Boyd Britton has been a Grant County Commissioner since 2004. He also owns a local welding business.
Amanda Peacher / OPB
Grant County voters have overwhelmingly decided to keep Commissioner Boyd Britton in office.
The recall effort against Britton failed with nearly two out of three voters backing Britton. Unofficial results Tuesday evening showed 2,035 voters rejected the recall, while 1,080 voted for it.
Those who petitioned to remove Britton from office were upset with the commissioner because he and the other county leaders decided not to sponsor a county-led investigation into last year's Canyon Creek Fire. Some Grant County residents blame the Forest Service for the rapid spread of the fire and asked the county to investigate. Petitioners also say Britton should have recused himself in county decisions involving local agencies, because he does work with those agencies as a local welder.
Britton, who has been in office for 13 years, said the claims against him were baseless. He pointed out that in his two and a half years as a commissioner, he’s helped keep the county fiscally strong, and led a collaboration that increased timber harvest and helped keep the last local mill open.
Britton’s current term is up in 2018.