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Clatsop County Commissioners recall, Oregon, 2009
| Clatsop County Commission recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Patricia Roberts Jeff Hazen |
| Recall status |
Recall approved |
| Recall election date |
| October 27, 2009 |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2009 Recalls in Oregon Oregon recall laws County commission recalls Recall reports |
Recall elections against Clatsop County Commissioners Ann Samuelson, Patricia Roberts, and Jeff Hazen were held on October 27, 2009, and December 9, 2009. The recall elections against Roberts and Hazen were defeated, and the recall election against Samuelson was approved.[1][2][3][4]
The efforts were launched in July and August 2009. At the time, Hazen served as the county chair and represented District 1, Samuelson represented District 5, and Roberts represented District 2.[5] The recall efforts started after the three commissioners voted in favor of a liquefied natural gas development.[6]
Election results
October 27, 2009
- Anne Samuelson
- Yes: 1,013 (50.10%)
- No: 1,009 (49.90%)
- Yes: 1,013 (50.10%)
- Jeff Hazen
- Yes: 978 (43.9%)
- No: 1,250 (56.1%)
December 9, 2009
- Patricia Roberts
- Yes: 805 (41.4%)
- No: 1,138 (58.5%)
Recall supporters
The effort to recall the three commissioners started after they voted in favor of adopting a report about a liquid natural gas (LNG) terminal that NorthernStar Natural Gas hoped to build in the county. The commission said that the proposed Bradwood Landing project met local zoning requirements.[6][7]
The Clatsop County Commission approved the LNG terminal, but a majority of voters in November 2008 overturned that decision.[7]
Hazen
Those who sought a recall said they believed that Hazen had "steadily ignored the popular sentiment that is opposed to an LNG terminal at Bradwood."[7]
Roberts
A citizen group called Accountability for District 2 cited the following reasons for recalling Roberts:[6]
- Roberts voted in support of the Bradwood Landing LNG project application despite a 67 percent "no" vote in 2008.
- Roberts was vice-chairwoman on the board of the Northwest Oregon Housing Authority (NOHA), which was involved in a financial crisis.
Samuelson
Those who sought the recall said they believed that Samuelson had "steadily ignored the popular sentiment that is opposed to an LNG terminal at Bradwood."[7]
Recall supporters
The Oregonian Editorial Board published the following editorial against the recall efforts on September 26, 2009:[8]
| “ |
Wrongheaded recall elections looming in Clatsop County are a sure sign the fight over liquefied natural gas development there has gotten out of hand. County Commissioners Ann Samuelson and Jeff Hazen face recall in an election Oct. 27. Their transgression? They approved land-use applications for a bitterly contested LNG terminal at Bradwood Landing on the lower Columbia River. Opponents are collecting signatures for an election to recall a third commissioner, Patricia Roberts, who also backed the developers' application. If any of the three had engaged in unlawful conduct in supporting the LNG project, its opponents would be justified in seeking to give them the boot. No such official allegations exist, but that hasn't stopped anti-LNG campaigners from trying to oust them having their own ideas about Bradwood Landing. This is classic misuse of the recall. It should be reserved for malfeasance, not for punishing elected officials who dare to make unpopular decisions. Clatsop County voters would do well to consider that the three commissioners under fire appear to have voted correctly in accordance with Oregon land-use law. And then there's the fact that the big development proposed at Bradwood Landing, 40 miles upriver from Astoria, isn't at all the industrial boogeyman that its opponents would have everyone believe. Similar LNG terminals exist all over the world, including in historic Boston Harbor. They've operated safely and cleanly for decades, importing liquefied natural gas that is degassified and piped to markets far and wide. Northwest Natural Gas Co. projects that the LNG from Bradwood Landing would supply up to a quarter of its customers' gas needs and more later as the region grows. This gas has a net contribution to global warming that is well below that of oil or coal, making it essential for the nation's transition to more renewable energy sources. The economic impact of the Bradwood project may be secondary, but it's still huge. Construction would provide 450 living-wage jobs over three years, and once operational the terminal would provide millions of dollars of tax revenue to Clatsop County every year. The Bradwood facility and associated pipelines would provide a billion-dollar economic stimulus, funded privately, at a time when Oregon could sorely use it. Incredibly, however, state regulators seem hell-bent on throwing up roadblocks, even though the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has granted a permit for the project and its developers are committed to meet or exceed every environmental standard. And now the ugly attacks on three county commissioners. Wielding the recall against them in such fashion has a corrosive effect, discouraging people from running for office and unfairly punishing those willing to stick their necks out and serve. Clatsop County voters should reject the recall of Hazen and Samuelson on Oct. 27 and refuse to sign petitions seeking the recall of Roberts.[9] |
” |
Path to the ballot
The recall efforts against Hazen and Samuelson began five days after the commission voted in favor of the project.[7]
Petitioners were required to collect a minimum of 445 valid signatures to place the recall against Hazen on the ballot, 441 valid signatures to place the recall against Roberts on the ballot, and 447 signatures to place the recall against Samuelson on the ballot.[6][7][10]
Recall supporters submitted signatures for the recalls against Hazen and Samuelson on September 9, 2009. On September 18, 2009, Clatsop County Clerk Cathie Garber reported that enough signatures had been collected to place the recall on the ballot. The recall elections were held on October 27, 2009.[1]
On October 30, 2009, the county clerk reported that sufficient signatures were submitted against Robert to put the recall on the ballot.[11] The recall election was held on December 9, 2009.[3]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Daily Astorian, "Recall: Hazen survives; Samuelson losing by just 4 votes - automatic recount planned," October 27, 2009 (dead link)
- ↑ The Oregonian, "Clatsop commissioner recall confirmed," November 11, 2009
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Daily Astorian, "Clatsop County Commissioner Roberts stays in office, says recall attempt has been 'very divisive'," December 8, 2009
- ↑ Associated Press, "Recount needed in Clatsop County recall vote," October 28, 2009
- ↑ Wahkiakim Friends of the River, "Recall Ann Samuelson," July 21, 2009
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 The Daily Astorian, "Roberts added to recall effort," August 26, 2009 (dead link)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Daily Astorian, "Clatsop County commissioners vow to fight recall," July 23, 2009 (dead link)
- ↑ The Oregonian, "Recall is being misused in Clatsop LNG fight," September 26, 2009
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The Daily Astorian, "Signatures verified -recall will go ahead; Hazen and Samuelson will stay and fight," September 18, 2009
- ↑ Associated Press, "Clatsop County, Ore., commissioner faces recall," October 31, 2009
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