This article was updated after Marion County released a second vote tally around 10 p.m. Tuesday.
Amy Queen, a Marion County prosecutor, is ahead in the rarely contested race for Marion County circuit judge over the incumbent Erious Johnson.
A second vote tally Tuesday night had Queen ahead with 39,606 votes, 53.96% to his 33,797 votes.
Meanwhile, early figures show the incumbent Commissioners Kevin Cameron and Colm Willis prevailing in both races for Marion County Commissioner.
“The people have spoken,” Johnson told Salem Reporter Tuesday night after Marion County released the preliminary numbers. “I’m going to wait to see a little more results, but I’m going to be realistic.”
Queen did not immediately respond to a call.
Gov. Kate Brown appointed Johnson, 55, on Feb. 2 to fill a vacancy in the Marion County Circuit Court created after Judge Susan Tripp retired in October 2021. He was sworn to the bench on Feb. 14.
He was previously a Salem-based discrimination and civil rights attorney in private practice, a litigation associate at a New York law firm, and a litigator and trial attorney in the New York City Law Department’s torts division. He also clerked for the New York State Supreme Court and worked years as the Oregon Department of Justice’s civil rights director.
Queen, 47, has worked as a Marion County deputy district attorney since 2004, representing the state in criminal cases. She has worked under three district attorneys and is the trial team leader of the district attorney’s office’s domestic violence team, as well as the agency’s public information officer.
A circuit judge in Oregon is a nonpartisan position for which there is rarely a contested race. The position has a six-year term, and all voters in the county get a say in the race. The annual salary for the seat will be $197,800 at the start of 2023.
State campaign finance records showed that as of Tuesday, Johnson had raised $103,698 in contributions, spent $75,322 on his campaign and has a cash balance of $28,375.
Queen has raised $62,541 in contributions to date, has spent $54,719 on her campaign and hasa a $7,821 cash balance.
For the Marion County Board of Commissioners, Commissioner Kevin Cameron was ahead of challenger Andrew Dennis for position 1, while Commissioner Colm Willis is leading challenger Mark Wigg in the race for position 2.
Cameron, 66, has served two terms on the board and spent nine years as a legislator in the Oregon House, representing House District 19 until 2014. He is also the founder and CEO of Cafe Today restaurants, which has locations in the Portland area.
Counts as of 10 p.m. had Cameron ahead with 54,590 votes, 60.28%, to Dennis’ 35,966 votes.
Cameron told Salem Reporter he was seeking a third term to continue the work he started as a commissioner, such as replacing the Scotts Mills Bridge, building a new Interstate 5 bridge over Ehlen Road, rebuilding houses destroyed in the Santiam Canyon wildfires and expanding high-speed internet to rural residents.
Dennis, 32, has worked for over four years as an operations and policy analyst for the state – reviewing existing programs to ensure they are following guidelines, evaluating their impacts on the community and how efficiently they are operating. He said his experience at the state Employment Department and then Oregon Housing and Community Services made him better equipped to oversee the county’s budget.
State campaign finance records showed that as of Tuesday, Cameron had raised $14,301 in contributions, spent $13,460 on his campaign and has a cash balance of $14,113, which includes cash from previous campaigns.
Dennis has raised $1,532 in contributions to date, has spent $1,360 on his campaign and has a $171 cash balance.
The latest counts had Willis ahead with 51,692 votes, 56.97%% to Wigg’s 39,043 votes.
Willis, 36, was first elected to the board in 2018. He was hired in 2008 to the U.S. Senate Joint Economic committee, was formerly the political director of Oregon Right to Life and also works as a small business attorney in Stayton.
He told Salem Reporter he intended to complete his work to provide building and septic permits for hundreds of homes damaged by wildfire in 2020 and build a sewer system in Mill City and Gates.
Wigg worked on fire crews and timber sale crews for the U.S. Forest Service, leaving in 1985 to work as a forestry consultant, map publisher and briefly a land use planner for the city of Salem. He joined the Oregon Department of Transportation in 1996 and spent ten years as an environmental manager for major projects, and also managed software projects for the state Department of Forestry.
He said Marion County’s government should more proactively spend the money it has available on needs such as housing services and mental health treatment.
State campaign finance records showed that as of Tuesday, Willis had raised $112,792 in contributions, spent $91,062 on his campaign and has a cash balance of $100,381, which includes funds from prior campaigns.
Wigg has raised $15,066 in contributions to date, has spent $14,168 on his campaign and has a $944 cash balance.
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered criminal justice and housing for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
