Lincoln County Commissioner Casey Miller dialed in to the commission’s Wednesday meeting from a room at Oregon Coast Community College and pressed unsuccessfully to resume allowing public comment at their meetings. (Zoom meeting screenshot)By QUINTON SMITH/Lincoln Chronicle
Lincoln County commissioners have moved their twice-monthly meetings online and are no longer allowing general public comments under the orders of their human resources director who says employees and others no longer feel safe attending in-person sessions.
The first such meeting was Wednesday, which lasted an unusual 2 hours and 18 minutes and involved the first extensive discussion in months about public comment at in-person or virtual meetings and county administration.
Commissioner Walter Chuck said he agreed with a directive to move commission meetings online and end public comment “to take the temperature down.” (Zoom meeting screenshot)But a motion by Commissioner Casey Miller to continue to allow comments – even during online meetings – and to delve deeper into their rules was blocked by Commissioner Walter Chuck, who agreed with the human resources director and county counsel that meetings were out of control.
“We need to take the temperature down,” Chuck said.
Public comments and some audience members at meetings for the past year have been boisterous as a variety of controversies roil the courthouse. These range from Miller being barred from county offices 17 months ago, to the attempted recall of Claire Hall that ended only when she died in January, to turmoil over unexplained hiring freezes and exceptions.
In addition, last week Miller filed a whistleblower lawsuit in U.S. District Court against the county and its top leaders seeking unspecified damages because of his banishment from commission offices and because of his complaints to the Oregon Government Ethics Commission about potentially illegal public meetings to vote on hiring exceptions.
Wednesday’s closed meeting and long discussion about public commenting rules was spurred by audience behavior two weeks ago – and human resources director David Collier’s reaction to that.
During the March 4 public comment period, several community members were critical of the commissioners’ process and length of time appointing someone to fill Hall’s position. Several commenters called on county counsel Kristin Yuille to resign and others in the audience yelled from their seats. One of those was David Elton of Gleneden Beach, who almost single-handedly financed a massive advertising campaign attempting to recall Hall.
At the end of the March 4 comment time, Elton grew frustrated that some people, including himself, who had not signed up to speak could not make a statement under the commission’s rules. Elton argued with Chuck after he adjourned the meeting, with a raised voice across the room and making heated statements including “You are a weak man. You are a boy.”
This is a portion of the email from Lincoln County human resources director David Collier to Commissioner Walter Chuck that Chuck displayed during the commission’s meeting Wednesday. (Zoom meeting screenshot)That turmoil led to Collier’s email in which he also directly blamed Miller and his supporters.
Miller named Collier and Yuille – who for the past year has blocked his attempts to get items on meeting agendas — in his whistleblower lawsuit.
“Individuals who appear to be followers/supporters of Commissioner Miller are abusing public comment and meet the definition of harassment and bullying toward our employees,” Collier said in an email to Chuck that the commissioner displayed online during Wednesday’s meeting. “I know you have tried enforcing the rules, but it has not been effective. This toxic work environment cannot continue.”
Collier said that some department heads, staff and outside “partners” are no longer attending meetings because they don’t feel safe.
“In consultation with CIS (the county’s insurance carrier), I have notified staff that, effective immediately, business meetings will be held virtually because of safety concerns for employees and the public attending,” Collier said. “Additionally, due to concerns for employee well-being and liability for the county, only legally required public testimony will be allowed at meetings.”
The county did reserve a room at Oregon Coast Community College in Newport where the public was able to come and watch Wednesday’s online meeting.
A quick recap
The board of commissioners has been in turmoil since September 2024 when Miller spent more than 30 minutes criticizing commission work, stopped Yuille from cutting off his comments, and wondered aloud how to deal with what he said was the imminent departure of their first administrator, Tim Johnson, who had worked for 2½ years without an evaluation.
What followed was a months-long investigation that found Miller did not engage in disrespectful conduct or bully staff but that he did release confidential information about Johnson. Commissioner Kaety Jacobson quit in frustration last February and Johnson resigned. Miller and Hall appointed Chuck, then a Port of Newport commissioner, to replace Jacobson who mostly sided with Hall on issues and later with Yuille to thwart Miller’s many attempts to place items he’d like to discuss on the commission’s agenda.
A successful petition to put Hall’s recall on the ballot in January only inflamed tension in the courthouse and around the county. The election was voided after Hall died unexpectedly after complications of months-long illnesses.
