The Shasta County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday appointed as its next registrar of voters a semi-retired former prosecutor with no experience in managing an elections department, a job he described as a “critical” position with a presidential election looming in November.

Thomas Toller, 62, said during his public job interview with the supervisors Tuesday and Wednesday that he could quickly get up to speed on learning California election laws and get to know the staff at the county clerk and registrar of voters office.

“I look forward to the opportunity to serve the people of Shasta County. And my greatest hope is that I can bring some transparency to the office and increase people’s confidence in how we process votes here in Shasta County,” Toller said after the board’s 3-2 vote to hire him.

The board held two days of public job interviews for the position, which became vacant when former registrar of voters Cathy Darling Allen retired for medical reasons in May.

Supervisors Kevin Crye, Patrick Jones and Chris Kelstrom voted to hire Toller over three other candidates who advanced into a second round of interviews Wednesday. Eight people were interviewed Tuesday.

Supervisors Tim Garman and Mary Rickert voted against hiring Toller. Garman and Rickert said they wanted to hire Joanna Francescut, who has 16 years experience working in elections and had managed the office since November, when Darling Allen became ill.

The board appeared split on who to appoint, as Jones and Kelstrom said they wanted to hire Clint Curtis, a self-described elections expert from Florida, but who also had no experience managing elections or an elections office.

But Jones and Kelstrom agreed to vote for Toller after Crye told them he would vote for Francescut if they voted for Curtis.

Longtime Redding resident Judy Salter, who has attended numerous board meetings over the past few years, said she was surprised at how the appointment unfolded.

“The manipulation of the public was in full display today. That was the most orchestrated decision I’ve seen this board make in a long time. I was very disappointed. Supervisor Crye set it up so Kelstrom and Jones would fall in behind him. It was masterful and deceitful. It makes me very sad,” Salter said after the meeting.

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Elections office’s past two years: How the board’s decision came to be

Several public speakers said they did not trust the registrar of voters office because during the past election they were not allowed to closely observe workers counting ballots. Those who did not advocate for Francescut urged the board to appoint Curtis

Among those who urged the board not to hire Francescut was Laura Hobbs, who sued Darling Allen after she lost her bid in the March election to win the District 2 supervisor position.

“I just want to tell you that the people in District 2 are tired of the status quo. When it comes to fairness and transparency in our elections, we need fresh blood and new life into the ROV (registrar of voter’s office). And for Kevin (Crye), you ran on governmental transparency. The obvious choice is Clint Curtis, for governmental transparency,” Hobbs said.

After the meeting, Hobbs declined to comment on the board’s decision to appoint Toller. Francescut quickly left the board chambers after the vote and could not be reached for comment.

The three members of the board who voted for Toller said significant changes were needed at the registrar’s office. But in June 2022, a majority of voters saw it different.

Darling Allen was reelected by garnering some 68% of the vote, said Jeff Gorder, speaking to the board. Gorder was a leader in the failed effort to recall Crye in the March election.

Toller was also involved in June 2022 election, helping with Erik Jensen’s campaign for district attorney, which Jensen lost.

During interviews, he told the board he would try to get elections observers better access to watch the vote-counting, but wanted to ensure employees are not distracted and can do their jobs without interference.

The supervisors last year tried to get away from counting ballots by using machines, which is common throughout the state and the nation. But the California Legislature passed a law forbidding hand-counting in most circumstances. He told supervisors Wednesday he “was not a big fan” of using machines to tally votes.

One of the candidates for registrar, John Gaglione, who works in the elections office in Kane County, Illinois, said his county uses machines to tally ballots. Discrepancies between hand-counting and machine counting are almost non-existent, he told the supervisors.

What Toller said about the elections office and state, federal obligations

Toller said that because the law forbidding hand-counting had been passed, the county had to follow the mandate, but the county could also challenge the law in court.

“And I will certainly participate in any manner that the board or county counsel or the chief executive may want my input and support on,” he said.

In his application for the job, Toller said the authority of local officials should take precedence over federal and state laws.

“I would in no way be beholden to the secretary of state in Sacramento, as if her interpretation was chapter and verse of Holy Writ,” he said on his application.

Toller still has to go through a background check before his appointment is finalized. The board anticipates having him in the office by mid-July. He will serve out the remainder of Darling Allen’s term, which ends in January 2027.

The first order of business is to increase public transparency in the office, he said. He also plans to meet with each member of the staff to find out more about them.

“My objective is not to go in there and tear the place down and sweep everyone out. It’s to truly go in there and find out who’s there, what their passions are, what their skills are and to begin founding a team that can move forward,” Toller said.

Garman wondered how Toller would be able to learn about the registrar’s position, the laws, the employees and manage an election in such a short time. It was a concern echoed by others at Wednesday’s meeting.

“Mr. Toller has absolutely no experience in this field. None. And I’m just shocked that our county, months before an incredibly important election, is going to be in the hands of a totally inexperienced lawyer,” Salter said.

Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on Twitter at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Shasta supervisors hire lawyer to lead county elections office