Mallams files for 2016 election

Commissioner faces recall petition, 3 other candidates.

It’s official. Klamath County Commissioner Tom Mallams is running for a second term.

Mallams had previously stated he planned to run, but Monday he officially filed his candidacy for the 2016 election.

“I just want people to know what my intentions are,” the chairman of the county board of commissioners said Tuesday. “I enjoy it. Even with all the controversy and contention, it’s extremely rewarding.”

Mallams faces challenges heading into the 2016 May primary, including a recall petition against him. Last week recall petitioners Ilo and Melissa Ferroggiaro said they’d gathered about 1,200 signatures of the 3,426 required by the Dec. 21 deadline to make a recall election happen.

No recall concerns

Mallams said he is not concerned with the recall, saying, “if it happens, it happens.” He believes all the publicity, good or bad, could help his campaign.

“I think it’s helping. It’s bringing more awareness. I’m always glad to see more awareness, whether it’s positive or negative,” he said. “It gets people involved. It gets them asking questions.”

If the recall petition and election were successful, Mallams could still run for his seat in 2016, according to the Klamath County Clerk’s Office.

Mallams also enters the race for the seat he currently holds facing three other candidates: Lyncho Ruiz, James Williamson and Carl Pfeiffer.

“It’s good that people want to step up and be a part of the process,” Mallams said of the other candidates. “You need to have that competition. That’s always a good thing.”

Mallams said he always intended to run again.

Non-partisan race

He was elected in 2012 and his term runs through the end of 2016. Mallams’ first election was a partisan race, where he ran as a Republican. (He marked Republican on his official filing papers for the 2016 election.)

Now the county commissioner positions are non-partisan. The candidate primary is in May. If one candidate earns 50 percent of the vote plus one, he wins the seat. Otherwise the top two vote-getters face off in the November 2016 election.

Along with his own commitment to a second term, Mallams said supporters have encouraged him to run again.

“I had so many people calling me and stopping and telling me and harassing me,” he said, “‘Are you going to run? Please run.’”

 

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