By the deadline, six applicants had expressed interest in the open Morrow County commissioner position.
Now there are three — Roy Drago Jr., Mike McNamee and Gus Peterson.
Commissioners David Sykes and Jeff Wenholz decided on these finalists at a board meeting Wednesday morning, Feb. 1.
The winning candidate then will serve the remainder of Doherty’s term, ending Jan. 6, 2025.
Justin Nelson, Morrow County district attorney, said Drago, McNamee and Peterson will deliver five-minute presentations to the board at a meeting Wednesday, Feb. 8. The commissioners, after hearing the presentations, then pose questions to the candidates.
Nelson said the public always has the opportunity to speak and this meeting will not be any different. Residents can voice their opinion at the start of the meeting, before presentations and commissioner questions.
According to Nelson, the commissioners may, “theoretically,” make their decision at the Feb. 8 meeting, though it’s more likely they will wait until another meeting on Feb. 15.
This will give them time to “sleep on” their decision, Nelson said.
In the cover letter to his application, Drago, of Boardman, said he is a retiree whose career included 30 years as a journeyman lead for Tidewater Terminal Co. at the Port of Morrow. Also, he has been a Boardman city councilor for more than four years. His term expires Dec. 31, 2026.
A Riverside High School graduate, his history in Morrow County is long. He said he has lived in the county since 1980, only leaving when he went to college.
He has three children, who all attended school in Boardman.
“It is my sincere goal to continue working within Morrow County for the betterment of our community and its constituents, addressing some of the important issues at hand with an open mind and economic realism,” he stated in his letter.
Further, he expressed his desire to build the community “in a prosperous yet responsible manner.”
McNamee said he would become commissioner, “if it’s God’s will.”
“If not, I’ll be OK, too,” he added.
He ran to be a Morrow County commissioner in 2022 and lost to Sykes.
McNamee, an Irrigon resident, in his application cover letter stated his qualifications and goals.
He also said he feels he can “work as a team” with the commissioners, as he knows them from last year’s campaign.
“I do not bring an agenda to the position, but rather I come with a willingness and desire to keep our county moving forward as an exceptional place to live, work and raise our families,” he stated.
In addition, he mentioned his experience, which included being on the Port of Morrow’s budget committee. And he stated he has been on the Morrow County Soil and Water Conservation board, “which gave me firsthand knowledge in dealing with drought, government programs for farmers, aiding those applying for assistance and conservation projects within our county.”
He said he has many areas of interest, including county infrastructure, land use issues, the health district, the rapid population growth of the county and water contamination.
Peterson said he is “excited to be considered as one of three people potentially good enough for the job.”
“I appreciate at least that vote of confidence, thus far, from the current commissioners,” he said.
Like McNamee, Peterson also lost the 2022 commissioner race to Sykes, coming in third place.
In his letter, Peterson, an Ione resident, mentioned his “passion for leadership and for my community.” Also, he praised the county’s “abundance of potential” and his desire not “to see that abundance squandered.”
Peterson brought up his farming background and his history in the area. He graduated from Ione Community School in 2014 before attending Oregon State University.
A farmer, teacher, sports coach and church-goer, Peterson said he is familiar with different parts of his community.
“We have spent a great deal of time and effort in bickering with one another, and not enough in honest engagement with other views,” he stated. “I wish to change this.”
