Lindsay

HEPPNER — Morrow County voters have to wait until later this month to decide whether or not to recall two of their three county commissioners.

This may come as a surprise to voters who looked at their ballots for the Tuesday, Nov. 8, election and did not see any mention of the recalls for either Commissioner Jim Doherty or Commissioner Melissa Lindsay.

The recalls are on ballots for Nov. 29.

Morrow County Clerk Bobbi Childers said this is a matter of timing. Petitioners gathered signatures and presented them submitted Oct. 10, too late for the Nov. 8 election. Before these petitions were received, the county already mailed some of the ballots.

“My military and overseas (ballots) went out on Sept. 20,” she said.

Childers said that she is hearing another concern from voters.

“I’m getting calls about that election, because people are worried about their ballots being confidential,” she said.

People, she said, can know whether someone voted in an election. She added this makes people wonder if people can discover how they voted.

“It’s still secret,” she said of a person’s vote.

According to Childers, voters can be confident of confidentiality, just as they can be sure of seeing ballots that already were prepared for them.

This ballot announces reasons for demanding the recall and offering “justification of course in office.”

The vote for and against Doherty

For Doherty, the demand states that his “decisions are not in the best of Morrow County citizens” and accuses him of “making decisions in secret and outside of public purview and without the inclusion of the third county commissioner.”

The recall also accuses Doherty of ignoring public open meeting law requirements and not cooperating with public and private agencies “to the detriment of Morrow County citizens.”

The ballot also provides a statement from Doherty, in which he argues against the recall.

“I will stand behind you, beside you or in front of you, rest assured I stand with you,” he said in the ballot statement.

Further, he dismissed allegations made in the recall. According to the ballot statement, he has not made decisions outside the full board. Also, it states that Morrow County is “in the best fiscal condition it has ever seen” and he has worked with others to help the county be successful.

“All of my decisions are based on the best possible outcome of your health and future,” he stated.

He added the recall “sadly is an attempt to silence your voice.”

The vote for and against Lindsay

The ballot states Lindsay violated the public trust by “intimidating county employees, resulting in either their firing or leaving their jobs under duress.”

The statement accuses her of “repeatedly exhibited unprofessional behavior” and refusing to listen to others. Also, it blames her for the firing of the Morrow County administrator.

Lindsay recently lost her bid to remain on the board, and she is on her way out of office. Still, according to the statement on the ballot, she should be removed from office before the end of her term to “prevent irreversible damage.”

Lindsay also defended herself against the recall with a statement.

“As a champion for Eastern Oregon values and Morrow County, I’m grateful and honored to have served as commissioner for six years,” the statement reads. “Through hard work, relationship-building and partnerships, with honesty and integrity, I’m proud to have led Morrow County to a number of significant successes.”

The commissioner listed her successes, including “improved transparency, accountability and budget management. Also, she mentioned her work fighting against pandemic lockdowns, for fairground funding, for veterans services, for expanding internet access and more.

“We have a responsibility to build upon the generations that came before us to create a thriving, viable county for generations to come,” she stated.

She concluded her statement by asking people to vote no on the recall and to “reject the divisive silencing elitism that is turning us against one another.”

“Keep Morrow County the wonderful community it is to live, work and play,” she stated.