County supervisors picked Thomas Toller as the new county clerk in a 3-2 vote on June 19.
Now semi-retired, Toller said during his public interview that he spent six years in a monastery and studied theology before becoming a lawyer.
鈥淚 think like a lawyer, and I think that can bring a good skill set to this job, because it is so heavily dependent on codes and regulations,鈥� he said.
Toller spent much of his legal career as a deputy district attorney in Shasta County, most recently from 2012 to 2017.
Now he will lead a department that鈥檚 faced attacks by election deniers amid growing political divisiveness in recent years.
鈥淚 am not by nature a micromanager,鈥� Toller said about his leadership style. 鈥淏ut I am someone who will monitor progress and definitely expect accountability.鈥�
Toller doesn鈥檛 have much experience with elections, other than helping in a past campaign for district attorney.
But, when asked about the county鈥檚 elections system, Toller said he would support a controversial move to hand-count all ballots.
鈥淚t was good enough for years and years,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd I think it's a system that's capable of being implemented, and observed for transparency and fairness.鈥�
Hand counting ballots to be more time-consuming, more expensive and less accurate than using machines. Shasta County supervisors attempted to hand-count elections last year, but their by a new state law banning the practice in nearly all elections.
How often are clerks chosen without prior experience in elections?
Two out of the eleven clerks in nearby counties came into the position without a background in elections. Rochelle Long, who had election experience before being hired as Klamath County鈥檚 clerk, said elections are very difficult to run even with many years under your belt. Long said there鈥檚 a lot going on behind the scenes that the public isn鈥檛 aware of.
鈥淭he former clerk used to say, 鈥榃e look like we鈥檙e ducks floating on water, and underneath we鈥檙e paddling like hell,鈥欌�� she said.
Dan Loomis is the Douglas County clerk and was also appointed without a background in elections. He said that an inexperienced head of elections will need a lot of support from staff, especially when there鈥檚 only five months until the next presidential election.
鈥淓mpower those folks that are in the office that work for you,鈥� said Loomis. 鈥淏elieve that they want to succeed just as much as you want to succeed.鈥�
Institutional candidate snubbed
The two county supervisors who voted against appointing Toller wanted instead to pick Joanna Francescut, the assistant county clerk with 16 years of experience. She鈥檚 been running the office for months after the retirement of Cathy Darling Allen.
Francescut said this interview process was difficult, but she presented the best version of herself.
鈥淗onestly, I feel at peace,鈥� Francescut said. 鈥淏ecause I know that my integrity, my leadership style and how I conduct myself meets my standards.鈥�
During her interview, Francescut spoke about the many sacrifices she鈥檚 made for this position. She says her youngest child was due on January 13, 2012. But, they ended up being born a few days earlier on January 8, during a special election.
鈥淧lanning my family, planning vacations, life events around elections, it's not an easy task,鈥� Francescut said. 鈥淚t's a sacrifice my family takes every single day just so I can serve.鈥�
The Shasta County clerk isn鈥檛 usually appointed by supervisors. They鈥檙e elected by residents. The former Clerk, Cathy Darling Allen, was elected five times since 2004. Two years ago, she won almost 70% of the vote, a bigger margin than any other local candidate.
California state law doesn鈥檛 allow for calling a special election to fill vacant elected positions, other than county supervisors and superior court judges.
Toller was the first choice of only one supervisor, Board Chair Kevin Crye.
Crye said he believes Toller will be able to stand up to criticism.
鈥淚 believe there is one person, that would be Tom Toller, that would be able to come in with a fresh set of eyes and be steadfast in returning 鈥� possibly for the first time ever anywhere in the last four years 鈥� some level of transparency and communication,鈥� said Crye.
It was a highly visible display of political maneuvering that led to Toller鈥檚 appointment. Crye said if Toller wasn鈥檛 chosen, then he would vote for Francescut. Supervisors Patrick Jones and Chris Kelstrom then joined him in appointing Toller, despite acknowledging their favorite choice was a third candidate, Clint Curtis.
"Whatever happens today is going to have far reaching ripple effects on the county"
Supervisor Mary Rickert, one of the two dissenting votes, said she鈥檚 worried that someone so inexperienced will be unable to successfully pull off an election that鈥檚 rapidly approaching. She told the other supervisors that it鈥檒l be their fault if something goes wrong.
鈥淭his is your legacy,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd this is where you're bringing Shasta County, and whatever happens today is going to have far reaching ripple effects on the county and if our voters will be disenfranchised, ultimately.鈥�
Toller said he鈥檒l be consulting with every member of the election staff to ensure a smooth transition. That includes working alongside Francescut, who is still committed to one day becoming the next county clerk. That position will be up for election in two years.
