GRANTS PASS, OR – A petition to recall Josephine County Commissioner John West was filed Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, by former Josephine County commissioner and former state representative Lily Morgan as chief petitioner.
Morgan read the petition language to the diverse crowd of nearly 100 people. The 90-day timeline to collect 6,445 signatures of Josephine County voters began on Friday. Morgan stated, “You may be standing arm in arm with someone you have never stood beside before,” as she emphasized,“This is not about political parties, but about good governance and pride in Josephine County.”
This Petition requests the recall of Commissioner John West for ignoring the will of the people and for actions that have:
- Affected the health and safety of the community;
- Lost revenue, increased costs, or haphazardly cut valued services;
- Failed to follow the law.
The following actions demonstrate a failure to consider the best interests of the people he was elected to serve:
1) Bad faith negotiations in the Pipe Fork property sale, leading to lost revenue and jeopardizing a
Williams community water source.
2) Ignored the will of the voters by eliminating funding for community programs, including OSU
extension, Law Enforcement, and Public Health.
3) West has shown a pattern of violating state laws, including campaign finance regulations and
public meeting laws, and is currently facing several pending ethics and labor law violations.
4) Unlawfully approved a Library District withdrawal leading to costly litigation.
5) West has shown a pattern of threatening community safety by reducing the Firewise program,
reducing the Emergency Management program, and eliminating property development fire
standards.
6) Hired unqualified political allies for key County employee and contract positions.
These actions demonstrate a pattern of unethical and illegal behavior, severely damaging public trust and warranting immediate recall.
The Committee to Recall John West includes citizens representing every political party and multiple community groups wanting what’s best for Josephine County. Signatures will be gathered at the Josephine County Fair this week starting August 7th and for other locations and updates follow us at Facebook.com/recalljohnwest or recalljohnwest.com.