RecallHall.com - Letters to the Editor

11 reasons why I’m voting to recall Claire Hall - Alice Vachss

Let's Right the Ship - It's Time - Vet Spc. James Parrish

For the Sake of Transparency - Barbara -Davis

The Opposite of Transparency - Ross Smith

Let’s Bring Back Cooperation in Lincoln County - Christine (Hutchins) Jamison

11 reasons why I’m voting to recall Claire Hall - Alice Vachss

January 2, 2026

To the editor:

I do not want an elected leader who:

• Treats those who disagree as enemies;
• Gaslights the public;
• Retaliates against criticism;
• Uses name-calling as a political strategy;
• Wastes our money on baseless investigations;
• Disrespects an independent criminal justice system;
• Uses public funds to exile dissidents;
• Arbitrarily ends and exits meetings;
• Limits public comment;
• Doesn’t listen and doesn’t care; and
• Calls me MAGA when I sign a recall petition.

— Alice Vachss/Newport

Vachess was the special prosecutor for sex crimes for the Lincoln County DA’s office between 2010 to 2013. Afterward, she published “Sex Crimes: Then and Now” per here.

We submitted the following comment to the above letter, but the publisher rejected it:

Alice,

I applaud your brevity! But let’s add:

12. Repeated false claims about recall funding
13. Falsely blamed Comm. Jacobson’s resignation on Comm. Miller
14. Ignores serious material weaknesses in 2021–2024 county audits
15. Rewards allies; punishes perceived adversaries (DA Wallace)
16. Says one thing publicly, does the opposite privately

Sources:

12. 12/24/25 Lincoln County Leader, p. A5. Hall’s PAC is being sued for this false claim; the opposite is true.
13. Hall’s 11/27/25 Facebook post: https://tinyurl.com/JacobsonFalsehood
Jacobson has never made such a claim. Hall deleted the post; possibly at Jacobson’s direction.
14. Lincoln County audits (2021–2024): https://RecallHall.com/audits
15. List of 44 county employees hired during the alleged “hiring freeze”:
https://tinyurl.com/HiringsAfterFreeze
16. Siletz Mayor Willie Worman’s 12/20 statement: Hall publicly claimed she never received his message, but privately admitted County Counsel Kristin Yuille instructed her not to respond. Video: https://youtu.be/f4PUNA7XUsg?t=5498&cc_load_policy=1

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Published in the Lincoln Chronicle on January 2, 2026 at https://lincolnchronicle.org/11-reasons-why-im-voting-to-recall-claire-hall

Let's Right the Ship - It's Time - Vet Spc. James Parrish

December 22, 2025

This recall isn’t about ideology or personalities. It’s about four duties Lincoln County residents expect from their government: public safety, accountability, transparency, and fairness.

Public safety:
The DA's Office has been hollowed out. Experienced staff were terminated or forced out, and for more than six months, repeated requests to hire replacements have gone unanswered. When a DA’s office can’t staff cases, victims wait, prosecutions slow, cases fail, and public safety suffers. Watch four short videos at RecallHall.com/safety

Accountability:
Lincoln County has now received four consecutive failed audits, citing material weaknesses and repeat deficiencies. That’s not a paperwork problem — it’s a warning sign. When the same issues appear year after year, leadership has a responsibility to fix them, not ignore them. Find the four failed audits at RecallHall.com/accountabilIty

Transparency:
Within hours of being appointed Acting County Administrator, Chair Claire Hall quietly appointed HR Director David Collier as Acting County Administrator in her place — without public notice, discussion, or even informing all the commissioners. That decision only became known after staff learned of it internally. That’s not transparent governance. See RecallHall.com/transparency

Fairness:
Finally, the public record shows Commissioner Casey Miller repeatedly silenced — gaveled down, denied the ability to make motions, introduce agenda items, or even ask questions of County Counsel. Silencing an elected commissioner undermines representative government. Watch five short videos at RecallHall.com/fairness

Recalls exist for moments like this — when process, transparency, and fairness break down. Voters deserve the full record and the chance to decide for themselves.

