Commissioners Pause Appointment To Position 2 Until After May Primary Election

Position 2 became vacant after the passing of Commissioner Halll's passing in January

The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners has postponed appointing a replacement for the vacant Commissioner Position 2 seat, choosing instead to wait for guidance from the upcoming primary election. At the April 30 regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners, Commissioners Miller and Chuck discussed how to proceed following recent candidate interviews and unexpected withdrawals.

On April 21st the board interviewed two applicants for the Position 2 vacancy: Marcella (Marcy) Baker and Cristen Don, who are both running in the primary for the position 2 spot. Two additional candidates who had been scheduled to participate dropped out prior to their interviews, leaving the board with only two active applicants.

“We were intending to interview a total of four individuals; again, two dropped out,” Commissioner Miller explained. “I think we had good, interviews with Don and Baker.”

The core question before the board was whether to appoint one of the two remaining candidates now, or wait until after the May primary election, which is just 19 days away.

Both Baker and Dawn are already filed candidates for Commissioner Position 2 in that election. Commissioner Miller argued that the voters should have a chance to weigh in before the board makes an appointment to fill the remainder of the term, which runs through the end of 2026.

“It is possible that, one of these candidates now, particularly in Position 2, Don or Baker, could achieve 51% or more of the vote,” Miller said. “That would be a clear indicator of the community’s choice, and I would like it to be as community driven as possible.” While any winner in the primary would not officially begin their elected term until 2027, Miller emphasized that the election results could still provide strong direction to the board on whom to appoint to serve out the remainder of the current term.

Miller also floated the idea that results in other commissioner races (such as Position 1 or Position 3) might offer additional indicators of community preference, particularly if any candidate in those races secures more than 50 percent of the vote. Commissioner Chuck pressed Miller on the practical implications of waiting, including the challenges of operating with only two commissioners and the risk of deadlock on votes.

“You’re asking to just move this on for two more weeks,” Chuck summarized. “And you have no concerns about going forward and being able to pass things on the agendas?”

Miller acknowledged the drawbacks. “There are downsides to just having two of us, absolutely,” he said, but added that the board is “pretty close” to the election date and could continue to work collaboratively until then.

He also suggested that if filling the vacancy earlier had truly been a top priority, the process could have moved faster from the outset. “If it was a priority, I think we haven’t demonstrated that,” Miller said. When asked directly, Miller made clear he would not move to appoint a candidate at this meeting and would not second a motion to appoint someone else.“I will not be making a motion today to select either of these candidates,” he stated.

County counsel and staff were then asked to explore possible dates for revisiting the issue after the primary. Options discussed included holding a special meeting shortly after the May 19 election or waiting until early June, depending on schedules. “I think what you’re hearing from me is, let’s re-engage the conversation after the 19th,” Miller said, referring to the election date. “We could have the meeting potentially on the 20th, the 21st, the 22nd, or look at the option of doing it in June.”

For now, Lincoln County will continue operating with just two commissioners while the Position 2 seat remains vacant. The board indicated it will resume the conversation about a temporary appointee after the primary election results are known, using those results as a signal of voter preference before making a final decision on who should serve through the end of 2026.