Keizertimes., June 18, 2021, Image 1

EIZER times
moments
of
Pride, protest
& lingering
questions
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
NEWSTAND PRICE: $1.00/ ISSUE
SUBSCRIBER ADDRESS :
JUNE 18, 2021
from the council,” Hare said. “What you
are asking your city manager to do is hold
staff accountable for good performance.”
Wes Hare responds
Councilor Elizabeth Smith asked
to questions from city
whether Hare could play a part in helping
councilors Monday, June 14.
the city include more people at higher lev-
els in city discussion. Hare was Albany's
staff liaison to a
human
relations
A city manager should
commission
that
was intended to
try to bring out the best
assist in doing just
in people. You do that
that.
by listening and trying
The
Albany
commission expe-
to hear what people
rienced
trou-
have to say.
bled times, Hare
said, but success
depends on the mis-
— WES HARE
Keizer interim city manager candidate
about his expe-
sion and defi nition
rience as city
of success.
manager in Oak
“If [the goal] is
Ridge, La Grande and Albany as well as to bring peace and harmony, then it prob-
time spent in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan ably isn’t the route to take. If it’s to raise
and Sri Lanka consulting on eff orts to diffi cult questions and try to come up with
establish local governments.
answers, then I think it was a success,”
Mayor Cathy Clark asked about Hare’s Hare said.
approach to the job of an interim city man-
Councilor Roland Herrera asked what
ager in the wake of sudden departures.
See HOT SEAT, page A16
“What heals is consistent leadership
Photo by ERIC A. HOWALD of Keizertimes
ANALYSIS
See PRIDE, page A11
Volume 42 • No. 35
City manager candidate in hot seat
LUCIDIT Y
1. Joys of Unburdening
No one knew quite what to expect
but Keizer’s fi rst LGBTQ+ Pride Fair
felt like the best party ever hosted in
the city.
It took place Saturday, June 12,
at Chalmers Jones Park behind the
Keizer Civic Center. Bubbles fi lled the
air, Superman and Cinderella were
taking photos with visitors, drag per-
formances were lighting up the crowd
and faces.
Jubilance is permeable when peo-
ple are unafraid to be themselves, and
Keizer’s Pride Day was an explosion
of it. The entire eff ort was brought
together through Keizerite Claire
Snyder’s sheer force-of-will, and enlist-
ing dozens who followed her lead.
For outsiders, it can be diffi cult
to comprehend the signifi cance
$1.00/ ISSUE
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
T
he primary candidate for the city’s
interim city manager job had an infor-
mal interview for the job at a Keizer City
Council work session Monday, June 14,
but he almost didn’t show up.
Wes Hare, the candidate, said he was
on the phone with Keizer human resources
manager and planned to withdraw his
name from consideration until his wife
told him to show the council who he is.
“It triggered a lot of self-analysis and I
decided I would tell the council why I was
interested,” Hare said. “I do not walk away
from challenges.”
Hare said he was angry after City
Councilor Ross Day attempted to malign
his reputation at a city council meeting a
week prior. Day said a previous encounter,
in a legal matter in which he represented
an Albany business owner, while Hare was
city manager there left him with a nega-
tive impression. The verbatim critique
itself was much more pointed with Day
saying he had trust issues regarding the
candidate.
According to court records, Day is
listed as an attorney in a dispute over
right-of-way assessments in Albany. Day
himself was absent for medical reasons
from the proceedings Monday.
In addressing Day’s perceptions, Hare
said he did not remember ever meeting
Day until the matter came up in the coun-
cil meeting.
“My perspective on the issue is very
diff erent from his. I am sincere when I tell
you what he said is inaccurate,” Hare said.
Turning to other matters, Hare spoke
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