By SHAYLA ESCUDERO/Lincoln Chronicle
Opponents of six-term Lincoln County Commissioner Claire Hall who object to the way she runs meetings and believe she is creating turmoil among employees have been given the go-ahead to begin collecting signatures to force a recall election.
The petition to recall Hall passed preliminary requirements Tuesday and will now need 3,940 signatures to advance to a special election.
The petition is the second recent recall effort in Lincoln County – last month the county clerk’s office received and approved petitions seeking to remove all six Waldport city councilors.
Petitioners seeking to recall Hall will have 90 days – until Nov. 2 – to collect signatures from 40,455 active, registered county voters. The number of required signatures is set by the Oregon Secretary of State based on a calculation of 15 percent of the 26,270 Lincoln County voters in the 2022 gubernatorial election.
If petitioners collect the 3,950 verified signatures, Hall will have five days to resign or submit a statement of justification of why she should stay in her position, County Clerk Amy Southwell said. If Hall does not resign, there would be a special election where voters would decide if she stays in office.
Since the ballots would have to go out in a separate election countywide, it would cost the county between $40,000 to $50,000, Southwell told the Lincoln Chronicle on Tuesday.
Hall has served as a commissioner since 2004 and is in her sixth term in office. When she ran for re-election in 2024 she faced four challengers in the May primary and defeated Rick Beasley of Depoe Bay in a November runoff by just 115 votes, the closest commissioner race in decades.
But little has gone smoothly in commission offices since that re-election.
Commissioner Casey Miller has been banned from commission offices since last September, the county’s first administrator resigned in February after 2½ years on the job and Commissioner Kaety Jacobson quit in frustration that same month with two years left in her term.
Hall and county counsel Kristin Yuille have since divvied up administrator duties and have been in a constant battle with district attorney Jenna Wallace over a host of personnel issues.
All that had led to commission meetings experiencing more critical comments and grievances from the public, county employees and other county elected officials, which led Hall to propose in May to limit public comments to only agenda topics.
In June, Christine Hutchins of Seal Rock used the public comment period to attempt to relay disparaging comments that she said Yuille shared privately with her. As chair, Hall cut her off and later issued an exclusion notice that barred Hutchins from attending meetings for 180 days for breaking the commission’s rules against slander.
Hutchins has appealed the exclusion decision that assigned assistant county counsel Brian Gardner to hear the appeal. She has asked to have an outside attorney and not someone who reports to Yuille conduct the hearing, but hasn’t heard back, she told the Chronicle.
Now, Hutchins, who initiated the recall petition under her married name of Jamison, seeks to recall Hall from office.
According to Hutchins’ petition, much of the reasoning behind the recall has to do with how Hall has handled comments at commission meetings, including abruptly adjourning meetings to prevent Wallace and others from speaking. Hutchins’ petition also said Hall uses social media to criticize members of the public who disagreed with her, “and oversaw a drastic shift in the county’s finances from a multimillion dollar surplus mid-year to a budget shortfall with minimal transparency and communication.”
In a written statement Tuesday, Hall said the petition targets her attempts to “maintain order” in public meetings. Hall said she feels that the public comment period at the end of commission meetings has been “weaponized” to level accusations against other county staff and officials, and also blamed Miller for encouraging it.
“Commissioner (Casey) Miller has done his best to enable and encourage these behaviors, as well as engaging in them himself,” Hall said in her statement.
Hall said there are many other issues that county officials and residents should be focusing on such as trying to understand how changes at the federal and state levels will impact the county’s ability to provide services.
“We have serious challenges in Lincoln County right now, and your county government should be focused exclusively on meeting those challenges,” Hall said. “Instead, a small group has created chaos and confusion in an effort to push narrow personal agendas at the expense of the greater good.”
Hall said that if the petition generated enough valid signatures, she would not resign.
- Shayla Escudero covers Lincoln County government, education, Newport, housing and social services for Lincoln Chronicle and can be reached at Shayla@LincolnChronicle.org
I agree with Hall. Accusations at commissioner meetings that are longer than the 3 minutes allowed for public comments should be stopped as at the June meeting. Commissioner Hall reminded the accuser that her 3 minutes were up, upon which the person continued to speak. This is not acceptable.
I also have to wonder why Casey Miller is mentioned at all in this article. The majority of the employee dissatisfaction became evident when Casey had the gavel last year.
I am pretty tired of Oregon’s habit of pulling recalls against public officials. I have voted against Claire Hall more than once, as I do believe that too much time in office breeds complacency and a disconnect between them and the people they’re ostensibly serving. (Terry Thompson was an example. At a higher, Congressional level, we booted Kurt Schrader by double digits.)
Aside from actual malfeasance in office, recall should be the last resort; “I don’t like how she runs meetings” is a pretty weak justification.
