Williams, 69, said he was told he could resign or be fired and chose not to resign. A county spokesperson confirmed Thursday, Oct. 15, that Williams had been fired.

Williams said he filed a whistleblower complaint with the county’s human resources department alleging retaliation and plans to file another with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries. He also said he intends to sue the county. He characterized the dispute as involving “the appearance of a cover-up” and said he recommended an outside investigator review the hiring.

Commissioner West said the board’s confidence in Williams had declined over performance concerns that had been building for months. Commissioner Diana Helm also said Williams’ termination was unrelated to his recommendation, and described a breakdown in the relationship between Williams and the board. Board Chair Craig Roberts said he was disappointed by the outcome and praised Williams’ leadership and public service.

The dispute centers on the county’s February hiring of Tom West as a full-time temporary building maintenance specialist. The position was not publicly posted, and the county does not require competitive recruitment for temporary jobs. County Administrator Gary Schmidt previously said Ben West contacted him to ask whether there were facilities jobs available for his father. Schmidt said he checked with staff, who identified a need for a maintenance specialist, and Tom West was hired. He remains in the job.

The Oregon Government Ethics Commission is reviewing a complaint filed by a representative of the county’s largest employee union. An initial review found it did not appear Ben West had participated in personnel actions involving his father’s hiring or supervision. The pending investigation will consider whether the commissioner should have disclosed a conflict of interest and whether he used his public position to obtain a financial benefit.

The initial review said the position might not have existed “but for” Ben West’s role as a commissioner and appeared tailored to his father’s experience. It also found that the job did not appear to have been publicly posted or filled through a competitive process. The review did not conclude that West had violated ethics rules.

Helm said the county auditor was also investigating the hiring and that she did not believe commissioners needed to launch a separate outside inquiry. Williams said his recommendation was intended to protect the integrity and documentation of the review process.

Williams began as interim county counsel in June 2025 and was appointed to the permanent position four months later. His annual salary was $246,480. The county counsel’s office, which has about 10 attorneys, advises on matters including litigation, contracts and land use.

Williams served as Oregon’s U.S. attorney from 2015 to 2021, after earlier work as a federal and state prosecutor. He succeeded Jane Vetto, who left the county counsel post after about a year; the county paid her roughly $253,000 in severance after her resignation.