Doris Schaller Retires

When Doris Schaller got ready to quit working “she actually googled how to retire,” according to county auditor Milene Henley, “and learned that you give your boss plenty of time.” So she gave six months’ notice, and Milene really appreciated it.

Doris has been running the county elections office since 2004, at first under administrator Dan Gillespie and since 2007 as the administrator herself, with Carlys Allen as assistant.

The biggest improvement she’s seen is the switch to vote-by-mail in 2005, when San Juan was one of the first counties in the state to make the change. She says turnout is “not really up” from this change — but nationally the percentage of voters has been dropping, and during that time “we’ve held our own.”

Her first year on the job was, she feels, the most contentious — with a pick-a-party primary, which Washingtonians loathed, and then the tight governor’s race between Christine Gregoire and Dino Rossi which had a machine recount and then two hand recounts, and then a lawsuit, ending up with a 127-vote difference statewide.

Summing up, she says “a lot of it has been fun. We have so many engaged voters in our county, and we’re always at or near the top in turnout.” She enjoys working with the different districts, such as the new hospital district formed this year on Lopez.

“Elections is a mine field,” Milene said; “there are so many ways you can go wrong. Doris’s attention to detail and her calm demeanor have made her a rock in this sea of politics and emotions and controversy. She’s done an unbelievably fabulous job and we will miss her.”

The public is invited to her retirement party in the Elections office this afternoon (Friday) from 2 to 4. And beginning next week she’s planning on “just enjoying my summer, and doing a lot more oil painting, and catching up with family and grandchildren.” And she’ll join the volunteer ballot processors known as the A-team, so she’ll be back in the office during coming election seasons.

The new elections administrator, starting Monday, will be Camolyn Armstrong, who formerly worked in the prosecutor’s office. Carlys will continue as assistant.

By Louise Dustrude

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