from the editor
may24
2011
from the editor:
3
An Open Letter to Councilors Burch, Hudson, and Nicks
First of all I would like to
take this opportunity to publicly thank
Sergeant Mike Connor and Officer
Shawn Carnahan for their continued
dedication and service to our community,
especially during the last two months
while Officer Mike Kay has been on
paid administrative leave. Your efforts
are appreciated and noticed, at least by
most of us in the community.
I would also like to thank Bill
Haack for his outstanding service to the
people of Vernonia. You have adopted
this community as your second home,
have worked tirelessly to help us move
forward, and Bill, you should know that
your efforts are appreciated, no matter
what the actions have been by a handful
of individuals over the last few weeks.
On May 19, 2011 the Police
Policy Committee of the Oregon
Department of Safety Standards and
Training (DPSST) met in Salem and
voted unanimously to revoke the
certification of Vernonia Police Sergeant
Mike Kay for life. Now the Vernonia
City Council will have a chance on June
13, 2011 to hear Mike Kay’s side of this
story at a Due Process Hearing and make
a decision about his future employment
in Vernonia--keep him while he goes
through a process of additional hearings
and appeals, further distracting the work
of the city, or move on now and get back
to business.
I have a number of things I
would like to address to Councilors
Burch, Hudson and Nicks. Your actions
and statements over the last five months
continue to perplex and confound me.
Instead of focusing on work that
needed to be done--setting goals together
as a Council and holding workshops
about the Wastewater Project, you
have chosen to get bogged down in
an unnecessary search for a new City
Administrator. Instead of developing
a plan for managing the flood buyout
properties, and finding a solution to the
flood mitigation and National Flood
Insurance issue, you’ve spent your time
organizing a transition to a temporary
City Administrator. Instead of holding
discussions about how to manage the
City’s response to the State DPSST
investigation into untruthfulness by
Police Officer Mike Kay, you have
tried to ignore and hide the fact that an
investigation is even occurring.
And now, you, the City Council
will be the decision makers on Mike Kay
and his continued relationship with the
City of Vernonia. This decision, in your
hands, Councilors Burch, Hudson, and
Nicks, is very disconcerting. Will you
let us down yet again, or will you finally
come to your senses and do the right
thing?
If I appear to be passionate, and
somewhat angry about what is happening
right now in our City, that’s because I am.
This City belongs to all of us, not just to
you and your friends. I can no longer
sit back and just watch the three of you
make knee-jerk, short-sighted and naive
decisions and statements that embarrass
all of us, and damage the future of this
city.
Councilor Burch, you have
repeatedly stated that you stand for
transparency in City government, yet
you accused me of wrongdoing during
the May 2, 2011 City Council meeting
and in a letter that you wrote to The
Independent, because I made public
information available to the citizens of
this community concerning that DPSST
investigation into Officer Kay. The
citizens had a right to know just what the
accusations were against a police officer
in their community, someone they are
expected to trust, respect and look up to.
That is real transparency, not what you
are doing-- trying to cover up the facts
about an investigation.
I would like to expand on just a
few examples of the confused decision
making the three of you have exhibited
over the last few months. These are just
a few examples, there are many more.
Councilor Burch, in explaining
your reasons for terminating Mr. Haack,
you sited his poor communication—that
you ask for information and don’t receive
it. Councilor Burch—communication
goes two ways. You have to listen
when someone answers your questions.
Apparently you have a problem listening,
because in that May 2 meeting during a
discussion about engineering work for
Vernonia Lake, you asked Mr. Haack
again, for what I believe may be the
third and maybe fourth time in a public
meeting, when we would be hiring a
Project Manager for this project. And
once again Mr. Haack explained to you,
like he has each previous time you have
asked, that we are waiting for approval
from CDBG to spend their grant money
to hire that project manager. I think
it is you that has the communication
problem, Councilor Burch, along with
Councilors Hudson and Nicks, not Mr.
Haack.
All In Pub & Eatery
Home of the
2 1/4
lb. “All In Burger”
Catherine &
Strawberry Roan
Terry’s
Gym
TRAIN LIKE A CHAMPION!
