Lincoln County’s two commissioners will interview four applicants Monday morning in the next step of a process to temporarily fill the vacancy created by Claire Hall’s death in January.

The interviews will be done online beginning at 9 a.m. The public can watch via a Zoom link provided by the county.

County counsel Kristin Yuille told commissioners Casey Miller and Walter Chuck during the board’s meeting Wednesday that the process will follow the same format as in February 2025 when Chuck was appointed to the board. In 2025 that involved scripted questions created by staff. Yuille said she also wanted to give the finalists a chance to submit a final statement after the conclusion of the interviews.

It was not clear Wednesday when Miller and Chuck would meet after Monday to discuss making a choice. Because there are two commissioners, they have to agree on a selection.

The interviews have been delayed since January because of disagreements between the two commissioners – both who are running for election – on the process. Finally in March they agreed to nominate two finalists each from among the 22 people who applied.

Chuck’s finalists are:

Cristen Don of South Beach, a former Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employee and a member of the county’s budget committee; and
Matthew Harwell of Newport, a retired U.S. Environmental Protection Agency employee and scientist.

Miller’s finalists are:

Marci Baker, a Lincoln City council member and restaurateur, and
Chris Chandler of Newport, a former Economic Development Association of Lincoln County executive director, Central Lincoln PUD information officer and a longtime member of the Oregon Coast Community College board.

If Miller and Chuck can agree on an appointment, their selection would serve until next January when someone elected in November takes office.

Two of the four – Don and Baker – are among the four running in the May 19 primary to fill the remaining two years of Hall’s term. If one of the four gets more than 50 percent of the vote in May, they would appear alone on the November ballot. If no one wins a majority in May, then the top two face off in November.