Former Shasta County Deputy District Attorney Thomas Toller was appointed as the county clerk in a three-to-two vote on Wednesday.
Toller was chosen over acting Clerk Joanna Francescut. She worked at the elections office for 16 years and took over operations after former clerk Cathy Darling Allen, stepped down in May.
Despite having no experience with elections other than being a voter, Toller said he will leverage his legal experience to lead the office.
鈥淛ust give me a chance,鈥� Toller said. 鈥淚鈥檓 a man of my word. My whole life has been oriented around seeking truth and fairness and that鈥檚 what I鈥檓 about.鈥�
Toller said he hopes to work with acting clerk Francescut to ensure the November election runs smoothly.
Others are concerned about the future of the office under the leadership of someone with no prior experience running elections.
鈥淚'm very concerned we're going to lose a large number of the employees in that office,鈥� said Supervisor Mary Rickert, who voted against Toller鈥檚 appointment. 鈥淎nd I'm very concerned about the potential outcome of our November 5th election.鈥�
Francescut said they鈥檝e already lost eight out of 21 staff since November because of unstable leadership on the board of supervisors.
Rickert said she鈥檚 worried about his publicly partisan opinions, having previously campaigned against the current Shasta County District Attorney.
鈥淚 think as a citizen of Shasta County, I can continue to be concerned about how that office is conducted,鈥� said Toller. 鈥淏ut now as the new registrar of voters 鈥� I'm assuming I'm gonna pass the background check 鈥� that's my primary focus. That's my objective. That's where I'm going to put my energy.鈥�
Toller was the favorite of Board Chair Kevin Crye, who praised his perspective on leadership.
Political maneuvering was on display during Wednesday鈥檚 interviews. The supervisors were set to vote on appointments of three individuals, Toller, Francescut and Clint Curtis in that order. Curtis is a Florida election attorney and was the favorite of Supervisors Patrick Jones and Chris Kelstrom.
But during the interviews, Crye said that if Toller wasn鈥檛 chosen, he would vote to appoint Francescut. Jones and Kelstrom then joined him in approving the appointment of Toller.
Toller will take the position after a background check. He will serve for the remainder of Darling Allen鈥檚 term through 2026 when the position will again be up for election.
