To the Editor
The Elizabethan Era was when many historic plays and tragedies we all studied in school were written. Gilliam County is now nearing the end of our own tragedy (play) with our own Queen Elizabeth Farrar Campbell. Her court Jester has been Commissioner Pat Shannon, playing the lead role. First year Lady in Waiting Leah Watkins, with only a little over a year's experience, has played an excellent supporting role. Commissioner Leah Watkins appears to be changing her role, however, from Lady in Waiting to Aspiring for the Crown as she is now running for County Judge. This could also fall in the tragedy category.
Okay, let's be serious. We have been taken back to the era of monarch rule when structural change was mandated by a king or queen. The people's opinion or vote was never a consideration. This has been evidenced by the following:
1. Order 2023-01 adopted December 13, 2023
2. Wrote their own ORS 111.115 language
3. Omit the truth to get an amendment attached to Senate Judiciary Bill1576.
4. Take away the voice of the people by hiring a County Administrator; another layer of unnecessary bureaucracy at the cost of over a million dollars in the six year term of a Judge. This fact is born out in the Hiring Packet sent out to all applicants for the newly created position of County Administrator. Their duties would be the same as a County Court Judge minus the Judicial Probate and Court functions.
This is another attempt to strategically “remove” the County Judge position by giving the Judge’s duties to a hired employee rather than an Elected Judge we can vote for. These are duties Judge Farrar Campbell does not want to do even though all previous County Judges did. The court will soon hire a County Administrator who will be given a binding contract with a multi-year guarantee thus undercutting both the newly elected Judge and the voice (vote) of the people. The Court, under the guise of “bringing us into the 21st century," will actually be taking us back to the Elizabethan Era when the people had no voice and were considered servants to the Queen. For those of you who are on the fence or wondering why we are recalling Queen "Judge" Elizabeth and her Lock-Step Supporter Commissioner Pat Shannon hopefully this factual based insight provided here will be pivotal in your decision to VOTE YES on the RECALL BALLOT you receive in the mail. Vote for your voice.
The only thing standing in the way of tyrannical rule is our "right to vote". Lets defend this right at every opportunity. This right has never been more vitally important than now.
— Lenn Ball, Arlington
Reader Comments(0)