LIVE MUSIC
Saturday
June 4
Councilor Hudson, you also voted on
May 2 to terminate Mr. Haack’s contract
without any idea or plan on how to
replace him. One solution that you
presented at the May 6, 2011 Special
Council Meeting was to appoint a citizen
to temporarily fill his position—you
mentioned Mayor Josette Mitchell, City
Recorder Joanne Glass, Jim Tierney, or
Dan Brown—all people who have clearly
been supporters of Mr. Haack and have
encouraged Council to retain him as
the permanent City Administrator. Yet
Councilor Hudson, you would presume
to ask one of those people to come in
and clean up the mess that you created
with your rash decision? In fact, you
three Councilors--Burch, Hudson and
Nicks--all ended up voting to appoint
Mayor Mitchell to fill the spot, against
her wishes—she voted against it! Your
decision to fire Mr. Haack showed a lack
of forethought and planning, as well as
common sense.
Councilor Nicks, you stated on
May 2 that the reason you were in favor
of terminating Mr. Haack’s contract
was because of poor communication.
You stated, and I quote, “ I’ve made
an effort—I’ve called in an outside
party. I’m trying to do everything
that I can.” Previously you had
requested and received permission
from the rest of Council to consult
with Jim Johnson and get help with the
perceived communication problems that
Council and staff were having. You
and Councilors Hudson and Burch did
meet with Mr. Johnson to discuss these
problems, on April 28. But you fired
Mr. Haack before Mr. Johnson even had
a chance to meet with the rest of the
Council and Mr. Haack to hear their side
of what was happening. How can you
honestly sit up there and tell the people
of this community that you are doing “...
everything you can?” That’s right, you
can’t. But you did.
At this point, it’s hard for any
of us to trust or take seriously anything
the three of you say. I believe the people
have lost faith and trust in your ability to
lead this community. Councilor Hudson
is already being recalled; Councilors
Burch and Nicks, you will be next on
July 2.
You were elected to represent
the people of this community, not a
handful of your friends and family. You
have failed to listen to your committee
members, staff and the citizens who are
filling the Council Chambers to capacity
• Specialty hamburgers
• Draft beer & mixed drinks
• Pool tables & satelite TV
• Special live music events
• Free Wifi
alternative/country/rock
Sun - Thurs 11 AM - Midnight •
733 Bridge St, Vernonia
“STILL BIKER FRIENDLY”
Fri - Sat 11 AM - 2:30 AM
• 503-429-9999
Publisher and Managing Editor
Scott Laird
503-367-0098
scott@vernoniasvoice.com
Contributors
Chip Bubl
Dr. Carol McIntyre
Sonia Spackman
Miles Wickstrom
Don Webb
Photography
Christie Davis
Scott Laird
Justin Stevens
Want to advertise?
Contact: ads@vernoniasvoice.com
Have an article?
Contact: news@vernoniasvoice.com
One year subscriptions
(24 issues) $35
PO Box 55
Vernonia, OR 97064
503-367-0098
www.VernoniasVoice.com
at each meeting. I would echo Mayor
Mitchell’s sentiments from the May 2
meeting –Where is this contingency
you claim you represent? I don’t see or
hear them at these meetings, they aren’t
writing letters to the newspapers, they
aren’t calling City Hall.
It is honorable for a person to
stand by and help a friend in need. But
what you are doing is anything but
honorable—using your position as a
City Councilor to protect your friend,
Mike Kay, and run a good man, Bill
Haack, out of town.
I would like to respectfully
request that all three of you resign your
position as City Councilors, effective
immediately, before you bring any more
shame and disgrace on the hard working
people of this community, who have
fought and struggled over the last few
years to rebuild their lives and our town.
Who have received the attention and
visits from not one, but two Governors
of this state because of their efforts.
Step down now, before you
waste any more of the taxpayers
money on personnel searches and recall
elections. Please, step down, before you
create any more chaos and bring further
dishonor on the good name of our city.
Scott Laird
Editor and Publisher
INBA World Champion Collin Moeller
works out at Terry’s Gym - You can too!
503-901-1705
16720 Noakes Rd. Vernonia
Vernonia’s Voice is published
twice each month on the 2nd
and 4th Tuesday. Look for our
next issue on June 14th.
