OAR 658-030-0020: Qualifications of Commissioners

(1) For purposes of this rule: (a) A "producer" is a person growing or producing within this state or procuring within the state, its rivers or the offshore waters, but not the Columbia River, for commercial handling within the state, a commodity for market, or receiving a share thereof as landowner, landlord, tenant, sharecropper, boat skipper or otherwise. A producer must have paid the commission assessment on the commodity in each of the preceding three calendar years. (b) A "handler" is any producer, processor, distributor or other person engaged in handling or marketing of or dealing in the commodity, whether as owner, agent, employee, broker or otherwise. A handler must have collected the commission assessment, if any, each of the preceding three calendar years. (2) Members of the Potato Commission will have the following qualifications, which will continue during the term of office of the member: (a) One member of the commission will be a member of the public with an active interest in the positive economic development, production and/or marketing of the commodity, but who is not associated with the production or handling of potatoes; (b) A majority of the members will be producers; (c) At least one member will be a handler; (d) All members who are not a handler or the public member will be producers. (3) In addition to the qualifications set forth in subsection (2) of this rule, the appointments shall be made so that each major potato-producing area of the state is represented as follows: (a) Three from the Blue Mountain area, comprised of the counties of Baker, Union, Wallowa, Grant, Morrow and Umatilla. (b) One from the area comprised of Malheur and Harney Counties. (c) One from central Oregon, comprised of the counties of Crook, Deschutes, Gilliam, Sherman, Wasco, Wheeler and Jefferson. (d) Two from the area comprised of Klamath, Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson, Josephine and Lake counties. (e) One from the Willamette Valley area, comprised of the counties of Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Hood River, Lincoln, Lane, Linn, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Tillamook, Yamhill and Washington. (f) One at-large member from any of the major potato-producing areas of the state. (g) One as a member of the public. (4) Notwithstanding subsection (3) of this section, if a position remains vacant for more than 30 days following reasonable efforts to recruit a member from a particular region, a person may be appointed at large and may reside anywhere within the State of Oregon. Once that person's term expires and he or she is not reappointed, the position will again be subject to the geographic qualification requirements of subsection (3) of this section.