Susan Roberts retiring June 11 after more than 16 years on the county board

ENTERPRISE — The  Wallowa County Board of Commissioners are working on a plan for the succession of Commissioner Susan Roberts.

The long-serving commissioner is retiring Wednesday, June 11. The county board met June 5 in a work session with its legal council to map out how to fill the vacancy.

Initially, the board was going to meet with a representative of the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office, but that person didn’t show, and the commissioners agreed they could get by with county counsel Joanna Lyons Antley on a Zoom meeting.

During the session, Antley and the commissioners discussed the legal requirements for replacing a commissioner mid-term.

Roberts, who has been on sick leave since early this year, is expected to resign June 11, to be effective June 30. She has stepped back from some of the responsibilities she has been involved with as a commissioner, such as the county’s representative on the Wallowa Union Railroad Authority.

After serving on the Enterprise City Council and as Enterprise’s mayor, Roberts ran in 2008 for the commissioner seat she now holds. During the last election cycle, she said this would be her last term.

Following a discussion in executive session, the board identified three options in open session. The two remaining commissioners — John Hillock and Lisa Collier — can agree to:

• Do nothing and wait to see who is elected in the May 2026 primary election.

• Appoint a replacement who would be willing to step down in January 2027 and succeeded by whoever is elected the previous May.

• Solicit replacements and hold interviews to determine who might be the best fit.

Collier said she is aware of several people who are interested in filling Roberts’ position, so interviewing possible replacements might be a viable option. But she and Hillock will decide the best course to take.

Antley said she knows of no specific state law governing how a vacancy is to be filled. She advised the commissioners that they might want to appoint a replacement because if one of them was missing, there wouldn’t be a quorum for the board to make a decision. She said waiting a whole year to get a replacement could lead to a problem.

Hillock said he knows of nothing coming up in the foreseeable future that would require a quorum, but that could change.

The next commissioners meeting will be June 11 at 1 p.m. at the Cloverleaf Hall at the Wallowa County Fairgrounds. The larger venue is being used to give the community a chance to honor Roberts and her years of service.