Walter Chuck Appointed As New County Commissioner

(Left to right) Commissioner Hall Commissioner Chuck and Commissioner Miller

There were three who were finalists out of the 26 who applied for the vacant Lincoln County Commissioner position. The position became vacant with the resignation of Katey Jacobson, whose last day was Friday February 14th. Those who were interviewed last week included Catherine Rigby, Ryan Parker and Walter Chuck. During discussion at the Board of Commissioners meeting on February 19th Commissioner Hall explained that the statewide statutes require that the commissioners appoint someone to the position. Commmissioners Hall and Miller thanked those who applied for the position.

Hall said when considering between the three she wanted to look at what the voters looked for when they elected Kaety Jacobson. Hall said that Walter Chuck has the same connections to science and the fishing industry. Commissioner Miller noted the challenges of being a commissioner and wanted to make sure the person chosen would be able to work internally and with management. He too supported Hall in appointing Walter Chuck as the next county commissioner. Walter Chuck is familiar with how local government operates and has been a commissioner for the Port of Newport since 2011.  

Locally and statewide, Walter serves on advisory committees and boards representing sportfishing and hunting, and he received the Fellowship Award in 2014 from ODFW Marine Resources Program for those efforts. He has been appointed to the Ocean Policy Advisory Council (OPAC) and served as the Port representative to the Oregon Coastal Zone Management Association (OCZMA) for 10 years and served on their executive Committee for 5 years. He has also served on the Northwest Marine Renewable Energy Center Placement Team, and served on the Bureau Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) intergovernmental task force on wind energy.

Chuck is hoping to start his new role and be sworn in, in the next few weeks, as he will need to give notice to his current job as a Water Plant Operator for Hiland Water Services. He said he will also likely step down as a port commissioner as doing both would be challenging. His term as port commissioner runs until June 2027. Chuck said he is not naive that there is a lot of work to be done, but he is looking forward to rolling up his sleeves and working to get things accomplished, from budget work to hiring a new county administrator. "I look forward to serving the citizens of Lincoln County". He’ll serve the remainder of former

Commissioner Jacobson’s unexpired term, which ends Dec. 31, 2026.