Vet. Spc. James Parrish
Newport

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Published in the Lincoln County Leader on December 22, 2025 at:
https://www.newportnewstimes.com/opinion/letter-to-the-editor-for-the-sake-of-transparency/article_3020c123-d01e-40af-b25a-fd6a7a0104d7.html

For the Sake of Transparency - Barbara -Davis

December 14, 2025

For years, Lincoln County has prided itself on open government and fair deliberation. That’s why what has happened in recent Board of Commissioners meetings should concern every voter, regardless of politics.

Commissioner Casey Miller has repeatedly been denied the most basic right of any elected official: the ability to place items on the agenda and to speak without being silenced. On October 1, October 15, November 5, November 26, and December 3, Miller was either blocked from introducing topics or gaveled down mid-sentence. These weren’t disruptive outbursts. They were routine attempts to raise issues—from aerial spraying to transparency concerns—that many residents care deeply about.

Under Oregon’s Public Meetings Law, commissioners are expected to deliberate in public. Silencing one commissioner prevents the public from hearing the full discussion. Blocking agenda items prevents the issues themselves from ever reaching daylight.

This isn’t about personalities. It’s about process. When a commissioner cannot make a motion, cannot raise a Point of Order, and cannot even finish a question to County Counsel, something fundamental has gone wrong in our county government.

Commissioner Hall has presided over these breakdowns as Chair. Instead of ensuring fair debate, she has allowed — and sometimes encouraged — a process that shuts down voices and shields key issues from public view.

Whether you agree with Miller or not, every voter should agree on this: no commissioner should be silenced, and no issue should be buried.

For the sake of transparency and basic fairness, recall Claire Hall - Because Fairness Matters.

Barbara Davis

Waldport

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Published in the Lincoln County Leader on December 14, 2025 (and in print on December 17, 2025) at:
https://www.newportnewstimes.com/opinion/letter-to-the-editor-for-the-sake-of-transparency/article_3020c123-d01e-40af-b25a-fd6a7a0104d7.html

Submitted with the title: Recall Claire Hall: Because Fairness Matters

Davis was one of the Chief Petitioners for citizen initiative Measure 21-177 which passed to outlaw aerial spraying in Lincoln County in 2017. See here.

The Opposite of Transparency - Ross Smith

December 4, 2025

In 2022, County Commissioner Claire Hall urged voters to elect Casey Miller, applauding his passion for “making county government more transparent.” She was right then. But when Miller respectfully asked on 9/18/24, that the Board make its long-standing staff meetings public—as Oregon law requires—Hall didn’t applaud the transparency she once championed. Instead, she claims Miller “attacked” her and “others.”

There was no attack. Miller’s comments were focused on the public’s right to see how its government works. Yet the next day, an anonymous complaint was filed against him. Four months and $65,000 later, an independent law firm found Miller innocent of all harassment allegations. It was never about misconduct; it was a political hit to divert attention from Miller’s call for openness.

Ironically, following that, the staff meetings were permanently cancelled. So where is that vital work now happening?

More troubling still: since 2021, when County Counsel Kristin Yuille replaced retiring attorney Wayne Belmont, the Board has only held executive sessions to purchase $7M in property. And even though the County, and Hall personally, are being sued for $4.45 million for wrongful termination, the Board adamantly refuses to hold executive sessions on litigation, personnel, security, etc., as all nine of Miller’s formal executive session requests have been privately denied.

If the Board refuses to hold executive sessions—and refuses to hold its staff meetings in public—then where are those conversations happening?

Not in public. Not in executive session.

Which leaves only one possibility: in secret.

And that's the opposite of transparency.

