WW Commissioners move auditor decision to Jan. 26

By Griffin Beach on Tuesday, January 13th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

WALLA WALLA – Walla Walla County commissioners interviewed three candidates for the vacant county auditor position Monday but opted to delay an appointment until their Jan. 26 meeting.

The board is seeking a successor to Karen Martin, who retired last month. While a decision was expected following the interviews, commissioners indicated they were not yet ready to move forward.

“I was hoping one of the three candidates would rise to the top, personally I don’t think that happened,” Commissioner Todd Kimball said. “I would like some time to call references and do some more due diligence before an appointment is made.”

“I just didn’t get a sense that any of the three were really connected with what’s going on in the county right now, mainly around the budget question,” added Commissioner Gunner Fulmer. “That bothered me a little bit.”

By law, the board has a 60-day window to fill a vacancy, giving them until March 1 to finalize the appointment. Kimball noted that once a selection is made, the appointee must still complete a new-hire and swearing-in process before officially taking office.

Beth Daves, an information technology specialist; Sheryl Park, a local tax preparer; and William Plucker, a civics and social studies teacher at Walla Walla High School were submitted for consideration by the county Republican party and interviewed on Monday.