By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com
WALDPORT – Two new members of the Central Oregon Coast Fire & Rescue District were resoundingly recalled by voters Tuesday after the first major count of ballots in a special election.
With 97 percent of all ballots counted Tuesday night and more Wednesday, the Lincoln County elections department said Todd Holt of Waldport was being recalled by a vote of 575 to 336 and Kathryn Menefee of Tidewater was being recalled on a vote of 594 to 334.
But because of a change in election law and how ballots can now be returned and tabulated, Lincoln County will continue to count ballots through Tuesday, June 14. It reported more results at 5 p.m. Wednesday and will again at 5 p.m. Friday.
But with Lincoln County saying that 97 percent of ballots counted Wednesday night, there is no way that either could make up a 230-vote difference. The turnout as of Wednesday night was 30.3 percent
The county will not certify the vote as official until Wednesday, June 29.
It was not clear if Holt or Menefee will resign from the board before the county’s official count is released June 29. They have declined to talk to the media, including YachatsNews, during the recall campaign.
Peter Carlich of Tidewater, a former board member who initiated and led the recall campaign, said he now hoped that the turmoil was over.
“Today’s ‘yes’ on the recall vote is a victory for the citizens of the fire district, putting an end to destructive board actions that were tearing the department apart,” he said. “Now the fire district will move forward under Chief Jamie Mason and his very dedicated team, whose only duty is to protect and serve our great community.”
11 months on board
Holt and Menefee were elected to the COCF&R board in May 2021, Holt getting 401 votes to defeat Carlich, and Menefee getting 409 in a three-way race. They took office last July and after three quiet months, they and newly elected board chair Buster Pankey starting clashing with Chief Jamie Mason over projects, personnel and an intergovernmental agreement with the Seal Rock Fire District.
After a fiery meeting last September, public board actions quieted considerably until March when Pankey, Holt and Menefee led a board executive session where they wanted to fire Mason, but backed off at the last minute.
That was two months after Carlich filed petitions with the county to start collecting signatures to recall Holt and Menefee.
Meetings have been short and quiet since March – although the three new board members did not attend the May 12 meeting of the 10-member budget committee.
Holt and Menefee’s supporters created a website called “Put out the Fires Waldport” to disseminate information for them. Over the weekend it started posting blogs attacking Mason, the district’s chief maintenance officer, Erich Knudson, and accusing district firefighters of unduly trying to influence the election by saying they would quit of the two stayed in office.
Carlich and the recall group called “Save Our Fire Services” also has a website and posts regularly on Facebook. That group also mailed voters a flier urging the recall of the two board members and canvassed some Waldport neighborhoods to encourage a “yes” vote.
The district’s six paid firefighters and its 12 volunteers issued a vote of “no confidence” in Pankey, Holt and Menefee in April. After ballots were mailed they told YachatsNews they planned to resign if the two survive the recall election and join with Pankey to dismiss Mason.
Last week, board member Reda Eckerman said she too would resign if Holt and Menefee were not voted out.
If the recall votes hold up, then Pankey, Eckerman and fellow board member Kevin Battles would appoint their replacements. But if Pankey also resigns – as he has told some he might do — then Lincoln County commissioners would step in to appoint a third member to establish a board majority, which would then appoint the remaining two.
Rick Booth, head of the department’s volunteer association, said the vote was a “time to move forward to a better place” and hoped the two recalled board members would leave with grace.
“I just want stability back in the community,” Booth said. “Now we don’t have this negative hanging over the department. Who would want to volunteer under the conditions of the past nine months? All we want to do is what we signed up for – help the community and the department.”