Time for Hall to go. 21 years is way longer than any one person should be in the commissioner position. We need term limits.
I agree with you, Susan. No one should be in public service for that length of time. It may show their commitment but it’s a rare person that doesn’t develop a sense of ownership of the process and a belief that they alone are capable of keeping things on an even keel. At the same time, they start to lose perspective. And as we age, we tend to fall behind the times instead of keeping abreast. Claire Hall may believe everything she’s doing is for all of the right reasons. But the truth is her actions and responses have become exceedingly personal and appear somewhat vindictive to those of us observing her actions. Two questions:1) What is the legal basis for the Commissioners to deny Commissioner Miller his ability to effectively do his job as a duly elected official, and 2) What is the need to both a Country counsel and a Deputy counsel?
She was hired by the people of lincoln county, fair and square. A recall election is a joke and an unnecessary expense. It also doesnt seem fair that Hutchins et al can flood social media with recall information and the comments are turned off for others. Ive watched posts for a couple years now , and it seems to me that many of the complaints about Hall have nothing to do with her work performance and more to do with her life choices. I am hoping that Lincoln County voters don’t fall for that thinly veiled attack.
I so agree
Where can we sign the petition?
What a bunch of petty sounding bull and this poor is having an identify crisis. Claire Hall is an asset to Lincoln County. She shares more vital information with the county than many main characters combined and runs effective, efficient meetings. She listens to residents and fights for us. Sounds like this Christine is having an identity crisis and needs help.
Actually Christine Hutchins is speaking the truth. After the June 4th BOC meeting in which I asked the commissioners to ALL meet with an independent mediator to resolve the ongoing disputes, County Counsel Kristin Yuille invited myself and Chris Hutchins to the commissioners’ office ostensibly to answer the questions I posed. Instead of quoting an Oregon statute that gave a legal rationale for exiling Casey Miller from his office, I listened to a series of derogatory remarks from Kristin Yuille about Casey Miller, Orrin Wallace and the Deflection Program Subcomittee (Judge Sheryl Bachart, Sheriff Landers, Jenna Wallace and others). Odd that Chris Hutchins was banned from BOC meetings for slanderous remarks about county employees when, in fact, Kristin Yuille, County Counsel, was doing just that!
I’ve known Commissioner Hall for a long time. Able, honest and very hard working as well as fair. She has the best interests of her constituents at heart. A better human being cannot be found. This recall is more of the same dirty politics. Stick with quality. Leave her in place to serve the people as she has for over twenty years.
This is another step in Miller’s division of his co-workers. Read the arricle…ask yourself why did Commissioner Jacobsen leave? Why have so many County employees filed complaints against Miller? Why did H.R. moved Miller out of the building, and why is Miller refusing arbitration?
In the words of Rodney King, “Can’t we all just get along?” Another lawsuit and recall? And spending all that money for what? Why not recall everyone that “we the people” voted for? This back-stabbing, mean-girls/boys style has got to stop. It is embarrassing for all of us. Please, let us all take a pause, a cleansing breath and remember who we are as human beings. Not as whatever you think can divide and separate the whole into “us and them”–whether that be gender, politics, religion, race, etc. There is so much we should be doing and this isn’t even on the radar. We have so many crises facing us as a nation, as a state and as a county: emergency preparedness, education for our children, the lack of housing for residents, climate change, the growing gap between uber-wealth and extreme poverty. But this, this is what we do, tear each other down again and again. Stop it, just stop and think. Ms. Hall is doing the very best she can under extreme circumstances. She did not create the chaos but she is trying to keep it at bay. Stop stoking the fire, let’s try to put out the flames before we all get burned.
If you don’t get your way, can’t follow established rules or act professionally, act like a bunch of high schoolers instead of elected public officials, you shouldn’t get to file a frivolous recall. Jeez.
Since most folks won’t click on the links in the article, I’ll remind readers that former DA Danforth was a train wreck, 8 assistant DAs quit under her watch. DA Wallace wants to hire her husband. Casey Miller was found to have disseminated confidential information.
A three-minute time limit for public comments is customary. (Please Google “Robert’s Rules of Order.”) Ending heated or belligerent, non-productive public discussion is also common. I’ve been there, done that.
So, what exactly is Hall accused of doing? Other than this recent nonsense (prevalent across our current political landscape nationwide, unfortunately), Hall has been a stellar advocate for citizens of Lincoln County. She has always been a forward thinking, responsive and committed advocate for improving public services in our communities. She is a strong fiscal leader who makes thoughtful decisions within the parameters of the current county budget system.
Hey, not every decision made by an elected official is going to be popular. That’s life.
To suggest recalling the only remaining county supervisor who possesses years of experience and knowledge of our county’s infrastructure is simply nuts. Especially when everyone else around her appears to be motivated by something other than serving the public at large.
