The Polk County Board of Commissioners interviewed Susan Graham for a seat on the county planning commission at its Dec. 2, 2025, meeting. Graham, a planning commission candidate who lives at 6270 Corvallis Road in Independence, said she moved to the area in 2014, retired in 2022 and previously worked as a tax attorney for Ernst & Young in California and Oregon.

Graham framed her approach around legal compliance and community engagement. “As long as we’re following the law and giving people their opportunity to be involved in the process, I think we’ve done our job,” she told commissioners during the question-and-answer session. She said that understanding statutes, administrative rules and the limits of county authority matters more than trying to impose rapid policy changes.

Why it matters: The planning commission reviews land-use proposals and advises the county on zoning and development decisions that affect farmland, forestlands and infrastructure. Graham told the board she would use her legal training and board experience to read documents carefully, connect community concerns to the formal process and listen to diverse viewpoints.

On farmland and forestry, Graham said Polk County should balance protection goals with economic viability for farmers and forest owners. “The thing that makes us who we are is our open spaces and the farmland and the forestry land,” she said, adding that rules are designed to preserve and protect those resources while allowing thoughtful adjustments when circumstances change.

Graham said she had researched the Land Conservation and Development Commission’s recent attention to farm-stand rules and had discussed local questions with county staff. She also referenced Western Oregon University, where she is teaching an introduction-to-business-law course this semester, as part of her current professional activity.

Commissioners asked about local versus state regulation and whether Polk County should adopt more restrictive rules than state law allows. Graham said the answer is case-by-case and that priorities should be driven by community input and legal constraints rather than a broad presumption for added restrictions.

Votes at a glance: Earlier in the meeting, the board approved the meeting agenda and the Nov. 25 minutes. Both motions were moved, seconded and recorded in the transcript as having passed unanimously; the transcript records commissioners saying “Aye,” but individual roll-call tallies by name were not recorded.

What the board did not do at the meeting: Commissioners completed the interview and thanked Graham but did not vote on an appointment. Speaker 1 told Graham, “We’ll be back, we’ll be in touch,” and no formal appointment or referral was recorded in the transcript.

Background on the candidate: Susan Graham said she moved to Independence in 2014, retired in 2022, has run a rental business with her husband and has volunteered on school and nonprofit boards. She described past work at Ernst & Young and recent local collaboration, including work on a school bond and governance projects.

Next steps: The board gave no timeline for action on the planning commission appointment at the meeting. The candidate was thanked and excused, and the meeting proceeded to adjournment.