LINCOLN COUNTY — District Attorney Jenna Wallace has invited all interested residents to attend a pair of community town halls focused on “transparency, accountability, and public safety” Saturday, December 20, 2025.

The first town hall is at 10 a.m. in the Newport Rec Center at 225 Avery Street. The second event will follow at 2 p.m. at the Lincoln City Community Center, 2150 N.E. Oar Place.

Town hall topics will include a detailed criminal justice system overview, including trends and statistics for Lincoln County and the actual impact of personnel vacancies on public safety. All questions from the community will be welcomed and answered frankly by Wallace.

Commissioner Claire Hall, Walter Chuck, and Casey Miller have all been invited to attend as special guests to join in the discussion and answer community questions regarding these important, impactful topics.

The embattled D.A. has been involved in a public dispute with the county commissioners regarding a hiring freeze that has gutted her office. In a November statement, Wallace clarified her position on the staffing shortage, stating she is not asking for additional positions or funding, but rather the ability to fill already established and funded positions that are currently frozen by the Board of Commissioners.

Wallace spoke publicly at the Lincoln County Board of Commissioner’s meetings on Oct. 1 and Nov. 5, 2025, pleading for exceptions to the hiring freeze due to increased caseloads and public safety concerns. The Oregon Government Ethics Commission recently voted to conduct a full investigation into the actions of some Lincoln County commissioners regarding potential violations of public meeting laws in their handling of hiring freeze exceptions via a private online system.

Saturday’s town halls are free and open to the public. For more information, Wallace is available at the Lincoln County District Attorney’s Office, (541)-265-4145, or [email protected].

“Your voice matters,” Wallace declared. “I look forward to seeing you there.”