Polk County commissioners interview Susan Graham for planning commission seat
December 04, 2025 | Polk County, Oregon
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The Polk County Board of Commissioners met on Dec. 2, 2025, approved the day’s agenda and the Nov. 25 minutes, and interviewed Susan Graham for a seat on the county planning commission.
Graham, who said she moved to Independence in 2014 and retired in 2022 after a career as a tax attorney with Ernst & Young, told commissioners she was seeking the commission seat to contribute to local governance and to help connect residents with the county’s land-use processes.
Graham characterized the primary land-use challenge facing Polk County as balancing conservation of agricultural and forestry lands with community growth. “How to balance conserving what you’ve got,” she said, noting Polk County’s mix of farmland and forestry and that the county “is not the fastest growing county in the state, but it is growing quite a lot.”
She emphasized adherence to existing law and public participation. “At the end of the day you always have to go back to what does the law say? Are we following the law? As long as we’re following the law and giving people their opportunity to be involved in the process, I think we’ve done our job,” Graham said. She also cited the state’s framework for land-use planning, invoking “Senate Bill 100,” and referenced the Land Conservation and Development Commission’s recent attention to farm-stand rules as an example of a statewide body weighing policy questions.
Throughout her answers, Graham pointed to practical governance experience: she described teaching an introduction to business law at Western Oregon University this semester, running a rental business with her husband and serving on nonprofit boards and a recent school bond project. She said those roles gave her experience reading legal documents, listening to differing points of view and working collaboratively toward consensus.
On the subject of local regulation versus state rules, Graham said counties can be more restrictive on a case-by-case basis but that she was not aware of current Polk County rules that needed additional restriction. She suggested improving communications so residents can more easily find which rules apply to them.
The board recorded no public comments on non-agenda items. The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance, the board approved the agenda and the Nov. 25 minutes (each motion moved, seconded and announced as passed unanimously), conducted the interview, and adjourned after thanking the candidate. The board said it would be in touch with Graham about next steps.
No formal appointment or vote on a planning commission seat was recorded in the transcript.
Graham, who said she moved to Independence in 2014 and retired in 2022 after a career as a tax attorney with Ernst & Young, told commissioners she was seeking the commission seat to contribute to local governance and to help connect residents with the county’s land-use processes.
Graham characterized the primary land-use challenge facing Polk County as balancing conservation of agricultural and forestry lands with community growth. “How to balance conserving what you’ve got,” she said, noting Polk County’s mix of farmland and forestry and that the county “is not the fastest growing county in the state, but it is growing quite a lot.”
She emphasized adherence to existing law and public participation. “At the end of the day you always have to go back to what does the law say? Are we following the law? As long as we’re following the law and giving people their opportunity to be involved in the process, I think we’ve done our job,” Graham said. She also cited the state’s framework for land-use planning, invoking “Senate Bill 100,” and referenced the Land Conservation and Development Commission’s recent attention to farm-stand rules as an example of a statewide body weighing policy questions.
Throughout her answers, Graham pointed to practical governance experience: she described teaching an introduction to business law at Western Oregon University this semester, running a rental business with her husband and serving on nonprofit boards and a recent school bond project. She said those roles gave her experience reading legal documents, listening to differing points of view and working collaboratively toward consensus.
On the subject of local regulation versus state rules, Graham said counties can be more restrictive on a case-by-case basis but that she was not aware of current Polk County rules that needed additional restriction. She suggested improving communications so residents can more easily find which rules apply to them.
The board recorded no public comments on non-agenda items. The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance, the board approved the agenda and the Nov. 25 minutes (each motion moved, seconded and announced as passed unanimously), conducted the interview, and adjourned after thanking the candidate. The board said it would be in touch with Graham about next steps.
No formal appointment or vote on a planning commission seat was recorded in the transcript.
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