Ross Smith
Lincoln City

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Published in the Lincoln County Leader on December 4, 2025 (and in print on December 10, 2025) at:
https://www.newportnewstimes.com/opinion/letter-the-opposite-of-transparency/article_03806417-166e-43ae-adc3-984c74a1ecd9.html

Ross is the Treasurer of Citizens to Recall County Commissioner Claire Hall (Committee ID 24632).

Let’s Bring Back Cooperation in Lincoln County - Christine (Hutchins) Jamison

November 28, 2025

Lincoln County deserves leaders who listen generously, work collaboratively, and treat differences of opinion as part of healthy civic life—not as grounds for personal attacks. Recent letters have framed the recall as a “right-wing power grab,” but that doesn’t reflect how our county actually works.

First, if Commissioner Claire Hall is recalled, her replacement isn’t chosen by engaged constituents: it’s chosen by the two remaining Commissioners, Casey Miller and Walter Chuck. When Commissioner Jacobson resigned in February, Hall and Miller appointed her replacement, and every finalist was a Democrat. The process has long been nonpartisan in practice.

Second, in November 2024, Hall won re-election by only 115 votes, while the other six Democrats on the ballot won by an average of over 4,000 votes. When asked what message she took from that result, Hall said she was “always open to new things, new concerns, new initiatives.” But her recent public posts needlessly attacking Miller and our District Attorney suggest the opposite—a growing unwillingness to work constructively with those who may hold different views.

While Hall now claims Miller is “MAGA-led,” in 2022 both Hall and the Democratic Party heartily endorsed him. Hall even campaigned for Miller, praising his collaborative leadership after 14 years of working with Miller as our County’s PIO. That history makes today’s “MAGA power grab” narrative both inaccurate and needlessly polarizing.

The recall is not about ideology. It’s about restoring respect, cooperation, and accountability at a moment when our county needs all three. Get the facts: recallhall.com

Christine (nee Hutchins) Jamison
Otter Rock

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Published in the Lincoln County Leader on November 28, 2025 (and in print on December 3, 2025) at:
https://www.newportnewstimes.com/opinion/letter-let-s-bring-back-cooperation-in-lincoln-county/article_0bd2f99e-3bbf-4b0d-ab7b-a69503374094.html

Jamison is the Chief Petitioner of recall petition 21-LCR-2025-1 to place the recall on the ballot.

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Here are the facts:

1. Eliot Sekular's Aug 28, 2025 letter is at:
https://www.newportnewstimes.com/opinion/letter-reject-the-claire-hall-recall-power-grab/article_3d5299ef-923e-40ff-a88d-7e93286fd6cf.html

2. November 2024 election results for Lincoln County:

Candidates Position DEM vote REP vote Diff.
Harris/Trump President 17,112 11,645 5,467
Hoyle/DeSpain US Rep 15,917 11,411 4,506
Reed/Linthicum SOS 16,401 11,319 5,082
Steiner/Boquist Treasurer 14,903 11,600 3,303
Rayfield/Lathrop AG 16,370 12,085 4,285
Beaudreau/Anderson Senator 15,046 13,465 1,581

Average 15,958 11,921 4,037

Hall/Beasley BOC 13,142 13,027 115

Source:
https://www.co.lincoln.or.us/DocumentCenter/View/6018/Election-Results-November-5-2024-General-Election-pdf

3. Hall's quote after her re-election:
https://www.newportnewstimes.com/news/claire-hall-declared-winner/article_c6d25312-b1db-11ef-a266-dfd4442d6c25.html

4. Hall's post on FB re Miller:
https://www.facebook.com/ClaireHall1959/posts/pfbid02J39gaJL76rvQspSFMmJEwkJMpnMWpGWaGcoxQX1EKnzjkhyzDDsCQsCVUAU26hxKl

5. Hall's endorsement of Miller:
https://www.newportnewstimes.com/opinion/proudly-voting-for-casey-miller/article_241aad90-53cd-11ed-b3c6-3b07e1bb2280.html

Last updated: 1/4/26 9:37am

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