Crook County commissioner seat up for grabs

The Crook County clerk officially announced Tuesday morning one commissioner seat is vacated after Seth Crawford was elected as judge in November.

Crawford still had two years of his term left when he ran for county judge during this past election.

County Clerk Cheryl Seely told NewsChannel 21 her office is working with other county officials on putting out a public notice for anyone who is interested in the seat.

According to county ordinance, it will be up to newly elected county Commissioner Jerry Brummer and Judge Seth Crawford to fill the vacancy.

Crawford said he will keep an open mind and select the best candidate for the job.

“Over the last month, I’ve had a lot of people come talk to me about different candidates,” Crawford said.

Crawford added that it’s important to receive information about the candidates and weigh all of the options.

Five people have declared their interest so far: Pete Sharp, Melanie Marlow, Jodie Fleck, Michael Mohan and Kim Kambak.

The clerk’s office expects the number of people interested in the seat to grow.

Sharp, Marlow and Fleck all ran during the primary race back in May for the commissioner seat, but Brummer and former Prineville city councilor Jason Carr were the top two vote-getters.

Brummer defeated Carr with over 1,000 votes.

Carr told NewsChannel 21 on Tuesday that he is very interested in the vacant seat and is working at submitting his paperwork to the clerk’s office.

A online petition is circulating around social media that has gained more than 100 signatures in support of Carr filling the vacant seat.

Anyone interested in filling the vacant county commissioner seat is asked to visit the clerk’s office for more information.