the process, saying they strayed from the approach used in 2025 and failed to plan for what would happen if they deadlocked.

Baker said too much of the public discussion has centered on personalities and politics instead of a clear, fair procedure.

“I think that most of the public discussion has been focused on election circumstances and speculation around personal motives,” she said. Baker said she remains fully committed to finishing out the vacant term if appointed.

“If I were no longer willing and committed to serve for the remainder of the vacant term, I would withdraw my application,” she said. “I was surprised to hear him [Chuck] speak on my behalf. … I would respectfully request that neither commissioner speak on my behalf regarding my willingness and commitment to serve our community.”

Baker also pushed back on the idea that her mayoral run conflicts with serving as a temporary county commissioner. “The mayoral position and this vacant term for Position 2 do not overlap,” she said. “The vacant term for the county commissioner position ends at the end of December … the same time that if I were elected mayor, I would begin as mayor.”

Continued Uncertainty Isn’t Ideal for County Government

Fellow finalist Cristen Don said she also expected the commissioners to resolve the vacancy much sooner. “I was optimistic that the two commissioners would be able to come together and appoint someone,” Don said. “So I am disappointed that the vacancy hasn’t been resolved and that the process has taken this long so far.”

The two commissioners have disagreed for months over whether appointing Don, who is running for the same commission seat on the ballot, would give her an unfair advantage. Don said she believes she is qualified and is disappointed that hasn’t been enough to move Miller.

“I know I’m well qualified to serve in this position,” she said. “So I am disappointed that Commissioner Miller isn’t interested or willing to appoint me at this time. … Ultimately, that is Commissioner Miller’s decision to make, and I have to trust that he’s making it based on what he believes is in the best interest of Lincoln County.”

Don said the effect of the deadlock reaches beyond the vacant chair. “You know, the two commissioners are able to keep the basic business of the county moving forward,” she said. “But there’s a difference between managing basic county business and having a full commission that’s able to build relationships, tackle bigger issues, and provide forward momentum.”

She believes the prolonged divide has damaged public trust and made recruitment harder across local government. “I think just the overall instability and lack of public trust in our current county government isn’t helping us recruit positions or convince people to serve on boards and commissions for the county or for other local governments,” Don said.

The Position 2 seat remains unfilled. The commissioners agreed to bring the vacancy back as an agenda item at least one more time, but with no compromise in sight, the board is still operating with two members and no clear timeline for restoring a full three-member commission this year.