After a grueling special election Commissioner Chris Barnett has been decisively recalled, leaving Ron Smith as the last man sitting on the Josephine County Board of Commissioners.
The tally as of late election night was 61.86% for Barnett’s recall, and 38.14% against. There were a total of 21,580 votes cast, with a voter turnout rate of just over 30% for the Jan. 6 election.
Although the recall effort targeted both Barnett and another commissioner, Andreas Blech, Blech chose to resign rather than face the recall.
The recall petitioners accused Barnett of making poor management decisions without proper board oversight. The lead petitioner, Jim Goodwin, was director of the county’s juvenile justice department before resigning amid an aggressive and controversial restructuring plan led by Blech.
Among other specific issues cited by recall supporters was the board’s sudden decision to prematurely terminate the Grants Pass Library’s lease. Although Barnett said that the intent was to renegotiate the lease, and not evict the library, library officials said they were blindsided by the decision.
Barnett, a real estate agent, had also been found liable in a civil case for financial elder abuse to the tune of $4.8 million. The decision was upheld by the state Supreme Court in October, and was linked to the violation of “lifetime” campground access contracts after his company purchased a property in Lakeside, Ore.
Blech had served on the board since being chosen by former Councilor John West to replace his seat after West was recalled in August 2024, by a similar margin. The petition against West cited his slashing of community programs and failure to public meeting and campaign finance law, among other complaints.
The business of the Josephine County Board of Commissioners can’t be conducted without a quorum, and it might be some time before new commissioners are appointed to fill the two seats, one vacated by Blech and the other soon-to-be-vacated by Barnett.
According to a county legal counsel Wally Hicks, a temporary board must appoint replacements to fill the vacant seats. The county clerk must be part of that board, and is not eligible to be part of the board until the recall election results are certified, which will take place no sooner than Jan. 28.
Once Blech stepped down from the board, the existing two-person council had 30 days to appoint a replacement, but Smith recused himself from the process, citing political pressure and “back-room deals.” Barnett argued this was not a valid basis for recusal.