The Clackamas County clerk’s office will now officiate weddings — a service the office hasn’t provided since 2014, when same-sex marriage was legalized in Oregon.
Clackamas County Clerk Catherine McMullen, who was elected in November, campaigned on bringing officiate services back. She said it was something voters wanted.
“Be it registering to vote or getting married, the county clerk’s office and my staff, we’re here for you all,” McMullen said. “And we want to make sure that everyone is served equitably and that everyone feels welcome.”
Catherine McMullen, in this provided photo, won the race last fall for the Clackamas County clerk seat, ousting Sherry Hall.
Catherine Mullen campaign
The county’s former clerk, Sherry Hall, stopped providing the service shortly after state lawmakers removed a ban on same-sex marriage.
Hall faced multiple other controversies during her nearly two-decade tenure — including several ballot mishaps during recent years’ elections.
Not all county clerks provide officiate services, McMullen said, since their roles encompass a wide range of time-consuming duties, including overseeing elections and managing public records.
But she said conducting weddings was important for her personally.
“My spouse and I — gosh, it was more than a decade ago — but we got married in a courthouse in Montana when we were young,” she said. “I didn’t want a big ceremony and we didn’t want a religious wedding, so we went with a quiet wedding at a courthouse before a judge.”
She said she wants the same opportunity to be available to everyone. In preparation for future weddings, McMullen’s staff has set up a spot in the office “that’s a little more festive” and set aside Friday afternoons as “Wedding Friday” in their calendars.
