Serving on the Board
Election Rules
West Multnomah SWCD has a 7-member Board of Directors which includes representatives of five geographic zones and two at-large Directors. Directors are elected by the public on the general ballot, and serve without pay. Serving with the Board in unelected and non-voting positions are two Associate Directors.
The Filing Officer for Director Elections is the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA). ODA has posted elections information on their website at ODA . A candidate filing packet is available at the ODA website or from the District office.
ORS 568.520(2) states: “A regular election shall be held in each district on the first Tuesday following the first Monday of November in each even-numbered year for the purpose of electing directors to succeed those whose terms expire the following January. Nominating petitions of candidates for director to be voted for at a general district election shall be filed with the department no later than a date set by the department.”
Director Requirements
The requirements for serving as a Director are set out in ORS 568.560.
“At-large directors must reside within the district and be registered voters.”
“Zone directors must own or manage 10 or more acres of land in the district, be involved in the active management of the property, reside within the boundaries of the district and be registered voters. Zone directors may either reside within the zone that is represented, or own or manage 10 or more acres within the zone that is represented and be involved in the active management of the property. An individual may also serve as a zone director when the individual, in lieu of the other requirements specified in this subsection, resides within the zone that is represented and indicates an interest in natural resource conservation as demonstrated by serving at least one year as a director or associate director of a district and having a conservation plan that is approved by the district.”
To file as a candidate for Director requires collecting the signatures from 10 voters within the District. Signatures must be verified at the County Elections office, and then filed with the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Anyone interested in filing for a Director position, should contact the Conservation District, or the Oregon Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Division.