Union County, Oregon

Jake Seavert

Union County Commissioner, Position 3

Newest commissioner. Moved the Jan 22, 2025 motion to file the validation petition -- the seat he holds had just been vacated by term-limited Donna Beverage.

Moved the Jan 22, 2025 motionReplaced Donna Beverage

Key facts

Position: County Commissioner, Position 3
Predecessor: Donna Beverage (term-limited out 2024)
Jan 22, 2025 vote: Made the motion; seconded by Scarfo

Role narrative

Jake Seavert took Position 3 on the Union County Board of Commissioners after Donna Beverage was term-limited out at the end of 2024 -- the last commissioner forced out under Ordinance 2017-01 before the court struck it down.

At the January 22, 2025 regular meeting, after county counsel Wyatt Baum explained the three options for challenging the term-limits ordinance, Seavert moved 'that the County request a special writ under ORS 33.710 requesting the court determine the legality of county measure Ordinance 2017-01.' Scarfo seconded. Seavert told the board he was 'not necessarily opposed to term limits' but agreed with Scarfo that eight years is a short runway to accomplish major projects. The motion carried unanimously.

At the same meeting, Seavert replaced Beverage on four committees via Court Orders 2025-03 through 2025-06: the Grande Ronde Model Watershed Board of Directors, the Union County Tourism Promotion Advisory Committee, the Northeast Oregon Economic Development District Board, and the Union County Transient Room Tax Advisory Committee. He was also appointed to the Wolf Depredation Compensation Committee via Court Order 2025-08.

Reporting in the Valor Investigations corpus notes that Seavert 'replaced Donna Beverage (term-limited), then voted to destroy the limits that created his vacancy.'