For Lisa Collier, service to community is second nature — but it was her time on the Joseph City Council (and later, as mayor of Joseph) that helped cement her desire for public office.

“I had never done anything like that before I got into the City Council role at Joseph,” she said. “And I really loved it; I found that I was pretty good at it. I think I just found a new skill set that I didn’t know was there.”

And after she was approached by community leaders about running for the Wallowa County Board of Commissioners, Collier decided it was a good time to take that skill set to the county. She’s one of five candidates seeking the Position No. 1 seat that Todd Nash is vacating to run for the state Senate.

“I’m very passionate about our county,” he said. “I love the citizens. And I just want to make sure that we are preserving what makes our county special and making it the best place possible to live for a citizen of Wallowa County and as a visitor.”

As a commissioner, she said, she would emphasize citizen representation and also would work to support county staff members — “removing barriers, putting supports in place, setting the staff up for success.”

If elected, she said, she also would work to launch a systematic update of county ordinances, policies and procedures. In tackling similar work for the city of Joseph, she and other councilors and city staff members found “that some of those ordinances really don’t pertain to 2024. Some of them were written in 1950.”

She said it can be difficult to enforce outdated policies and procedures. “But if we can update the procedures to the current day, it makes a lot more sense. It makes things go smoother.”

Collier said she also would keep a close eye on the county’s spending, “just constantly staying on the budget and being aware of the bottom dollar and not spending money unnecessarily.” That oversight, she said, would not just focus on tax revenue from county residents but also include watching over grants and funding from the state and federal government and other revenue sources to be sure that money was being spent as intended.

But perhaps her most important work as a commissioner, she said, would involve “cultivating relationships … and building bridges” with residents throughout the county, including those who feel underrepresented or disrespected for some reason.

“I think in a lot of ways we are more divided than ever,” she said, but “if we start that relationship-building and repair right now, we’re going to be a lot better off in 20 years.”

The Greater Idaho movement, which calls for realigning Wallowa County and much of Eastern Oregon so that it becomes part of Idaho, is a signal that some residents feel ignored by state government officials or by legislative decisions. County voters last year narrowly approved a measure calling for the commissioners to twice a year discuss the merits of moving the county’s borders.

Collier, who said “I am proud to be from Oregon,” said he would go into those discussions with a “listening ear to try to figure out exactly what the voters really were voting for. Are they voting to send a message that we don’t like Multnomah County controlling what happens here? Is it just about sending a message? Is it actually about trying to be Idaho? … It would be my job to listen to the people and to represent the people.”

Collier said she believes that government should be run in a transparent manner — and added she thinks that the county can do a better job of communication.

But she said that needs to be a two-way street, and encouraged residents to keep an eye on county issues by reviewing meeting agendas, subscribing to county email lists and not being afraid to reach out directly to officeholders.

And those are the one-on-one conversations she relishes.

“If I am elected, I am there to do right by the citizens (and) be the voice of the citizens,” she said. “And so I need to be purposeful about knowing what that citizen voice is, not ignoring it and not shutting the door.”

Editor’s Note

Today, the Chieftain continues its series of stories profiling candidates in the May 21 primary election for the Wallowa County Board of Commissioners.

Five candidates are running to replace Commissioner Todd Nash for the the board’s Position No. 1. Nash is stepping down from the commission to run for state Senate.

Today’s Chieftain includes profiles of two of the candidates for Position No. 1, Lisa Collier and Angelika Dietrich-Garoutte.

Profiles of two other candidates for the board, John Amond and David Brandt, ran in the April 17 edition of the Chieftain and are available online at the Chieftain’s website, wallowa.com.

A profile of the final candidate for Position 1, Devin Patton, will appear in May 1.

Two candidates — incumbent Susan Roberts and challenger David Hembd — are running for Position No. 2 on the board. Stories about Roberts and Hembd also are scheduled to appear in the May 1 edition.

County commissioners in Wallowa County serve four-year terms. They are paid $50,737 annually. The positions are nonpartisan.

Lisa Collier

Residence: Joseph

Age: 44

Occupation: She works for the InterMountain Education Service District teaching preschool and special-needs children who are 3-5 years old.

Relevant political or other experience: Collier is the mayor of Joseph. She has served on the Joseph City Council and also has served on a variety of city of Joseph committees including the Budget Commission. She served in 2023 on the Wallowa County Budget Commission and the county Road Board.

Family: Husband, J.R. Collier; seven children (now including three “in-law” children) and three grandchildren.

In her free time: Spending time with family and public service. “I mean, it sounds silly, but service is what I do for a hobby,” she said. “I love to serve. I find a place to serve and plug myself in.”