Lincoln County sets application deadline, schedules public interviews to fill District 2 vacancy

The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners on June 22 set a public timetable and adopted procedures to fill a District 2 vacancy after the resignation of a commissioner that took effect June 18.

Judy Grohl of the Lincoln County State's Attorney's Office told the board the resignation "became effective June 18," and that "so now we have 35 days to fill that appointment," meaning the commission must act by July 23. Grohl presented a draft appointment procedure recommending that candidates submit letters of interest that would be posted to the county's civic‑clerk site for public review.

The board voted to require all letters of interest to be submitted by June 29 at 5 p.m. and to begin interviews at the night meeting on June 30 at 6:30 p.m.; interviews will continue at subsequent night meetings if needed. The motion to set the timeline passed on a roll call vote.

Grohl described the elements staff had proposed for letters of interest, including name, residence, contact information, confirmation of eligibility to hold office, and suggested topics for candidates to address such as qualifications and what they believe is the most important role of a board member. She said submissions could be mailed, hand‑delivered, or emailed to the commission office and that staff would post materials on the civic clerk for public review.

The draft procedures the board adopted specify notice and advertising of the vacancy, mandatory letters of interest, posting of applications, an interview process that may occur in open meeting or in executive session when legally appropriate, and the option of using a nomination/ballot method for selecting an appointee. The deputy state's attorney explained how the ballot method would work, saying the ballots would be public records and filed with the auditor.

During public comment, Chad Skiles of Kin said he "is opposed to the ballot process," arguing voters should be able to see how commissioners vote on each individual candidate. The deputy state's attorney responded that the ballots would be open and become part of the public record.

The board also briefly discussed logistics such as consistent interview questions for fairness, a central process for collecting informal applicant inquiries, and public outreach; commissioners instructed staff to publish the timeline and to forward any applicant notifications they already have to the commission office. Commissioners reminded potential applicants to verify residency in District 2 before applying.

The next procedural steps are: staff will publish the notice and timeline; letters of interest must be submitted by June 29 at 5 p.m.; interviews will begin the evening of June 30 at 6:30 p.m.; and the commission must complete an appointment within the 35‑day statutory window, by July 23.

The board adopted the procedures and schedule by roll call. The meeting closed after brief commission reports and a motion to adjourn.