The Shasta County Citizens Election Advisory Commission has only two members after the Board of Supervisors failed to appoint a new person Tuesday. The powerless commission was established last year with 5 members, one appointed by each county supervisor. The appointees for Mary Rickert and Tim Garmin, Susanne Baremore and Dawn Duckett, both quit last month. They both said the panel is a waste of resources and, though the intent of the commission was to increase trust in the elections process, it has only caused confusion and additional mistrust. The commission has repeatedly made recommendations to the board that are in violation of state law, including review of ballots by non-elections department personnel and adoption of a hand tally system for elections. The opinion that the commission should be disbanded was echoed by many people during public comment period at Tuesdays board meeting, and is also apparently shared by Supervisors Rickert and Garmin, who don’t plan on replacing Baremore and Duckett. Patty Plumb had been proposed as a replacement for Patrick Jones’ appointee, Bev Grey. That item on Tuesday’s consent calendar was shelved.
-Steve Gibson