UPDATED: The Grays Harbor Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) held a special year-end meeting and voted to name Senior Deputy Prosecutor – Civil Division Georgia A. Stearns as acting prosecuting attorney.

Stearns has over 35 years of experience in civil litigation, with the past 30 years being focused on civil trial practice in the areas of contract, government, and construction law.

Stearns has worked with Sound Defenders in Aberdeen and has been employed with the Grays Harbor Prosecutor’s Office for the past five years handling dependencies and as part of the civil team advising the BOCC and other county departments.

According to her official bio, Stearns “is excited for this opportunity and grateful to the Board of County Commissioners for placing trust in her to assist the Prosecutor’s Office team in providing the county, and thereby the community, with outstanding legal services.”

On Nov. 22, the elected Prosecuting Attorney Norma J. Tillotson (D) tendered her resignation effective Dec. 31.

District 3 Commissioner Vickie Raines, who presided over her last BOCC meeting as board chair, said there has been quite a bit of interest in the prosecuting attorney position.

“There’s a lot of interest in this position and I think that’s absolutely fabulous,” Raines said. “There’s been a lot of change in the prosecutor’s office over the last year and a half to two years, and we believe that deputy Stearns will bring some continuity to the office for the time period that the Grays Harbor Democrats provide us a list to be able to select from. We think that providing that structure and continuity that is currently there will bode well for the department and the county. We think this is the best decision for Grays Harbor County as a whole as in One Grays Harbor if you will, as well as the Grays Harbor County Prosecutor’s Office.”

The vote was 2-0, with District 2 Commissioner Rick Hole abstaining. According to Raines, the Grays Harbor Democrats are expected to nominate three candidates by Friday, Jan. 9.

Stearns earned her Juris Doctorate in 1994 from Humphreys College School of Law, as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology.

In her resignation letter, Tillotson, the highest paid elected official in Grays Harbor County with an annual salary of ​​$237,460, named Bryan Lane as acting prosecuting attorney “until the Board appoints a qualified candidate from the Democratic Party to fulfill the remainder of my term,” however, it was the BOCC’s prerogative to select an acting prosecuting attorney of their choosing.

Tillotson was appointed to the post in March 2021 following Katherine Svoboda’s election as a superior court judge. She then won the 2022 election unopposed.

If Stearns wishes to seek the post beyond her acting role, she will be required to declare her candidacy and participate in the primary and general election process, as will whoever the BOCC selects as the interim prosecuting attorney from the pool put forth by the Grays Harbor Democrats.