PENDLETON — Three weeks after announcing his retirement from the Umatilla County Assessment and Taxation Department, Paul Chalmers said at a Tuesday, Oct. 6, meeting that he also intended to leave the Pendleton City Council by the end of October.

Chalmers’ September retirement announcement was also accompanied by the news that he had sold his Pendleton home, clouding his future on the council. Chalmers has since taken a position with Wasco County as its chief appraiser, necessitating a move out of town and his resignation from the council.

According to Jill Amery, the Wasco County assessor and tax collector, the county’s board of commissioners approved the hiring of Chalmers at its Oct. 7 meeting.

In a staff memo, Amery wrote that the position had been unfilled for seven months and they wanted to take advantage of bringing in an employee with Chalmers’ experience.

“He epitomizes the culture of Wasco County,” she wrote.

In a short statement made at the council meeting, Chalmers thanked his fellow members and the residents of Pendleton for his time on the council.

The council appointed Chalmers to a vacant at-large seat, and later that year he competed in a four-candidate field for a full term. Chalmers was forced into a runoff when he failed to clear 50% of the vote, but his opponent promptly dropped out after the election, assuring Chalmers’ victory.

Chalmers would go on to chair the Pendleton Development Commission and win a second term in May. With Chalmers set to depart the council at the end of October, Mayor John Turner said the council would likely declare his seat vacant at its Oct. 20 meeting and interview candidates for appointment at the Nov. 3 meeting.

In an email, City Recorder Andrea Denton wrote that the appointee would serve the remainder of Chalmers current term and the first two years of Chalmers next term. In 2022, the replacement councilor would need to run for election to serve the final two years of Chalmers’ term.

Chalmers’ at-large seat covers the entirety of Pendleton, so any resident could apply for the position.