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INSIDE — A3
SPORTS — B
SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890
FLORENCE, OREGON
DUNES CITY
Hilden
retires,
councilor
steps in
HATS OFF
TO FEC VOLUNTEERS
Florence
Police fire
sergeant
Shawn Morgan
terminated after internal
police investigation
Jamie Mills
appointed interim
administrator
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
Siuslaw News
B Y J ACK D AVIS
Siuslaw News
INSIDE
Dunes City administrator
Fred Hilden has retired from
his position after two years
on the job.
Hilden, 65, was promoted
to city administrator in
August 2013 after serving as
city recorder since April
2010. City councilor Jamie
Mills was appointed to
assume the role of interim
administrator.
“I didn’t want to resign
my city council position,”
Mills said, “but our charter
required it. So I resigned to
take the position.”
According to Mills,
Hilden, who turned 65 in
May, had
been talk-
ing about
retirement
for several
months.
“I think
it was in
Fred Hilden August that
Fred made
the deci-
sion that he
was going
to retire,”
she said.
“He started
using up
his accrued
Jamie Mills
vacation
time, because he had quite a
bit of it, and his sick leave as
well.”
Mills is uncertain whether
or not this will be a perma-
nent move for her.
“I was appointed to step
in because we needed some-
one in the office,” she said.
“The staff is great and they
have done a wonderful job,
but there are certain things
that staff can’t handle. The
mayor finally said, ‘We need
somebody in here.’”
Mayor Rebecca Ruede
said, “We are going to let
her do that job until we find
the right person. You never
know, maybe she is the right
person. We don’t know what
the future holds. We are
going to move forward and
take one step at a time.”
Dunes City Council will
address Hilden’s compensa-
tion package and a possible
job description posting dur-
ing its Thursday, Nov. 12,
regular meeting.
“We sincerely appreciate
Fred’s service to the city and
we wish him well in his
retirement,” Ruede said.
Hilden did not respond to
requests for comment.
Ambulance . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B5
Coastal Events . . . . . . . . . . A10
Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4
Florence Police Sgt. Shawn Morgan
has been fired following an internal
investigation at the
department, accord-
ing to Police Chief
Tom Turner who
announced the termi-
nation this week.
Turner said that
according to the
Oregon
Public Shawn Morgan
Records Law Oregon
Revised Statute (ORS) 192.501, only
some information can be released to the
public.
Under ORS 192.501, Subsection 12,
the City of Florence is exempt from
releasing documents pertaining to “a
personnel discipline action, or materials
or documents supporting that action.”
“What I can say is, the city did termi-
nate Shawn Morgan, a police sergeant,”
Turner said. “The termination took place
after an internal investigation was com-
pleted.”
Morgan originally started as a reserve
officer for Florence in 1998. He joined
the police department as an officer on
June 25, 2001.
Florence City Council voted to pro-
mote Morgan to the level of sergeant in
October 2014.
Turner added, “The public was never
in any danger and the termination was
not a result of any interaction between
the employee and the public.”
Turner said that Morgan’s termination
created a vacancy in the department.
“We hope to work on filling (the posi-
tion) when we can get to it, but we do not
have a set time,” he said.
COURTESY PHOTOS
Bonnie and Bob MacDuffee (above) received
the Overachievers Award for their volunteer
work. The General Manager’s Award went to
Rachel Pearson (right, with FEC Director Kevin
Rhodes) for her contributions to the Winter Folk
Festival and Siuslaw school music programs.
‘Team Claudia’ named
Co-Volunteers of the Year
at annual luncheon
B Y J ENNIFER C ONNOR
Special to Siuslaw News
F
lorence Events
Center (FEC)
recently held an
appreciation lunch-
eon for the many volunteers
that assist the center with
operations. The “Madhatter
Tea Party” themed
occasion was organized
by FEC Director Kevin
Rhodes and staff, Sandi
Anderson and Jennifer
Connor, to honor these
faithful volunteers that
offer their services.
Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5
SideShow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B
Word on the Street . . . . . . . A9
THIS WEEK ’ S
The Co-Volunteers of the Year
honor was awarded to “Team Claudia.” Claudia Brown
and Claudia Ignatieff were given the recognition for
their contributions to the FEC Art Gallery Committee.
The General Manager’s Award went to Rachel
Pearson for her volunteer contributions to the Winter
Folk Festival and her commitment to the Siuslaw
School District music programs that are held at the
Florence Events Center.
See
VOLUNTEERS 7A
Claudia Brown and Claudia Ignatieff
(below, with Rhodes), aka “Team Claudia,”
were named Co-Volunteers of the Year for their
work with the FEC’s Art Gallery Committee.
TODAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
62 57
60 51
62 50
65 47
WEATHER
Full Forecast, A3
Reedsport
woman dies in
highway crash
S TAFF R EPORT
An 89-year-old Reedsport woman has
died following a single-vehicle crash last
week on Highway 101 near First Street
in Florence.
According to the Florence Police
Department, Jean Benson was the pas-
senger on a three-wheel motorcycle driv-
en by David Cheeseman, 69, of
Florence, when it crashed Oct. 8 at
around 9:27 p.m.
Both occupants were taken to
PeaceHealth Peace Harbor Medical
Center for unknown injuries.
Benson was later transported to
PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical
Center at RiverBend in Springfield,
where she died from her injuries.
Florence Police Lt. John Pitcher said
alcohol appears to have been a factor
in the crash, but the investigation is
ongoing. Any potential charges were
not disclosed.
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