Keizertimes., November 05, 2021, Page 5, Image 5

NOVEMBER 5, 2021, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A5
SHOCKED: ‘This time I was his target.’
Continued from page A1
said the committee would be used by its
members as a platform to attack others
and call people racists, homophobes and
bigots. During the meeting, Day also
called Keizertimes publisher Lyndon
Zaitz a “liar” and said the local paper was
a “parrot” for people in the community
that he described as “idiots.”
The Keizertimes learned of Day’s res-
ignation shortly before going to print.
The following quotes from councilors
and the mayor are following Monday’s
meeting and prior to Day’s resignation.
Following Monday’s meeting, Clark
condemned Day’s actions in a written
statement to the Keizertimes.
“I am deeply disappointed that
Councilor Ross Day, who has taken the
oath of offi ce for City Council, would ever
behave in an unprofessional or non-busi-
nesslike manner while representing the
people of Keizer,” Clark wrote.
In a phone call after the meeting,
Smith, who had an off -mic confrontation
with Day at one point during the meet-
ing, said, “He did to me exactly what
he's done on camera to so many people
who've tried to testify. What he did to
Wes Hare. This time I was his target.”
Day’s outburst came at the Nov. 1
meeting after other councilors said they
wanted the word “diversity” to be added
to the name of a committee that would
advise the council on policy decisions
related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
“The fi rst time someone looks cross
eyed at someone, the fi rst time someone
doesn’t hold the door open for some-
one, one of these committee members is
going to feel like they have the authority
to go out and write a letter to the editor.
Which we know the Keizertimes, the
lightning rod of divisiveness, is going to
publish,” said Day.
The Community Diversity Engagement
Committee was set to be a nine-person
committee that would advise the council
on policy decisions related to diversity,
equity and inclusion, in addition to work-
ing to improve public engagement in the
civic process.
Many cities and businesses have
similar Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
committees
that
act as task forces
of diverse staff
members who are
responsible for help-
ing bring about the
cultural, and possi-
bly ethical, changes
necessary.
“I can promise
you, there’s going
to be a trojan horse.
There’s going to
be someone that’s
going to get on
the committee and
going to go out
there and use their
position to attack
someone,” said Day.
After more than
15 minutes of back
and forth with Clark, Councilor Roland
Herrera spoke up.
“I think we’ve gone way out in this last
15 minutes, honestly. I mean this is crazy.
We are trying to get a committee here
and you just proved the point why we
need this,” said Herrera. “I don’t under-
stand how you went from trying to use
the word diversity to people name calling
you and calling you racist.”
Herrera went on to say Day bringing
the conversation to that point “tells me
something, it really does. It gives me a
peek into your soul.”
The creation of the committee came
at the suggestion of a Community
Diversity Engagement Work Group
formed in April of this year. The work
group was comprised of councilors Laura
Reid, Smith and Herrera.
After meeting multiple times, the work
group suggested that the council cre-
ate a permanent Community Diversity
Engagement Committee. During an Oct.
11 council work session, however, the
council opted to drop “diversity” from the
name and simply call it the Community
Engagement Committee.
At the Nov. 1 meeting, Herrera began
discussion by making a friendly amend-
ment to once again call the group the
Community Diversity Engagement
Committee because “the name has to fi t
the mission.” Smith and Reid, the other
two councilors that had been on the com-
mittee, also wanted the name to include
the word “diversity.”
Day, in short, did not.
“There are, unfortunately, people in
Day’s behavior at a meeting. Day was
especially upset that no one on the coun-
cil publicly condemned the letter or the
Keizertimes.
This isn’t the fi rst time that Day’s
behavior has disrupted meetings. During
an Aug. 23 council meeting, Day continu-
ously criticized staff for their handling of
a contract that he said was “shoddy work”
and “embarrassing.” Following a Sept. 27
meeting where he once again criticized
staff , he apologized for his actions and
said that he could only “promise to do
better in the future.”
“Mr. Day is very passionate about
everything that he does and that's part
of what makes him a good attorney, what
makes him a good city councilor, what
I mean this is crazy.
We are trying to
get a committee
here and you just
proved the point
why we need this.
— ROLAND HERRERA
Keizer City Councilor
File
this community that like to call people
names. Racist, homophobe, bigot, all
these other things,” said Day during at
beginning of discussion. “I’m a victim of
those folks. Other members of this coun-
cil are a victim of those folks. They don’t
try to divide or engage, they attempt to
divide and destroy.”
In a call after the meeting, Day said
it was his understanding that “diversity”
was never supposed to be in the name
of the committee and someone on staff
“took liberties and put it in there.” Smith
and Herrera, who were on the committee
that suggested the name, said that wasn’t
what happened.
Day also continuously brought up a
letter to the editor that was published in
the Keizertimes in April that called for
Day to publicly apologize for his “abu-
sive tactics towards women” following
makes him a good person. He’s pas-
sionate about and cares about what he's
doing,” Kohler said following the Nov. 1
meeting.
Kohler said Day’s concern about the
committee being used to attack others
was a “valid concern” but that “it could
have been expressed in a shorter period
of time and probably a little more elo-
quently, however, it is a concern for me.”
In the end, the council voted to once
again call the committee the Community
Diversity Engagement Committee. It is
unclear at this time if the vote was fi nal
or if it was to direct staff to draft the name
and then bring it before the council again
in the future.
Questions or concerns? Contact the
reporter via email: editor@keizertimes.com
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