At Last: A Breath of Fresh Air in Clackamas County Clerk's Office
Newly elected Clackamas County Clerk Catherine McMullen spoke to Clackamas County Democrats at our February 16th monthly meeting, just six weeks after she took office. A 2022 recipient of our Jill Thorn Grant, McMullen won her office by a wide margin. She ran on the promise of bringing professionalism and transparency to the all-important County Clerk office, two qualities that stand in stark contrast to the sloppiness and obfuscation demonstrated by her predecessor. (SeeThe Hall Monitor 2: because election integrity depends on it)
2023 Jill Thorn Grant
If you’re a woman, a Democrat and a Clackamas County resident who is running for office for the first time in the May 16 Special District Election, you are eligible to apply for Clackamas County Democrats’ Jill Thorn Grant. Find more information and the application form: https://www.clackamasdems.org/#/blog-posts/jill-thorn-grant
The County Clerk’s office oversees all local, state and federal elections for Clackamas County citizens. The Elections Division manages voter registration, county and special district candidate filing, voters’ pamphlets, ballot design, mailing, signature verification, counting, tallying and reporting results. The Recording Division makes and preserves public records related to property transactions and issues marriage licenses.
McMullen stressed that she and her staff are working hard to rebuild public trust in “good and responsive government.” Staffing changes – like hiring an experienced elections manager – are underway. A new and currently open position is for an “elections specialist” who is a Spanish speaker. “This is the first time that Clackamas County will have a bilingual staff person in the Clerk’s office,” McMullen explained. “We want to make sure we are serving everyone in our county.” See the job description here.
The search is also on for temporary election workers. The county has 25 official ballot drop sites, and a team of two election workers – one of each party – need to be at each to close the drop sites at 8 pm on election day. As McMullen pointed out, this is a great way to get involved in the Democratic process. Find information on how to apply here.
March 14 & May 16 Special Elections
Due to an error on the November ballot, election of two city councilors in West Linn had to be postponed until a March 14 special election. Ballots went out to residents on February 22, noted McMullen, herself a West Linn resident. Clackamas County Democrats have endorsed Scott Erwin and Leo Groner for these positions.
Now is the time to file to run in the May 16 Special District Election. There are 44 districts in the county that McMullen’s office serves, plus there are several county districts for which Multnomah and Washington Counties are the filing office.
McMullen calls the Special District Election her favorite. “We have 136 open positions in Clackamas County. So far we have 45 who have filed to run for office, which is really exciting. I love to see community leaders step up to volunteer to fill these jobs and put their names on the ballot. People in these positions decide how local funds are spent and what the priorities are, be it fire, school, water districts – there’s even an Estacada Cemetery district, with three officer positions open. I’ve seen people run for school board who end up running for state legislator, and we all know famous politicians who got their start running for a school board or local water district.”
In other words, if you’re a Clackamas County voter: Run for Something! The deadline for filing is March 16th at 5 pm. See the county website for information on how to file, who is eligible and many more helpful details. Call the County Clerk’s office if you have questions. As McMullen says, “We want you to be a successful candidate.”