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Longtime Clatsop County advisory council member resigns after debate over removing developmental disabilities from bylaws
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Summary
A proposal to remove developmental disabilities (DD) as a mandated item in the council's bylaws prompted sharp disagreement and the immediate resignation of a 14‑year member, who called the change "a slap in the face" to the disability community. County staff said the shift reflects statutory changes and a separate DD advisory council held by CBH.
Randy, a long‑standing member of the Clatsop County Human Services Advisory Council, announced his immediate resignation during the council's April 14 meeting after county staff proposed removing developmental disabilities (DD) from the council's bylaws.
The change follows a state‑level shift in how DD services are administered, county staff said. Monica, a county staff member leading the bylaws review, told the council the county no longer has statutory oversight of DD services because the state now contracts DD services directly with Community Behavioral Health (CBH). She said CBH provides a separate, statutorily required DD advisory committee and that the proposed edits reflect those statutory responsibilities.
"That is what I'm working on to present to your committee to present to the board," Monica said, describing the edits as an attempt to align the council's bylaws with legal requirements. County counsel Anthony Pope added a legal perspective, saying removing DD from the bylaws "does not limit your committee's ability to discuss it" but can help the council focus on its core statutory responsibilities.
Several council members pushed back. "I don't think we should be dropping that," said Randy, who earlier described the developmental disabilities portion of the council as the primary reason he joined 14 years ago. Lisa, the county liaison, urged the committee to continue advocacy and prevention work for high‑risk groups, including people who need DD services.
Public health manager Jill Quackenbush and other members said the council still benefits from hearing regular updates about DD‑related topics because of their overlap with behavioral health and prevention efforts. "We can't not talk about one thing without talking about the other," Jill said.
The disagreement escalated when Randy called the proposed bylaws edits and a reduction in DD reporting "a huge slap in the face to the disability community" and immediately resigned his post.
County staff apologized for gaps in communication about past changes in contract oversight: "I apologize on behalf of county staff that when that change was made ... we didn't at that time ... bring that to your attention," Lisa said. She invited members to provide feedback for the annual report and suggested staff would explore recognition or outreach to Randy about his long service.
Next steps: staff said they will finalize proposed bylaw edits to present to the Board of County Commissioners and will continue to brief the council on DD issues in contexts that relate to behavioral health and prevention. Randy's resignation will be communicated to the commissioners, and the council discussed possible ex‑officio or nonvoting participation options for new or returning members.
