Update: Greg Smith resigns from Columbia Development Authority

Published 5:00 am Wednesday, January 28, 2026

After a surprise resignation, the CDA board scrambles to find a new path forward

BOARDMAN — Greg Smith is done as the executive director of the Columbia Development Authority.

Smith gave his resignation in a short letter during the board’s meeting Tuesday, Jan. 27, in Boardman. The resignation is effective immediately.

“I am writing to formally resign from my position as executive director of the Columbia Development Authority, effective immediately,” according to the letter. “I will not be signing the board-offered professional service agreement or the settlement offer.”

The board voted unanimously to accept the resignation without discussion. Chair Joel Peterson was not at the meeting. Port of Morrow Port Executive Director Lisa Mittelsdorf served as the alternate.

“I would like to thank Mr. Smith for his service to the Columbia Development Authority,” Vice Chair John Shafer said. “I do appreciate everything you’ve done for the region.”

Shafer said after the meeting he “had no idea that was coming.”

Smith provided a copy of the letter to the East Oregonian. Smith in the letter explained his work as become a distraction at a time when the CDA’s attention should be focused on achieving the goals previous boards set.

Smith in the letter stated he was grateful for the opportunities he had and the knowledge he acquired as the CDA executive director, but the “responsibilities and accountability I have carried for the Authority and this board will no longer be my burden.”

In concluding the letter, he stated he remains “confident in the future of our region and wish the Authority continued growth and success.”

By not signing the settlement agreement, it’s possible Smith could still take legal action against the board regarding a September 2024 CDA meeting.

CDA retains single employee

Smith confirmed he laid off his one employee, Emily Collins, because the CDA cannot meet payroll. Collins said she was laid off Jan. 26 but attended the Jan. 27 meeting to help run the technology and hoping to get clarity from the board.

During the meeting, the board voted unanimously to withdraw the termination letter, reinstating Collins to her role as project coordinator. It’s a stopgap measure until the board finds a longer-term solution.

“She’s going to be there, able to answer the phones, keep the lights on, do everything else, but the board still has that authority to make things happen,” Shafer said after the meeting, “and so we can sign checks, we can do all the things that are required to keep things moving forward.”

The Port of Morrow had managed the CDA payroll, but the authority’s board spent nearly a year trying to figure out a payroll solution after the agency received a reprimand from the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation. The port stopped managing payroll Jan. 12.

Last year, the port voluntarily gave up its federal grant money in the wake of Smith submitting an inaccurate grant application that claimed the CDA Board had approved raises for himself and other employees. The board approved the application but never specifically voted in favor of salary increases.

The board’s vote to reinstate Collins also included a decision to have the Port of Morrow continue her payroll, which port representative Mittelsdorf said she believed the commissioners would vote in favor of as a way to ensure a temporary solution and keep the CDA functioning.

Shafer said the CDA is grateful to the port for its efforts to ensure Collins is paid.

“That was a huge weight off our backs,” he said.

Umatilla County lawsuit solved; CDA future still unclear

In a statement about his resignation, Smith stated “2025 was intended to be the year the five partners would receive their respective shares of real estate,” referring to the plan to divide CDA land among the board’s entities: Morrow County, the Port of Morrow, the Port of Umatilla, Umatilla County and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

“Recent board discussions have shifted toward personalities rather than progress,” according to Smith, a shift he said he regretted.

Despite the shift Smith noted, the CDA came to a resolution between its members and Umatilla County about how to divide the CDA land. Umatilla County had filed a lawsuit against the CDA and its individual members objecting to a 2024 vote about the land division.

During the Jan. 27 meeting, the five representatives signed a final settlement agreement with Umatilla County, ending the legal dispute. At its next meeting, scheduled for Jan. 30 at 1 p.m., Umatilla County will present an amended motion, which the Port of Umatilla will second. The board should approve it, which would restart the land division process the lawsuit had halted.

Smith also stated CDA attorney Elizabeth Howard in November offered him a three-year contract worth $298,000 annually to continue his work. Smith said he turned that down out of “concerns about board trust and whether signing under those circumstances would benefit the organization’s long-term interests.”

The CDA, according to Smith, “must prioritize the future of our region above any one individual.”

As the board moves forward without an executive director, its members will consider possible options for management.

The CDA board will have to determine how to handle projects on its land, which used to be the Umatilla Chemical Depot, such as the ongoing construction of an industrial road and the installation of utility infrastructure.

One option is to employ an interim executive director from outside the CDA, though that path would require hiring policies as well as an idea of who could serve  in the role. Another option is offering Collins the interim position or expanding her power within her role, which would again require approved hiring policies. Finally, the board could offer someone a temporary personal services contract. The board will consider various paths during its Jan. 30 afternoon meeting.

For the time being, the board unanimously approved a motion to have its attorney, Elizabeth Howard, work on drafting hiring policies for the CDA to follow.

Shafer anticipated the board having a clearer plan after the Jan. 30 meeting.