The process of verifying signatures seeking to force a special recall election of two Josephine County commissioners Tuesday was soon overshadowed by indications that one or both of them apparently is quitting.

As a group of workers at the county clerk’s office toiled over the verification process, down the hall of the county courthouse the Board of Commissioners posted a meeting agenda for Thursday with an item titled “Appointment of new commissioner or commissioners.”

The county also prepared to publish a legal notice Friday under the heading “Notice of vacancy in elective county office.” The notice explains the process of making an interim appointment “to fill a vacancy or vacancies” on the Board of Commissioners.

Neither of the two commissioners under threat of recall, Chris Barnett and Andreas Blech, responded to questions from the Daily Courier about their plans. The third member of the board, Ron Smith, who is not facing recall, declined comment except to say, “It’s not me.”

For more coverage of this story, see Wednesday's print edition and online edition of the Daily Courier.