To open a third seat, Lincoln County commissioner plans re-election run against newly appointed commissioner

By SHAYLA ESCUDERO/ Lincoln Chronicle

A tumultuous year for Lincoln County commissioners could get even more unsettled over the next seven months.

Embattled first-term commissioner Casey Miller says he plans to run in the May 2026 primary for the seat held by commissioner Walter Chuck, who was appointed in February, instead of his own position. That would open a seat to a non-incumbent and potentially give Miller an ally on the three-member board.

Both Miller and Chuck’s terms will expire in December 2026. Filings for the May 2026 primary opened in September and the deadline to file is months away in March. So far, only Chuck has filed to run.

Miller did not originally intend to make a public statement about his decision to run against Chuck, he told the Lincoln Chronicle. But Miller said he plans to run against Chuck because he felt that incumbents have an election edge and wants to open a slot on the commission for fresh leadership.

As is his style, Chuck was cautious in his reaction to Miller becoming an opponent.

“I’m going to wait and see who files against me,” Chuck told the Chronicle.

The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners has had a chaotic year.

Miller was investigated for violating personnel rules last fall and then asked not to work in the courthouse until he apologized and went through mediation. Commissioner Kaety Jacobson resigned, and the county’s first administrator, Tim Johnson, suddenly left his position. Seven months later the county is still trying to find his replacement.

Then this summer, a signature gathering effort began to recall commission chair Claire Hall from office. Hall has been out of the courthouse since September after falling and breaking her hip and shoulder and then more recently hospitalized in Corvallis.

And, just this month the Oregon Board of Ethics Commission agreed to investigate commissioners’ votes on hiring decisions made outside public meetings after receiving a complaint from Miller.

There are also deep divisions between commissioners, county counsel Kristin Yuille and District Attorney Jenna Wallace over how bi-monthly commission meetings are conducted, how decisions regarding exceptions to a freeze hiring are made, and a $3 million wrongful dismissal lawsuit by Wallace’s husband and two other county employees.

And it doesn’t look like Lincoln County leaders are any closer to resolving their issues.

A few face on commission?

Miller first told the Boiler Bay Beacon this month he planned to run against Chuck, who filled Jacobson’s seat when she resigned. The Beacon is a new online news site focused on Depoe Bay, Lincoln City and county government run in part by Rick Beasley, a longtime controversial journalist who narrowly lost a bid to unseat Hall in the November 2024 general election. He recently editorialized that it was time for Hall to resign.

Both Miller and Chuck’s positions expire in 2026. But rather than run again for his own seat, Miller is looking to dislodge a fellow commissioner.

That would leave an open seat available for a non-incumbent to run – either as an ally of Miller, someone who aligns more with Hall and Chuck, or possibly a commissioner in the middle who could serve as a mediator between the factions.

It was Hall and Miller who chose Chuck, a water plant operator and a Port of Newport commissioner to fill the vacancy left by Jacobson in February.

Chuck was selected from a pool of 26 applicants including two other finalists – former Newport city councilor Ryan Parker and Newport grants manager Catherine Rigby. In a statement to commissioners before he was chosen, Chuck said his temperament, experience and ability to work with others would help the county.

At the time, both Miller and Hall felt strongly about his candidacy.

“You and I may have had some disagreements lately, but it’s great to know we are in alignment, and I feel strongly about that,” Miller told Hall at the Feb. 19 meeting where they selected Chuck.

Since then, Miller has had a change of heart as Chuck, Hall and Yuille rebuffed his attempts to place items on the commission agenda, engage in wider discussions or hold workshops on county issues. Miller contends the intensity of the division between commissioners, department heads and public commenters could be “neutralized” by having more thoughtful discussions.

“If he showed me some more willingness to support a transparent process, I might change my mind, but I don’t feel very hopeful,” Miller told the Chronicle.

The commission’s latest meeting on Oct. 15 felt like yet another missed opportunity, Miller said.

At that meeting, Chuck assumed the role of chair because of Hall’s continued absence. During the time for commissioners’ remarks, Miller proposed discussing a resolution related to the ethics commission’s investigation. But the item wasn’t on the agenda, so Chuck said it would not be discussed.

Miller did not put in an agenda request before the meeting and later told the Chronicle he planned to share a resolution to halt the disputed digital voting practice amid the state’s investigation.

“We aren’t having quality, professional discussions,” Miller said.

Miller’s opponents have criticized him for grandstanding during meetings and have been critical of his actions in county-offered mediation intended to have him return to his courthouse office and that he has slowed the process to reach a resolution.

“I have been engaging in what has been presented as a mediation process, but I’ve felt like the target has kept moving on me,” Miller told the Chronicle.

• Shayla Escudero covers Lincoln County government, education, Newport, housing and social services for Lincoln Chronicle and can be reached at Shayla@LincolnChronicle.org