Let Claire Hall continue to do her job.
Please stick to the facts. Several DDA;s left the office before DA Wallace was appointed because county management repeatedly refused to respond to their requests for step increases.
DA Wallace did not try to hire her husband, Detective Wallace was hired by DA Danforth and had been working as the DA Detective for almost a year when Wallace became DA. He was the lead detective for the office and headed the Cold Case Team. That position has now been vacant for 6 months and the county has shown no interest in filling the position. Lastly, the information that Commissioner Miller alluded to is minimal in comparison to the slanderous statements made by Hall and Yuille regarding elected officials and county emp0loyees.
Thank you Ralph for offering facts instead of rumors and opinions.
Fact: I was an unsuspecting witness to slanderous remarks by Yuille. I was looking for facts but instead got slanderous remarks and opinions.
Please tell me where and when to sign this petition.
Comm’r Hall and County Counsel have not one to blame but themselves for the current state of affairs. It was Comm’r Hall’s refusal to respond to repeated requests from Judge Bachart, Sheriff Landers, and DA Wallace that forced 3 elected officials to use the public comment portion of the meeting to discuss the Deflection Program. Hall still refuses to put items on the agenda requested by Comm’r Miller. The public and Comm’r Miller have no other avenue to be heard other than the 3 minutes allowed during public comment.
We also didn’t need an expensive investigation into Comm’r Miller. We all watched as Comm’r Miller tried to shine some light on the lies that were being fed to the public. Miller’s vague reference to the County Administrator pales when compared to the slanderous statements made by Hall & Yuille regarding elected officials and county employees. Why is there no investigation of that. Why aren’t Hall and Yuille banished from county offices?
Thank you for this clarity on this systemic issue with Hall & Yuille.
I, too, have observed them lying to the public, being double-faced, and bending the laws and rules to favor their agenda, as well as punishing citizens, such as myself, for questioning their strategies.
Where can I collect a copy of the petition and share it with my neighbors and friends?
Casey Miller has observed these issues as the media tech for years, which must have inspired his desire to become a commissioner…for which he is being purposely demonized to create a negative PR campaign against him.
Those of us who have been victimized by these troublesome government workers are ready for the honesty and transparency of government that Miller is trying to perform.
Time for change of the old guard!
Katrina
Yes Katrina! Agree!
Agree!
Hall said she should be focusing on important issues like the budget shortfall instead of her recall. Food for thought – we’d have more money if we didn’t pay for bogus investigations of elected officials and county employees and a separate office space for Miller. Tack on the 40-50k it’ll cost to send out ballots because she won’t resign. She creates the problem then wants to stay in office to fix the problem she created. Crazy. Elected officials and employees come and go – commissioners, county administrator, finance directors, etc. but Hall remains and the problems remain. Do the math. The common denominator is…
People need to keep their person prejudices to themselves and do what’s right for everyone. Claire is doing a wonderful job. Why spend $50K of our money to “recall”?
Time for Hall to go. Where can we find the petition to sign?
So Hutchins received consequences for violating rules and decided wasting taxpayers money with a retaliatory recall is the viable solution? Are we in middle school?
The only way it uses taxpayer money, is if there are enough signatures from the people and Hall does not resign. At that point, that would be Commissioner Hall costing the taxpayers, not the recall itself. That is people gathering signatures by volunteering.
Even if you get the required 3900+ signatures on a recall petition that is still only 15% of the voters in Lincoln County. This is not a majority by even the worst math. Clearly, expecting someone to roll over and play dead because 15 out of 100 people want to get rid of them is not good democracy or governance, neither is it realistic. Waste our money on a recall, but what are you planning for afterward? I think those that sign the petition, if it gets to special election and fails, should bear the expense of paying for it.
My name is everyone’s name in the county that wishes to RECALL HALL. My obligation is to get that petition out there for those who want to sign. There are many who haven’t done this for various reasons, but want Commissioner Hall removed for more reasons than I will state here. I’m just supplying the means to get it done lawfully.
And waste the tax payers money for something so trivial
For everyone that has responded the truth is found in Ralph’s comments, however I have no idea who he is. He has the history correct and is not twisting facts to support a false narrative. This is not a red or blue issue, this is a Lincoln County issue that has to be addressed, if we are to return to ethical governance. I have been silenced at the BOC for one reason alone — the protection of Counsel Kristin Yuille after she violated county and common decency laws by stating outrageous comments about four people who were employed by Lincoln County in front of another resident also. For me as the petitioner this was the final straw. These lawsuits that are being filed damage our insurance ratings and our reputation apart from the money it will cost the taxpayers. Our 2023 audit shows that our 2022 audit was a total farce. And the discriminatory behavior of punishing one employee and allowing another to duplicate the same behavior is damaging to all current employees of the County and damaging to the public trust.
