On Monday, January 4, Commissioners Nancy Wyse and Xan Augerot were sworn into office by Judge Locke Williams. This marks the start of the first term of office for Wyse and the second term of office for Augerot. They join Pat Malone on the Board of Commissioners.
Wyse joins the Benton County Board of Commissioner’s Office after serving as Vice President of the Corvallis City Council, and as Vice Chair of the Corvallis Budget Commission, and South Corvallis Urban Renewal Agency. Wyse served as a member of the Benton County Planning Commission, Benton County Budget Committee, League of Oregon Cities Telecom, Cable, & Broadband Policy Committee, 2020 Census Complete Count Committee, and Benton County Democrats Elected Precinct Committee Person, precinct 6. Wyse also acted as a liaison to the Corvallis-Benton County Economic Advisory Board, Corvallis Chamber of Commerce, and The Economic Vitality Partnership. Wyse was endorsed by her new colleague Xan Augerot and by The Corvallis Advocate among others. She will replace Annabelle Jaramillo, the 5-term commissioner who chose not to seek reelection.
Augerot is a life-long Northwesterner who grew up in a multi-lingual home. She moved to Corvallis in order to study land-use management effects on fisheries, and to focus on comparative approaches to salmon management within the North Pacific. Augerot has served at the Wild Salmon Center and Marys River Watershed Council. She was first elected to the board in 2016.
The Board of Commissioners oversees the county government, as well as setting the budget for the District Attorney’s office and the Benton County Sheriff’s office. They also oversee county operations, set county ordinances, and sit as judges in land use matters.
County Board and Advisory Committee meetings are open virtually to the public, and are located at their website.
By Joanna Rosińska
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