Preliminary results from Tuesday night show that almost a third of voters in the county participated in the recall election, removing Commissioner John West with 62% of the vote.
Only two years into his first term, West angered a wide range of voters with his actions on the board. The recall campaign cited a variety of reasons, including bad-faith negotiations in the sale of county-owned timberland, defunding the OSU Extension Service and 4H program and threatening community safety by shrinking wildfire programs and regulations.
Chief Petitioner Lily Morgan said she was surprised by how resounding their success was.
鈥淲e鈥檙e relieved that people believed us and they were willing to come out and vote," Morgan said. "And with the outcome, we really said it was kind-of a David and Goliath effort.鈥�
Morgan, a Republican, previously served as a state house representative for Grants Pass from 2021 to 2023. She resigned to become the city manager for Gold Hill.
Morgan said commissioners started acting differently just because the recall petition was filed. West did not respond to requests for comment.
West had also sued the county elections clerk to prevent the recall from going through, claiming the way petition signatures were validated was not legal. But, a U.S. District Court judge threw out the case on Wednesday morning.
With West gone, that means there will be an entirely new group of county commissioners starting January 1. Commissioner Dan DeYoung stepped down earlier this year and Herman Baertschiger Jr. decided not to run for re-election.
Morgan said West had an influence on the two candidates elected to office this November. But, she said this successful recall is a warning to them that the voters are watching what they do.
Once the election is certified 鈥� which has to happen within 27 days 鈥� the remaining two county commissioners will appoint a replacement to finish out the last two years of West's term.
According to the , commissioners will have 30 days to fill the seat after it's vacated. That means the appointment could happen under either the current commissioners or the new ones, since the new commissioners take their seats at the beginning of the year.
