The Washington County Board of Commissioners will meet virtually Monday, January 31 to appoint a replacement for Janeen Sollman’s House District 30 seat. Sollman was appointed to Senate District 15 Jan. 14 following the resignation of former State Senator Chuck Riley.
It’s the latest in a series of resignations and appointments in Oregon’s legislative landscape as politicians locally and statewide jump into their campaigns for a variety of offices.
House District 30 includes parts of Roy and Mountaindale, all of North Plains and parts of Hillsboro, as well as historic Banks communities just south and east of city limits such as parts of Greenville and Wilkesboro.
However, following the 2022 election, the district boundaries will change significantly due to the changes wrought by Oregon’s legislature following the completion of the 2020 census.
Banks residents will also see a new state senator representing them in Senate District 16, following the resignation of former State Sen. Betsy Johnson, who resigned to pursue a non-affiliated run for governor.
Whichever of the three candidates up for consideration Monday is selected will have little time to get used to their position once they are sworn in; the Oregon State Legislature meets to begin the “short session,” a 35 day legislative session, on Tuesday February 1.
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“Since Ms. Sollman is a registered Democrat, Oregon law provides for the state Democratic Party to nominate three to five residents of the district to be considered for the vacancy,” Washington County said in a press release.
Three people are vying for the seat, including Barry Johnson Smith, Nathan Sosa, and Lamar Wise.
The three were selected by a vote of the Democratic Party of Oregon Precinct Committee Persons (PCPs) in House District 30. Sosa received 58 votes, Wise 29, and Smith 2 votes.
Sosa is running for his party’s nod to advance to the General Election in November; Sosa filed Monday morning for the office, according to the Oregon Secretary of State’s office.
Meeting information below, provided by Washington County.
Live Meeting Video
The meeting will be held virtually via zoom and broadcast live on January 31st at 3:30 p.m. on the County’s YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/WashingtonCntyOregon. The meeting will also be broadcast in Spanish on Tualatin Valley Community Television, Channel 30.
Public Participation
Members of the public who wish to provide written comments about any of the nominees should send via email to [email protected] no later than noon on Thursday, January 27, to be included in the record. Those wishing to publicly provide comment at the January 31st meeting, must fill out the form on the County website no later than 1:00pm on Monday January 31st. Please label your testimony “for the House District 30 appointment meeting”. The link to the form can be found here https://washingtoncounty.civicweb.net/Portal/3457/HowtoTestify.
To participate in the meeting on Monday, January 31 at 3:30 p.m., follow this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88299043096. Participants may also dial in by telephone (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 669 900 6833 or +1 253 215 8782.
Webinar ID: 882 9904 3096
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Banks Post and sister news publications the Gales Creek Journal and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.