The struggle by Miller and Chuck to appoint her replacement has been thwarted by the pair’s disagreements – because there are just two they have to agree on everything — over the appointment process. Even after settling on four applicants to interview, those now won’t take place until mid-April, commissioners were told Wednesday.
And, to top it all off – all three commission positions are up for election in the May 19 primary, drawing 12 candidates including Miller and Chuck and adding an element of campaigning to everything they and others do.
Debate over comments
On Wednesday, Miller, acting as meeting chair, pressed Yuille on how it came to be that meetings were moved online. Yuille replied repeatedly that she was hearing from staff and some members of the public that some people “no longer feel safe coming to our meetings.”
Miller said he thought it was important to allow people to comment on items not on the agenda, but agreed with Chuck that they could do better about urging calm, explaining the rules, and cutting off people who violated them. He offered to look at how other governments handle public comments and bring them back to discuss.
County counsel Kristin Yuille said that she, human resources director David Collier, and some department heads were handling the work of the county administrator, a position that has been vacant for 13 months. (Zoom meeting screenshot)But Chuck and Yuille pushed back, saying that the vitriol had gotten out of hand, people were aggressively approaching them and staff after meetings, and that commissioners had many other ways to hear from constituents.
“There’s a lot of talk about transparency … but what’s going on has led to the opposite,” Yuille said.
Miller kept pressing to see if commissioners and staff could find a middle ground to ensure safety but allow public comment during in-person or online meetings.
“I’d like to find a way to make it work for everyone,” he said. “I’d like for us to work through this and solve this.”
After more back-and-forth discussion, it was Chuck who put Collier’s email on the Zoom meeting screen to show his directive that also accused Miller’s followers of causing the issues and ordering the meetings to go online.
“If employees are being harassed, we have a responsibility to protect them,” Chuck said.
It was then that Miller began asking who was serving as county administrator following Hall’s death, saying that some department heads were confused over the lines of authority.
Yuille replied that Hall had transferred her partial administrative duties to Collier before she died, that she was handling some and that department heads were dealing with others.
“So essentially yes, all of your department heads are making sure work gets done,” Yuille told Miller.
Chuck said the county has “very competent” department heads who are doing a “great job” and can reach out to Yuille, Collier, Miller or himself if there are issues.
But Miller replied that he was “honestly confused as to what’s going on” since he has not been allowed in commission offices for 17 months.
Yuille replied “If you have questions, I’d be happy to answer them by email or a phone call.”
- Lincoln Chronicle reporter Shayla Escudero contributed to this report.
- Quinton Smith is the editor of Lincoln Chronicle and can be reached at [email protected]
Good overview. Here are a few details from the March 18 meeting help fill in the picture:
During the meeting, Commissioner Casey Miller asked how staff has the authority to make decisions for the board. Those questions weren’t directly answered.
On the safety issue, Commissioner Chuck pointed to a March 4 incident involving David Elton. Elton had arrived late and walked up to the dais to ask for a sign-up sheet after they’d been removed. Chuck said that made him and staff uncomfortable.
Beyond that one incident, no other specific examples were identified when Miller asked.
There’s also the bigger question of who’s running the county. A November 2025 board order put that role with the chair, but county counsel said the Jan. 7 motion for Chuck and Miller to co-chair doesn’t override Hall’s earlier delegation of that authority to Collier.
At the end of the day, this comes down to process — who’s making decisions, and how. Those questions remain unanswered.
We are fortunate that the professionals at the county departments are keeping things running but this void of leadership is ridiculuous. Commissioner Miller has demonstrated no interest in good governance. There is serious business to attend to around Lincoln County, enough with this nonsense. We’ve got a number of reasonable people throwing their names in the hat for the upcoming commission elections, I hope we can choose some county leaders that will respect each other, their staff, and the established procedures for conducting county business. Looking forward to Commissioner Miller’s term being up.
Exactly what you get when outside influences dictate decisions versus local wants and needs. I doubt few will hold their position in the next election.
Casey Miller is the only Lincoln County commissioner who truly cares about the citizens and values their input over the one’s trying to pull the strings in the background — the Lincoln County counsel and whoever is pulling her strings.
Did you know that the county commissioners are not allowed to consult with each other, leaving that for the public meetings, while the county counsel is the one that communicates with the commissioners, interpreting the law, and basically attempting to tell them how to do their job?
This very issue is why, I’m guessing, Miller has filed the two actions for he’s trying to keep government honest and aligned with the real rules, not the one’s fabricated by the county counsel. I’ve watched this for 36 years, as I have been bullied myself by those who want to have all the power in this county, as they try to quiet us citizens, all the while believing they are above our laws and rules.
