2025 Douglas County Officials Sworn into Office

The Honorable Douglas County Board of Commissioners hosted a swearing in ceremony at the Douglas County Courthouse on January 6, 2025, for officials who won their positions in the 2024 elections. The ceremony included Douglas County Clerk Daniel Loomis, Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin, Douglas County Justice of the Peace - Canyonville Machelle Briggs-Mayfield, Douglas County Justice of the Peace – Reedsport Kathleen Miller, and Douglas County District Attorney Rick Wesenberg.

Douglas County Board Chair Commissioner Chris Boice began the proceedings before handing them over to Douglas County Clerk Loomis, who spoke about the significance of the oath of office and public service responsibilities. He emphasized how the oath represents their dedication to enduring principles rather than specific individuals or institutions.

Douglas County Clerk, Daniel J. Loomis was sworn in by Douglas County Commissioner Tom Kress. He was elected to a third term as the Douglas County Clerk in November 2024, which is a four-year term. Loomis was appointed by the Douglas County Board of Commissioners for his first term as the Douglas County Clerk on Wednesday, October 2, 2019, following the retirement of Douglas County Clerk Patricia Hitt.  He was elected in 2020 and now in 2024. Loomis is a retired U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer. 

Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin was sworn in by Douglas County Clerk, Daniel J. Loomis. He was elected to his fifth term as the Douglas County Sheriff in November 2024, which is a four-year term. Hanlin first filed to run for the office in 2008 and was elected in November 2008. He was elected in 2012, 2016, 2020, and now in 2024. Hanlin was hired by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office in 1989. During his tenure, he served as a patrol deputy in the South County and Roseburg Patrol Offices, as a Street Crimes Unit Investigator, and as a Narcotics Detective. Hanlin was also an active member of the Sheriff's Office Tactical Response Team (TRT) for more than 12 years. In April of 2001, he was assigned to the position of Commander of the Douglas Interagency Narcotics Team (DINT). In August of 2005, Hanlin was promoted to Lieutenant and assigned to Command the Douglas County Sheriff's Office Detectives Division. 

Douglas County Justice of the Peace – Canyonville Machelle Briggs - Mayfield was sworn in by Douglas County Clerk, Daniel J. Loomis. She was elected to her third term as the Justice of the Peace for the South Douglas Justice Court in Canyonville in May 2024, which is a six-year term. Judge Briggs-Mayfield was appointed by Governor Brown for her first term as Justice of the Peace in November 2016, following the retirement of Douglas County Justice of the Peace Carol Roberts. She was elected in 2018 and now in 2024.

Douglas County Justice of the Peace – Reedsport Kathleen Miller was sworn in by Douglas County Clerk, Daniel J. Loomis. She was elected to her third term as the Justice of the Peace for the Reedsport Justice Court in Reedsport in May 2024, which is a six-year term. Judge Miller was appointed Pro-Tem by the Douglas County Board of Commissioners in 2018. She was elected in 2018 and now in 2024. 

Douglas County District Attorney, Richard Wesenberg was sworn in by the Honorable Machelle Briggs-Mayfield, Presiding Judge for the Douglas County South Douglas Justice Court. He was elected to his sixth term as the Douglas County District Attorney in May 2024, which is a four-year term. Wesenberg was appointed by the state for his first term as the Douglas County District Attorney in July 2008, upon the retirement of Douglas County District Attorney Jack Banta. He then filed to run for the office in 2008 and was elected in November 2008. Wesenberg was elected in 2012, 2016, 2020 and now in 2024. Wesenberg started his career as a Deputy District Attorney in the Douglas County DA’s office in 1992. 

After the ceremony, the Douglas County Commissioners shared their thoughts. Commissioner Boice offered congratulations, Commissioner Freeman acknowledged the challenges of public service in current times, and Commissioner Kress highlighted the importance of this democratic process occurring across the nation.

Photos © K.Trenkle/Douglas County

Information on this page was sourced from https://douglascountyor.gov/. To read the full article, please visit here.