As you may have recently read, Commissioner John West has had the final ethics complaint against him officially dismissed. In fact, every single complaint lodged against him has been thrown out. This overwhelming pattern makes one thing abundantly clear: we did not witness legitimate concerns, we witnessed a campaign to discredit him by those hoping that if they throw enough mud, something might stick.
From the outset, it was evident that these complaints were more about character assassination than ethics. Many were filed by a disgruntled former employee, lending strong credibility to the idea that revenge, rather than public interest was the true motive.
People can say what they want, that John West “did this” or “lied about that” but the facts speak for themselves: not one ethics violation has been upheld. And let’s not forget, the Oregon Government Ethics Commission is predominantly made up of Democrats, a group hardly known for being sympathetic toward conservatives like John West. Yet even they found no merit in any of the claims.
It’s time for some of the individuals behind these bogus complaints to come forward, acknowledge the disruption they’ve caused, and apologize not only to Commissioner West, but to the taxpayers whose money they’ve wasted in the process.
Revisiting the Recall Allegations:
Let’s take a closer look at one of the six allegations made in the recall against Commissioner West (1):
Allegation 3: “West has shown a pattern of violating state laws, including campaign finance regulations and public meeting laws, and is currently facing several pending ethics and labor law violations.”
Let’s examine the facts. What state law has John West allegedly broken? And where is the “pattern” they reference? As of today nearly a year after the recall – no state laws have been found to be violated, and all ethics complaints have been dismissed. That allegation is simply false.
In fact, the entire recall petition was riddled with misinformation, opinionated narratives, and allegations unsupported by evidence. It relied heavily on misleading ethics complaints and biased media coverage to sway public opinion. This is how the recall people managed to win the recall, that coupled to a very low voter turn out.
Legal Consequences for False Petitions:
According to Oregon’s Recall Manual, knowingly providing false information on a recall petition can result in serious penalties—up to $125,000 in fines and/or a prison sentence of up to five years.
Recall Manual:
https://sos.oregon.gov/elections/Documents/RecallManual.pdf
Filing a Prospective Petition section:
“The factual information provided in the chief petitioner’s statement must be true. A remedy for providing false information is to file an action in circuit court under ORS 260.532.
Supplying false information may result in a felony conviction with a fine of up to $125,000 and/or a prison sentence of up to 5 years. ORS 260.715, 260.993
Paid circulators for a state recall petition must register with the Elections Division. The Chief Petitioner and any circulators must review the Circulator’s Manual prior to circulating.”
It’s worth noting that the lead petitioner in the recall effort against John West is currently facing a lawsuit, with a court trial scheduled for October 21 at 8:15 AM, and a jury trial set for November 4 at 9:00 AM, according to public records.
Final Thoughts:
It’s understandable that some people may disagree with the decisions Commissioner West made during his time in office. Passionate political disagreement is part of democracy. But what cannot be denied is this: John West deeply cares about our community. Whether or not you agreed with his decisions, he consistently acted in what he believed to be the community’s best interest. He invested his own time and personal funds to keep residents informed through outreach efforts and monthly newsletters.
John West is a straight shooter who did what he thought was right. If there’s one lesson moving forward, it’s this: ensure the community is fully informed and supportive before making controversial decisions. Transparency and public buy-in are key.
In the meantime, let’s stop weaponizing ethics complaints and start focusing on real issues.
(1) A summary of all six recall allegations:
December 17, 2024: JOSEPHINE: On the County Commissioner John West Recall Effort
https://oregoneagle.com/josephine-county-commissioner-john-west-recall-effort/
Nice to see the Ethics Committee looked at facts and concluded that Mr. West was “not guilty” perhaps the voters who recalled him should have looked at the facts.
I agree, the voters were too easily swayed into believing the lies that were being spewed out by left wingers.