Josephine County Commissioner Ron Smith declared Monday that he is recusing himself from the appointment process to replace former Commissioner Andreas Blech.
According to The Daily Courier, Commissioner Smith said recusing himself invokes a county charter provision that puts the appointment process in the hands of the county's other elected officials. The move also takes Commissioner Chris Barnett out of the appointment equation.
The decision to appoint a successor to Blech will now be in the hands of Sheriff Dave Daniel, county Clerk Rhiannon Henkels, county Legal Counsel Wally Hicks, Treasurer Dustin Calvo, Assessor Chris Parton, and county Surveyor Peter Allen.
