Pamplin Media Group editorial board: Sherry Hall must leave clerk’s office and make room for qualified candidate Catherine McMullen
Clackamas County’s elections clerk, who has made a litany of ballot mistakes in her 20-year tenure, should be removed from office.
Calling for the county’s clerk to resign or be recalled after her latest disastrous antics was an easy decision for Pamplin Media Group, since it was a decision that we’ve already made — repeatedly. Our editorial board called for her removal in 2010, after Sherry Hall’s office cost the county an extra $120,000 by misprinting ballots to include a race that was supposed to be in a different election.
We called for Hall’s removal from office again in 2012, when one of her employees was caught ballot tampering, filling in blank ovals for Republican candidates. This employee was eventually sentenced to 90 days in jail for the crime.
Calling for the ousting of the clerk is even easier this time around, with the availability of a qualified candidate to replace Hall on the November ballot. Catherine McMullen is a West Linn resident and employee of the Multnomah County Elections Office. McMullen, who holds certifications in elections management, shouldn’t be forced to wait until November to be Hall’s replacement.
Hall should resign now, so that Clackamas County commissioners can appoint McMullen and ensure a smooth transition for the elections office. In resigning, Hall would avoid prolonging what we believe will be her inevitable departure from office after the November election.