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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016
State elections director resigns College support
position with little explanation programs receive
Williams cited
‘personal
reasons’
By PARIS ACHEN
Capital Bureau
SALEM — Oregon Elec-
tions Director Jim Williams
suddenly resigned Tuesday,
citing “personal reasons.”
“I appreciate the opportu-
nity to have served the secre-
tary of state and the people of
Oregon for the past two-and-
a-half years,” Williams wrote
in a resignation letter. “I take
pride in all that we accom-
plished in the Elections Divi-
sion during this time and to
have been a part of many his-
torical election events and
activities. I will forever cher-
ish those moments and my
experience here.”
“Unfortunately, I am
unable to continue my role in
this agency for personal rea-
Jim Williams
sons,” he wrote.
Asked whether Wil-
liams was forced to resign,
a spokeswoman for the Sec-
retary of State’s Ofice said
she was not authorized to
comment.
“There is very little I can
say except this is a personal
matter,” said Molly Woon,
a Secretary of State’s Ofice
spokeswoman.
Williams has been direc-
tor of the Elections Division
since October 2013.
Secretary of State Jeanne
Atkins has selected Brenda
Bayes to serve as interim
elections director. She pre-
viously worked under Wil-
liams as the deputy director
of candidate and campaign
services.
“With Jim’s resignation
as our elections director yes-
terday, I want to reiterate my
conidence in, and support
for, our new Interim Elec-
tions Director Brenda Bayes,
the entire team in the Elec-
tions Division, and our part-
ners at the county elections
ofices,” Atkins wrote in an
email to staff members.
Bayes will serve as interim
elections director until the
new secretary of state takes
ofice in January. When a
director is chosen, Bayes will
return to her former position
as deputy director.
Gov. Kate Brown, then the
secretary of state, hired Wil-
liams in October 2013. Wil-
liams then had more than 20
years of experience in three
states. He was executive
secretary of the Cleveland
County Election Board in
Norman, Oklahoma, before
joining the Oregon Secretary
of State’s Ofice. Before that,
he worked for the Denver
Elections Division and Auto-
mated Elections Services, a
New Mexico company that
provides elections systems
support.
As deputy director, Bayes
oversaw state candidate il-
ings, processing initiatives
and referendums and cam-
paign inance-related election
law enforcement, and pub-
lication of the voters’ pam-
phlet, among other duties.
She has worked for the Elec-
tions Division since 1991.
The Capital Bureau is a
collaboration between EO
Media Group and Pamplin
Media Group.
Astoria 911 dispatchers recognized
The Daily Astorian
Three Astoria 911 dis-
patchers were recently hon-
ored at an Astoria Police staff
meeting for their superior
performance.
Summer Bartlett received
a distinguished service com-
mendation. Candace Pozdol-
ski and Melanie Hughes
each received a notice of
recognition.
Bartlett was recognized
for her performance on
December 14, 2015, when
she handled a residential
structure ire, missing and
endangered elderly resident
and a hit-and-run involving a
grade-school child all during
an early morning shift.
Bartlett dispatched four
different ire departments to
the structure ire and then
coordinated multiple agen-
cies to search for the missing
Submitted Photo
Dispatchers Summer Bartlett, left, and Candace Pozdolski
and Melanie Hughes were honored for their work.
elderly person. It required the
coordination of city, county,
state and federal partners.
Pozdolski and Hughes
were recognized for their
teamwork and multitasking
abilities during a domestic
disturbance call October 11,
2015, which involved the dis-
charge of a irearm.
Multiple law enforcement
units were sent, ire and EMS
were staged out of harm’s
way, and a perimeter was
established to locate the sus-
pect, according to police.
A search of the residence
also uncovered a World War
II grenade which required the
response of the Oregon State
Police Bomb Squad.
“I could not be prouder
of these three 9-1-1 profes-
sionals,” Emergency Com-
munications Manager Jeff
Rusiecki said in a statement.
“We have a highly trained
and dedicated staff and so
often take the great work they
do daily for granted. This
was an excellent opportunity
to recognize these three for
some extraordinary work.”
federal funding
The Daily Astorian
Clatsop Community Col-
lege has received a $322,000,
ive-year grant from the U.S.
Department of Education to
continue funding the Talent
Search Program, which pro-
vides support to irst-genera-
tion college students.
Talent Search is one of two
federally-funded precollege
programs used for more than
20 years. The other is Upward
Bound. Both serve low-in-
come and potential irst-gen-
eration college students.
The programs focus on
academic achievement, col-
lege and career preparation,
inancial aid for post-second-
ary education, student advo-
cacy and community and
cultural exposure. In addi-
tion, tutoring services and
skill-building workshops are
provided.
Last year, Talent Search
served more than 670 stu-
dents in eight high schools
and middle schools in Asto-
ria, Warrenton, Seaside and
Knappa.
“Talent Search has pro-
vided services to thousands of
low-income, irst generation
college participants in Clatsop
County,” said John Graves,
who recently became director
of Upward Bound and Talent
Search, replacing the retiring
Robert McClelland. “We are
thrilled to be able to continue
to encourage and support stu-
dents to graduate from high
school, and enroll in and com-
plete college.”
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