Josephine County temporary board names Dustin Calvo chair and sets expedited application timeline for two commissioner vacancies

Dustin Calvo was nominated and approved as chair of the Josephine County Temporary Board of Other Elective Administrative Officers at a special meeting Jan. 29, 2026, and the board set a condensed schedule to accept and review applications for two vacant county commissioner seats.

Wally Hicks, identified in the meeting as county legal counsel, nominated Calvo for chair and Rhiannon Henkels seconded the nomination; the board approved it on a 6–0 roll-call vote. Later in the meeting, Hicks moved — and the board approved on a 6–0 roll-call vote — to authorize Hicks to approve the vacancy postings for publication in the Daily Courier.

The board agreed to restart the appointment process and require anyone who had previously applied to reapply through the county's NEOgov portal. Human Resources was directed to post the positions online for a seven-day window and to collect applications. Peter Allen recommended a closing date of Feb. 8, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.; the board told Human Resources to deliver all applications to the temporary board on Feb. 9.

Board members specified that the NEOgov submission should be the standard application and that applicants must provide a resume and cover letter. Dave Daniel said he wanted the postings to list qualifications such as work experience, leadership, education, communication, teamwork and computer skills. Human Resources was directed to create a scoring mechanism for applications; the board also discussed and acknowledged incorporating veterans' preference points as standard practice.

The temporary board set a schedule for decision stages: selections of which applicants proceed to interviews on Feb. 12, interviews on Feb. 18, and a tentative swearing-in on Feb. 23. The board clarified that these appointments are temporary and that one of the seats is on the ballot at the next election while the other is for a two-year unexpired term. To reduce the risk of undisclosed contacts, the board agreed members should forward any emails or written messages about the openings to staff for disclosure at future meetings.

On process questions, the board discussed whether interviews should occur in executive session or in public and decided that, in the interest of fairness, all applicants would receive interview questions in advance and that the order of interviews would be determined by drawing names.

Finally, the board approved a motion, carried 6–0 on a roll call, giving Chair Calvo authority to approve future temporary board agendas.

The temporary board called for Human Resources to post the vacancies in the county's NEOgov portal and the Daily Courier consistent with the Josephine County Charter, then deliver applications to the board on Feb. 9 for the timeline described above. The meeting adjourned at 1:50 p.m.