The Empty Commissioner's Chair
A legal dispute over who has the authority to fill county vacancies leaves Okanogan and Douglas counties short-handed.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Judge Victor Martin of the superior court district covering Chelan, Douglas, and Okanogan counties reports a singular political situation. A vacancy on the Okanogan board of county commissioners remains unfilled because the County Attorney, Mr. Pendergast, asserts the remaining two commissioners must fill the seat alone. Judge Martin, citing state statutes, insists the superior court judge should participate in the appointment. The Judge withdrew to avoid conflict, but the vacancy remains, leaving the county governance operating with only two of three required officials. A similar issue previously occurred in Douglas County, where the judge successfully helped appoint a commissioner; if the Okanogan attorney is correct, those proceedings would be legally void.
“The singular condition is causing quite a deal of speculation in this section.”
The struggle for local governance and the interpretation of election statutes is a classic Washington civic conflict. This reflects the early legislative growing pains of state institutions attempting to balance administrative power between the bench and county commissions.
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