Keizertimes., April 30, 2021, Image 1

EIZER times
$1.00/ ISSUE
Volume 42 • No. 28
APRIL 30, 2021
The ties that bind
DETR
DETROIT
DET
DE
ROI
OIT
& KEIZER
KEI ZER
P
rominent Keizer names
and faces, as well as
the Keizer Civic Center, are
popping up frequently in an
unusual space: Detroit City
Council meetings.
NEWSTAND PRICE: $1.00/ ISSUE
SUBSCRIBER ADDRESS :
Story By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes | Design by ANDREW JACKSON
In recent months, the husband Civic Center offi ce or how it led to
of one Keizer city councilor was his resignation less than a month
appointed to the Detroit coun- ago.
cil, another Keizer city councilor
“He will also be working for the
was retained as the pro bono city council in other capacities, but his
attorney, and the city
council opted to meet at
the Keizer Civic Center
despite closer venues.
On April 19, the Marion
County hired former
Keizer city manager
Chris Eppley as the
temporary Detroit city
manager.
Marion
County
Commissioner Danielle
Bethell, a resident of
Keizer
and
former
director
of
the
Keizer Chamber of
Commerce,
made
the announcement
Public information offi cer, Marion County
regarding
Eppley
at a meeting of the
Detroit City Council. 
Bethell made the
announcement shortly after dis- primary focus, at your approval,
cussing the millions of dollars that will be working with the city of
may be fl owing to the community Detroit,” Bethell said. She said
for the rebuilding eff orts. Bethell Eppley was hired the previous day.
said county offi cials secured a
The council did not vote on
temporary city manager in Eppley, Eppley’s appointment. Instead, it
but made no mention of Eppley was accepted through consensus
discharging a gun in his Keizer on a motion permitting Mayor Jim
Trett to appoint Eppley as tempo-
rary city manager. According to
his LinkedIn social media profi le,
Eppley was hired as a temporary
community development man-
ager with Marion
County.
Trett is a long-
time
Keizerite
himself and retired
Keizer Fire District
employee. His time
on the Detroit city
council predates
recent
develop-
ments by years.
Eppley
was
hired as a tempo-
rary employee of
the county making
$54.95 per hour,
said Jolene Kelley,
public information
offi cer for Marion
County.
“Marion County
applied for and
received two grants that are fund-
ing long term disaster recovery
in the Santiam Canyon. This
includes hiring a disaster recov-
ery manager to coordinate wildfi re
recovery eff orts in the Santiam
The commissioners
were not directly
involved in the
hiring of temporary
wildfi re recovery
staff for the cities of
Gates and Detroit.
— JOLENE KELLEY
See TIES, page 19