Miller witnessed the BoC/county counsel activities for many years for he was the public information officer who videotaped the BoC meetings and put this public record up on the BoC webpage for us all to view. He is very knowledgeable of our history and thus viewed by the power players as dangerous, as they strategize to keep him quiet.
You can no longer find old minutes or recordings of meetings on the county’s website. The facts are now hidden from public view unless you file a FOIA request at your expense and with very exact data in the request. Overall there is a power play in the works to silence citizens, erase the government’s history, and move forward in a very undemocratic way. I care deeply about our rights as citizens and know that the county level is the most power place to have our voices heard.
Please don’t be fooled by the faux excuses for silencing the public and demonizing Miller. Bad enough that it is happening in DC. Let’s not allow that to happen here in Lincoln County.
In solidarity with fellow Lincoln County citizens,
Katrina
P.S. Not all Lincoln County citizens have access to the internet, so by moving these meetings online, exclusively, you’ve already disenfranchised county residents.
If they can attend meetings or mail in comments, they can go to a library and access the internet for essentially free.
John … let’s look at the logistics of your suggestion:
Over 51,000 residents live in Lincoln County.
The following libraries have computer terminals:
Lincoln City – 7
Newport – 12
Waldport – 8
Yachats – 2
Total terminals = 29
This provides only .00056% of the population with access to library terminals.
I’ve been at BoC meetings where there were at least 29 attendees.
Please also consider that most of these non-computer users probably don’t know how to use a computer.
I’m guessing that to access the meeting, one would need to have an email address as well. Non-computer people may not have or want to create an email address. They don’t fit into that box.
Again, this online meeting scheme disenfranchises Lincoln County residents in many ways.
Interesting how Collier sends an email cancelling in person board meetings just the day after he and Yuille are served in the federal lawsuit, it feels a bit like they’re doubling down with retaliation. Interesting approach. I have watched every board meeting for the last two years and I am confused as to what they are “scared” of? If you can’t take someone having an opinion on you and sharing that opinion, maybe you are in the wrong profession.
I feel that Katrina and EH have explained it well. To curb citizens input is a dictatorship. No Kings. Vote out Chuck, keep Miller.
I was shocked by this announcement in the Lincoln Chronicle: “Lincoln County commissioners have moved their twice-monthly meetings online and are no longer allowing general public comments under the orders of their human resources director who says employees and others no longer feel safe attending in-person sessions.”
I thought: “When the public is gagged, are we still a democracy?”
Reading further I learned:
On March 4, 2026 “Elton argued with Chuck after he adjourned the meeting, with a raised voice across the room and making heated statements including “You are a weak man. You are a boy.”
I thought, “What’s with this preoccupation with “manhood” these days?…Quick. I need a voice of civility”:
“Schisms do not originate in a love of truth, which is a source of courtesy and gentleness, but rather in an inordinate desire for supremacy.” —Baruch Spinoza
And then I had the luck to come upon this reminder:
Robert F. Kennedy had to give a speech to an Indianapolis crowd to announce to a crowd who didn’t know it yet that Martin Luther King, Jr. had just been assassinated. He told the crowd that the assassins had been white men. He reminded them that his own brother had also been assassinated by white men. This is part of what he said:
“My favorite poet was Aeschylus. He once wrote, “And even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, until in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God.”
What we need in the United States is not division. what we need in the United States is not hatred. What we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but love and wisdom and compassion toward one another, a feeling of justice to those who still suffer in our country, whether they be white or whether they be black.”
Ah, I thought. “That’s how people who care about democracy talk to one another.”
Finally, I felt a little bit better.
Beautifully said, Donally!
Love, understanding, open-minded and heartedness. Let’s heal divisions, which can only be done if all are welcome to the table…not just some.
The voice of the people has been turned off. Elected officials are ignored and the county is being run and dictated to by two unelected bureaucrats. And they call this democracy and protest against President Trump enforcing our laws. Wow.
I stand with the brave staff who stood up for their right to work in an environment free of intimidation. How do you sit down and talk sensibly, in good faith, with people who are yelling at you and calling you names? Have you heard the classic definition of chutzpah? — “That quality enshrined in a man who, having killed his mother and father, throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan.” Or in this case, the people whose aggressive behavior at meetings reached such a toxic pitch that future meetings had to go online and public comment had to be disallowed. And then those same shouting people claim that they are the true champions of democracy and their voices are not being heard. That sounds a lot like chutzpah to me.