Signing tables will be set up across the county for those in agreement to sign this petition please watch for them.
I look forward to welcoming you at those tables with truth and facts. Thank you.
As a witness, along with Christine, to the slanderous remarks made by County Counsel Kristin Yuille on June 4, 2025 about county employees, I agree that more than a recall is indicated. This non-partisan issue is about honesty, transparency and responsible county management, something Commissioner Miller has been requesting for some time yet has received no response from the current county administrators – Claire Hall and Kristin Yuille. And who, in the end, are on the receiving end this surreptitious misuse of power? We, the taxpayers/citizens of Lincoln County.
Please note: I had never met Christine until June 4th and have not spoken with her since. We are two, independent citizens looking for answers.
Would you hire someone to do construction on your house, pay the money for building materials, watch them sit on their phone and post on social media all day long, not buy the building materials, not do the construction, lose the money and then ask you for more money so they can do the job? Would you repeat that cycle for 20 years? No? That’s what we’re doing with Hall in office. We are paying taxes expecting a job to be done, there is a budget shortage every year, hiring freeze every year, public safety negatively impacted every year and we are asked for more money. We are also asked for more time to allow Hall to fix the issues she created, but all I see is her social media posts all day long during the work day. We have no money despite giving it to the county and the job isn’t getting done, so why are we still doing this? For those saying Hall is doing a great job and people are being middle schoolers for filing a recall petition – even a middle schooler wouldn’t continue to employ and pay someone who is running their lemonade stand into the ground. Why are we?
There isn’t a hiring freeze every year. Words have meaning and your lies are very very transparent.
Hall recently posted on social media, again during work hours, to defend her support of public safety in Lincoln County. She said a large portion of the county’s budget goes to public safety. That’s true, it does. In lots of counties public safety is naturally the biggest part of the budget. The problem isn’t that the budget for public safety isn’t big enough. The problem is the people running those departments, like the DA, aren’t being allowed to spend the money to staff and run their office how they want and need to. A recent example of this can be seen in the public LPSCC meeting posted on the county’s website. The DA is trying to use grant money given by the state (not the county’s money) to hire a prosecutor. She was told no. From listening to the meeting, sounds like the money has to be given back to the state if it’s not spent. It’s literally free money to go toward supporting public safety and it’s not being allowed. So yes a big part of the budget goes to public safety. But that’s not the whole picture. A hiring freeze isn’t supporting public safety. In the same meeting the sheriff said the service we are getting has been impacted by all of this. Why not carve out an exception for those offices if she supports public safety? Also during the meeting they talked about hiring a new county administrator. So there’s a hiring freeze for cops and prosecutors but not for someone to come in and help the commissioners? What sense does that make? Ask the people we elected to run our public safety offices if they feel supported by Hall.
Claire Hall has more integrity than most of the misleading, misinformed, and out right prejudice-spewing people commenting about her hair color and the like. If you’re going to try to file a recall petition be honorable about it and say what your real grievance with her is. I, for one, could find much more meaningful things to spend our tax payer money on, (and it wouldn’t include a “private office” for someone who can’t get around their own phobias). Claire Hall was fairly elected, let her do her dang job.
So many people want to sign the petition, but they are fearful of retaliation. When you abuse your power for revenge, it’s time to go. Hall and Yuille’s decisions have purposely made it hard to keep seasoned Deputy District Attorney’s who have the needed experience to prosecute offenders. Make better decisions starting with resigning. Let’s get commissioners (and county counsel) in office that care about this county, not personal agendas. The amount of hours spent on revenge should be considered stealing. The last three years of valuable resources spent on revenge against the DA’s office is ridiculous. Think about what’s best for Lincoln County. It’s not Claire Hall.
Claire works hard and cares deeply for the community.
I have known Claire Hall for many years. She has always been a committed public servant. This is another example of political bullying. She was legitimately voted into office by a majority of Lincoln County citizens because we believed in his vision for our county. I, personally, support all projects for those who are struggling to find housing and programs to ease their struggle.
I have no particular interest in either keeping or ousting Claire Hall, except to say why don’t we try an experiment, see if the drama goes away when Hall goes away. There is nothing to fear and nothing to lose from that. Except maybe we’ll lose the ridiculous squabbling that’s already costing us plenty, and gain a dynamic, functioning county government. Those claiming the opposite might be taking marching orders from the one person who does have something to lose, which is Claire Hall.
Hall’s behavior has become increasingly outrageous. She no longer is serving in the best interests of Lincoln County and has become a legal liability. It’s time for her to go. 13,027 people thought it was time for her to go back in November 2024. I have no doubt the recall petition will be successful. Then the question becomes will Hall continue to waste our tax dollars trying to maintain her power grab or finally do the right thing for all of us and resign.