Clackamas County residents try to defund commissioner’s job over bigoted remarks

Efforts to bring repercussions against a Clackamas County commissioner who posted bigoted remarks online continued in an unusual forum Tuesday: a county budget committee meeting.

Recently-elected Commissioner Mark Shull has faced widespread calls for his resignation since it surfaced that he made several social media posts in 2019 and 2020 disparaging Muslims, immigrants, the Black Lives Matter movement and people who are transgender.

Community leaders, politicians and the Clackamas County board of commissioners have all called for Shull’s resignation or censure in various forms. Still, Shull has resisted those calls.

When the Clackamas County budget committee met Tuesday, the issue again came to the fore after committee member and Milwaukie city councilor Wilda Parks offered a motion to defund Shull’s position, which earns an annual salary of more than $104,000.

“Public statements denigrating our residents based simply on their religion, race, country of origin and others are unacceptable in an elected leader,” Parks said. “Commissioner Shull, I appreciate that you publicly apologized, but I see no assurances that the sentiments won’t be repeated.”

Shull apologized Monday and received the backing of the Muslim Educational Trust to remain on the job, though other Muslim advocacy groups like the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Oregon chapter are still calling for his resignation.