April 2026 Recap

By Ted Fitzgerald
Curry County Counsel

The time has come for me to address a situation that has caused great distress to me and my family.

Here in Curry County we have amazing opportunities in a spectacularly beautiful corner of Oregon. In county operations where I’ve been involved for the last few years, we’re getting traction after unrelenting effort by the Board of Commissioners and staff to reverse certain areas fraught with poor performance and neglect.

The county has many exceptionally competent, hard-working and honest employees, which is critical to maximizing results amid rising costs and the need to control the looming risk of potentially catastrophic liabilities. We’re steadily improving our talent pool, as we aim for excellence in everything from law enforcement to infrastructure.

One by one, county officials have worked to correct certain longstanding problems. These include modernizing IT, financial and accounting systems that were outdated and out of compliance. Certain functions were consolidated, slashing costs. New processes and auditing were introduced to ensure county spending is under control and above-board in all areas.

“Looking under the rocks” of county operations exposed many worms. Sometimes it’s the result of years of undisciplined processes or even the sense that we’re all friends and neighbors, so we don’t need to follow rules.

Recently the BOC announced the results of an internal investigation revealing the improper purchase and resale of ammunition to members of the public and county employees by the Sheriff’s office. Other investigations of even more significant missteps are underway.

The BOC needs data from the Sheriff and other departments to accurately deliver and track law enforcement services, but these initiatives have met resistance. In some departments, certain unorthodox policies were in place characterized by an “anything goes” atmosphere.

Some of these changes provoked quite a bit of resistance from certain elected officials, employees and citizens. For example, Curry County currently lacks any formal ethics codes, commonly known as “honesty policies,” that are common across local government organizations. Adding these basics promises to improve our operations significantly.

As County Counsel, I’ve worked to identify problems and find solutions, which has upset some beneficiaries of our county’s past sloppy policies and practices. The Sheriff filed a Bar complaint against me in an attempt to stop me from performing my duties as county counsel. The Oregon State Bar investigated and found the complaint had no basis.

Last year I was targeted by the Assessor with specious allegations of retaliation, harassment and gender discrimination. After enduring months of damaging slander and libel, a thorough independent investigation exonerated me of these accusations.

But some people refuse to move on. As we enter election season, a handful of locals recently renewed their campaign of slander and libel against me by publicizing those debunked allegations against me.

It’s said that when pressure intensifies, you must be “over the target.” The Board of Commissioners has accomplished a great deal, there is much more work to do. I’m committed to continuing to work at the direction of the BOC to improve county operations and performance. I’m also seeking protection for my professional reputation and safety amid the latest escalation of personal attacks.

If you are interested in learning the facts related to the issues I’ve discussed here feel free to contact me. You can also go to my personal website, Tedfitzgeraldwork.com to see the documents associated with the accusations brought against me in my county role.

Please join the Commissioners at their county meetings and updates, as we move forward doing excellent work with growing numbers of people who are putting Curry County first.