opinion
may10
2011
An Opinion: “Vernonia-We Have a Problem”
By Scott Laird
I know the job of being a City
Councilor in a small town is difficult. I
have said it before. I know it, believe it
and understand it. I know it is difficult to
remain neutral and unbiased while making
decisions that will impact the entire
City. I know it is difficult to separate
all the convoluted relationships, business
dealings and special interests that are part
of small town life.
But that is what a City Councilor
is required to do when they accept that
oath of office—make decisions that are
based on what is best for the community
as a whole. They have to run our City like
a business, not like a club where they can
throw out or keep members they like or
dislike.
Fortunately, we have three
business owners on our City Council who
certainly should understand this, right?
Who should understand the need to be
forward thinking, and be able to weigh
and measure the long range ramifications
of their actions? Who should understand
the need to be professional and informed,
and can separate their personal feelings
and relationships from their city business?
Who should understand the need to create
a positive image to those outside the
community, correct?
Wrong!
We elect people from our
community to represent us—who have
been given the responsibility to set policy
and oversee the City’s affairs. We elect
them to do this in an unbiased and fair
manner. We expect them to put their
personal issues, business dealings, and
any other conflicts aside when they enter
that Council Chamber to make decisions
that impact all of us.
Unfortunately, what we got when
we elected two new Councilors, Willow
Burch and Marilyn Nicks, who have
teamed up with Councilor Kevin Hudson,
is a majority who have chosen to ignore
the will of the majority of this community
and have bulldozed their way to several
disturbing decisions.
They have chosen to make
decisions based on relationships instead of
running this City like the business that it
is. Four months after this Council came
together to create a change in Vernonia, all
they have caused is chaos. And discontent.
There are two key components in
this situation—an investigation into Police
Officer Mike Kay, and the performance
of Interim City Administrator Bill Haack.
These two appear to be directly linked
to certain decisions Council has made
recently.
Kay and Councilor Hudson are
very close friends; Hudson has been a
huge supporter of the K9 Officer Program
that Kay has run in Vernonia, both vocally
and financially. Kay is also close to
Councilor Nicks and her family. Kay’s
police vehicle has reportedly been spotted
while he is on duty sitting outside Nicks
place of business for long periods of time
over the last few months while he chats
with the family.
There is a current review by the
Oregon Department of Public Safety
Standards and Training (DPSST) into Kay’s
conduct which alleges untruthfulness.
That investigation, begun before Haack
took the City Administrator position,
has driven a wedge into this community.
There is the possibility that at the end of its
review, DPSST will chose to revoke Kay’s
certifications and the City would need to
make a decision about Kay’s continued
employment.
Normally, the City Administrator
would be responsible for hiring or firing an
employee, but an Interim doesn’t have that
authority, so the City Council would have
to make that decision.
The City is currently in the
process of searching for a permanent
City Administrator. Current Interim Bill
Haack has been doing an admirable job
since taking the job last June. Burch,
Hudson and Nicks say they have trouble
communicating with Haack.
Almost
everyone else thinks he is doing great. But
on May 2, 2011 Burch, Hudson and Nicks
voted to terminate their contract with
Haack, effective immediately. Technically
they are required to give him two weeks
notice, so his last day will be May 17,
2011.
Hard decisions that involve
friends and personal relationships are
difficult. Having to do it in a public arena
is even worse. I understand that Mike
Kay is a friend to numerous people in
our community. The situation he finds
himself in is disappointing from a citizen’s
standpoint, and probably sad from a
friend’s standpoint. I understand that
people would want to defend and protect
their friend.
Hudson, Burch and Nicks don’t
seem to like Haack very much. That has
been evident ever since it was brought to
Haack’s attention late last year that the
contract with the City for the K9 program
had expired and that certifications for the
dog were not on file. Haack immediately
took action to protect the City’s liability
and pulled the dog off the street while the
issue was resolved, angering Hudson.
Hudson, Burch and Nicks have
made Haack’s job difficult, attempting to
block him at seemingly every turn. They
have seemed intent on getting rid of him
and have used poor communication as an
excuse whenever asked.
So what we have are Councilors
putting their personal relationship with
All In Pub & Eatery
Kay and a dislike for Haack before the
wellbeing of our City.
The move by the three Councilors
to terminate Haack at the May 2, 2011
City Council Meeting clearly seemed
orchestrated.
Councilor Nicks was
obviously prepared to discuss this item
that was not previously on the agenda,
referring to notes during the discussion.
Whether anyone can prove they met
outside the public process to decide how
to move forward is questionable, but the
appearance is certainly there. And both
Burch and Nicks have pushed hard during
this year’s Budget process to create local
rules that would allow them to meet
privately and discuss the budget, even
though the State guide lines they are given
to manage their budget process clearly
forbids this.
Firing Haack, while in the midst
of a search, normally makes no sense,
unless there is more being considered than
his actual job performance. They had the
ability to choose someone else if they
didn’t want to continue working with him,
and he would have been gone June 30 th .
If you haven’t figured out yet
what I’m trying to say here, it is this: the
firing of Haack seemed to be retaliatory,
appeared orchestrated and a way to
protect Mike Kay.
When asked to explain her request
to terminate Haack’s contract Burch
clearly said it all. “The one catalyst that
brought me to this decision was the back
of this packet (referring to the Council
meeting information regarding the DPSST
Investigation into Vernonia Police Officer
Mike Kay). When a voice from the
audience spoke up, calling out, “Sounds
pretty personal to me!” Burch responded,
“If you were being persecuted by your
community, so would it be personal to
you.”
3
Sounds personal to me, too.
Whether Kay or Haack are here
next month is really beside the point.
We have inexperienced, unprepared and
unsuitable City Councilors making hugely
important decisions on behalf of our
citizens based on personal relationships
and not about what is best for the City of
Vernonia.
This is a problem.
Publisher and Managing Editor
Scott Laird
503-367-0098
scott@vernoniasvoice.com
Contributors
Lynn Berry
Gayle Rich-Boxman
Burt Tschache
Photography
Scott Laird
Gayle Rich-Boxman
Jon Steward Photography
Teri Willard
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