Updated at 4:23 p.m.:
Brookings Mayor Isaac Hodges declined his appointment as Brad Alcorn’s replacement on the Curry County Board of Commissioners, the county announced Friday.
In a letter to the Board of Commissioners — and provided to Redwood Voice Community News by Brookings City Council President Andy Martin — Hodges said he would be unable to fulfill the responsibilities of county commissioner “due to my personal and professional obligations.”
“I believe it is in the best interest of the county to respectfully decline the appointment,” Hodges wrote. “I sincerely apologize for the additional work and time this decision has caused.”
On Friday, Martin said praised the work his colleague and the entire City Council has done to foster transparency and openness in the City of Brookings. There have been few closed executive sessions since the community’s new city manager, Tim Rundel, was hired, Martin said, and more city businesses and workshops have been open to the public.
“Isaac brings institutional knowledge about Brookings to the Council and a common sense approach to local governance,” Martin said. “We will continue to be fortunate to have him as our mayor.”
The new deadline to apply for the county commissioner position is 5 p.m. Tuesday. Those who had submitted applications previously will be considered for the post and don’t need to submit a new position.
The Board will conduct interviews and make a decision at a special meeting at 1 p.m. Wednesday.
Those who are interested in applying for the position can visit the county’s website or visit the Board of Commissioners Office in person at 94235 Moore Street in Gold Beach.
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Brad Alcorn essentially chose his predecessor on Tuesday, though he didn’t vote.
Praising the way he approached a shoplifting incident involving the now-former city manager that eventually led to City Council recalls about a year and a half ago, Alcorn recommended Brookings Mayor Isaac Hodges to take on the role of Curry County commissioner.
Before making his recommendation, however, Alcorn said he doesn’t have a personal relationship with Hodges, though they have interacted with each other in their capacity as elected officials. Alcorn said Hodges also reached out to him after he submitted his application for the commissioner seat.
“It was very in depth and it was very detailed and the questions Isaac was asking me were pretty deep questions about our issues,” Alcorn said of their conversation. “I could sense in our conversation your desire to move things forward and continue to progress [on] the positive things we’ve been able to impact here. And, man, did you do your homework and research, and I applaud you for that
Alcorn’s two colleagues on the Board of Commissioners, Jay Trost and Patrick Hollinger, honored his recommendation, choosing Hodges for commissioner over four other candidates who answered questions on Tuesday. A fifth candidate, Gold Beach resident Lynn Coker, withdrew his application and endorsed Hodges.
Born and raised in Curry County, Hodges is the chief nursing officer for Curry Health Network and became the Brookings mayor about a year after he was appointed to the City Council in November 2022.
His appointment as mayor came in the wake of the successful recall of his predecessor Ron Hedenskog and his then-colleagues Ed Schreiber and Michelle Morosky in November 2023 over their decision to reinstate Janell Howard as Brookings city manager following a July 4, 2022 shoplifting incident at Fred Meyer.
Brookings residents elected Hodges as their mayor in November 2024.
On Tuesday, Hodges told the Board of Commissioners that he isn’t afraid to address issues that “need to be addressed.” He said it was because of his experience with the city, first as a councilor and then as mayor, and with his own career in healthcare that prompted him to seek Alcorn’s seat on the Board.
Without naming Howard, Hodges described the turmoil that surrounded the Brookings City Council in the weeks and months following her shoplifting citation. After the then-city manager pleaded no contest to theft, Hodges was the only person who voted against reinstating her in January 2023.
In May 2023, Hodges supported his colleague, current Council President Andy Martin, when he called on the city attorney to draft a separation agreement for Howard, though that motion was denied.
“I’m using that as proof that I’m not afraid to address issues and, hopefully, do that in the right way,” Hodges told commissioners on Tuesday. “I do not claim in any way to be perfect, but I definitely want to do things in the right way.”
Like Brookings’ former city manager, however, Hodges also has a criminal history. In 2016, he pleaded guilty to third degree theft after he stole hydrocodone, an opioid, KOBI, Medford’s NBC affiliate, reported in December 2023, after Hodges became mayor.
Hodges received a chemical dependency assessment in 2016 and treatment was recommended. He was also on probation for two years, but didn’t lose his nursing license, the NBC affiliate reported citing the Oregon State Board of Nursing.
Hodges’ appointment to the Board of Commissioners comes as a dispute with Sheriff John Ward drags into its seventh month. On Tuesday, commissioners traded words with Georgia Cockerham over statements she made during a presentation urging residents to vote for a tax levy proponents say would hire five more deputies at the sheriff’s office.
The Board of Commissioners also delayed approving a $331,214 Jail-based Medications for Opioid Use grant, saying they doubted whether the sheriff would be forthcoming enough to comply with reporting requirements tied to the grant. Commissioners called for a workshop to discuss the grant’s requirements instead of granting signatory authority to the sheriff.
During his dialogue with Hodges, Hollinger brought up the declaratory judgment suit he and his colleagues filed against the sheriff. The suit was “an option of last resort that was taken after the Board and county legal counsel made multiple requests for cooperation,” the county stated in January.
On Tuesday, Hollinger tied that declaratory judgment to a statement Hodges made in his application about defining a “clear hierarchy of oversight for the entire county budget.”
“I know a lot of that will be resolved during the declaratory judgment, but that’s one thing I know we’ve been working on around here is the expectation of roles and who’s in charge and to make sure there’s the responsibility and accountability that we need here,” Hollinger said. “Because we have to remember this isn’t our money, this isn’t investors’ money, this is taxpayer money. We have to be responsible with that going forward so the past doesn’t repeat itself.”
Hodges said he plans to leave his position as Brookings mayor and praised his current colleagues on the City Council.
“I only would move this direction because of the Council that we have right now,” he said. “They’re the strength there.”
Hodges will take Alcorn’s commissioner seat starting May 2.
