Progressive Yamhill, Save Yamhill County, AFSCME, The Yamhill County Democratic Party, lame duck Commissioner Casey Kulla and the Recall PAC were all disappointed when the County Clerk declared their petition to recall County Commissioner Lindsay Berschauer short of the required amount of verified signatures after 5 pm. on Wednesday. Over 8,000 signatures were turned in but enough were disqualified leaving the petition short of the required 6875 signatures.

Volunteers from the groups list above, with a dozen Yamhill Republican Party members representing Berschauer’s interest, observed the signature verification process over six days. Normally petitions with over 4000 signatures are sampled rather than having each signature inspected. The sampling method quickly threw out over 1500 signatures bringing loud protests from the petitioners. In this instance the County Clerk decided that due to the presence of attorneys for both sides and the high profile nature of the recall attempt, each signature would be verified.

The signature gathering process involved numerous $18 an hour individuals from the Metro area who may have lacked familiarity with proper procedure. Some signatures contained a happy face, unlike the signature as it appears on a drivers license. Few signers read the charges against Berschauer that were listed. Those charges included false statements. False statements are allowed on recall petitions due to the political nature of the initiative. Several refused to sign stating that disagreements on policy choices of elected officials should be decided when they run for re-election.

The disgruntled vowed to make another attempt at recall. The names and addresses of all who signed the petition are now public record. Because recalls are rare in Yamhill County the Secretary of State’s office was asked to offer guidance. Even with full oversight, Save Yamhill County questioned The County Clerk’s integrity in spite of his impeccable record of fair and impartial public service spanning more than a decade. Numerous complaints against Save Yamhill County involving improper reporting of expenditures starting in August are outstanding. A recall election would have cost the County $90,000.


--Tom Hammer

Post Date: 2021-11-11 09:44:25

Last Update: 2021-11-11 09:54:03