On Tuesday, a group of commissioners from Polk, Yamhill, Benton and Marion counties voted to appoint Anna Scharf to replace Rep. Mike Nearman, who was expelled from the Oregon legislature last month.
The vote to fill the House District 23 seat was almost unanimous. Scharf received nine of the 11 votes while Nearman received one vote. He was among five candidates nominated by local Republican party officials.
Scharf is a former aid to Nearman. During Tuesday night's meeting, Scharf talked about her experience working in his office after his expulsion.
"When [Nearman] was expelled from the legislature, I stayed behind," Scharf said. "His chief of staff and I were still there every single day, and I felt that that was really important, and I felt honored to be able to continue to do that."
Yamhill County Commissioner Mary Starrett cast the sole vote for Nearman. She said she decided to vote for the person local Republicans made their top choice.
"To me, what I want to do is not be one of those people who took the voice away from the people," Starrett said. "If you don't like what Nearman did, recall him. If you don't like what Mike Nearman did, don't reelect him. But don't take away the position and the choice of the people and ask elected officials to make this decision because it's not ours."
On June 10, the Oregon House voted to expel Nearman for his role in the Capitol breach last December. He was seen on security camera letting right-wing protesters into the Capitol on Dec. 21.
Scharf will serve the remainder of Nearman's term, which runs through 2022.