In a letter sent to the county earlier this month, Williams’ lawyer identified Commissioners Ben West, Paul Savas, Diana Helm and Martha Schrader as potential defendants. Schrader signed the termination letter. Board Chair Craig Roberts, who supported Williams, was not named.

The dispute centers on Tom West’s February hiring as a full-time temporary building-maintenance specialist. The county did not post the position; its rules do not require an open competitive recruitment process for temporary jobs. County Administrator Gary Schmidt previously said Ben West called him late last year to say his father was available for facilities work. Schmidt said he checked with staff, who identified a need for a maintenance specialist, and Tom West was subsequently hired. He remains employed by the county.

Williams’ letter says he met with County Auditor Jodi Cochran in late July to discuss her review of a hotline complaint about the hiring. According to the letter, Cochran reached an exonerating conclusion while also describing staff as feeling “perceived pressure” to complete the hire. Williams said he sought an independent review to determine whether that pressure had compromised the process, and objected to treating an unfinished inquiry as complete.

Williams said the investigation’s status changed from finished to paused after he raised concerns. Cochran said she could not discuss open investigations or confirm whether one is underway.

The letter also questions Savas’ and County Treasurer Brian Nava’s roles in the investigation. Both declined to comment. Williams said West and Savas reacted with hostility to his proposal for an independent review and pressed to discuss his performance evaluation. He characterized West’s conduct as intimidation and retaliation.

“We treated him fairly and he doesn’t work for the county anymore,” West said. He has previously said commissioners began losing confidence in Williams earlier this year and that the board had not yet seen Williams’ evaluation, which was conducted by an outside reviewer.

County spokesperson Scott Anderson said the county generally does not comment on pending litigation. In a statement, he said the county was withholding additional information and would vigorously defend against what it considers false claims, cautioning against reaching conclusions based on one side’s account.

The conflict adds to a prolonged dispute between Williams and most of the board. Williams, 69, served as Oregon’s U.S. attorney from 2015 to 2021 before becoming county counsel. He said his concerns went beyond a disagreement over whether the county should retain another lawyer, citing possible undue influence, lack of transparency, abuse of authority, mismanagement and legal violations.

The Oregon Government Ethics Commission is separately reviewing a complaint filed by a representative of the county’s largest employee union. An initial review found no apparent violation of state nepotism rules because Ben West did not take part in personnel actions involving his father’s hiring, promotion or supervision. The full investigation is to examine whether the commissioner should have disclosed a conflict of interest and whether he used his position to obtain a financial gain.