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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (June 19, 2019)
Father Condon celebrates 64 years in priesthood HEPPNER G T 50¢ azette imes VOL. 138 NO. 25 8 Pages Wednesday, June 19, 2019 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Lexington gets a full council Mayor to challenge appointment Father Gerry Condon New Lexington town council member Curtis Thompson is sworn into office by town recorder Dawn Greisen, while Mayor Marcia Kemp and councilmembers Marcia Sticka, Bobbi Gordon and Bill Beard look on. -Photo by David Sykes. By David Sykes After months of hag- gling, Lexington now has a full town council. Curtis Thompson was sworn in last Tuesday, filling a vacancy that has been open since last year. The appointment was made over objections from Mayor Marcia Kemp, who said the appointment violated the town char- ter. Kemp and the council, along with members of the public, have been arguing since January about who should fill the vacant seat, with the discussion often becoming contentious, in- cluding verbally rowdy council meetings, letters to the editor and opinions from attorneys. The origins of the dis- pute go back to when Deona Siex, a council member, re- signed last year. The vacant position was first attempted to be filled at a meeting in January when former coun- cilmember, Sheila Miller, submitted a letter of inter- est. Mayor Kemp, at that time, stated, “I will not allow it.” Since then council members Bill Beard and Bobbi Gordon have argued that according to the char- ter, the mayor has the right to vote only in the event of a tie. Kemp on the other hand has said the charter also gives her the right to vote to fill vacant council posi- tions. This disagreement has resulted in a stalemate with no appointment having been made. The dispute came to a head several months ago when Curtis Thompson expressed his interest in fill- ing the empty council seat. Kemp and Sticka opposed his appointment, while councilmembers Bobbi Gordon and Bill Beard favored it. Disagreement arose when Kemp once again said she had author- ity through the charter to vote on filling vacant seats. Beard and Gordon dis- agreed, so the appointment remained at a two to two deadlock. Kemp said she was opposed to the appointment of Thompson because he cursed at city clerk Dawn Greisen on the phone af- ter his water was earlier shut off for nonpayment. Thompson did not dispute the language he used, but in his defense said he was not given the required 72- hour notice before the shut off. Kemp said Thompson’s behavior was the reason she had surveillance cameras installed in city hall. “The reason surveillance cameras with sound were installed in Lexington’s Town Hall was that Curtis Thompson used inappropriate behavior, and was verbally abusive towards a town employee,” Kemp said in a statement to the Gazette-Times. Thomp- son argued that he was just upset he was not given the 72 hours’ notice, and just reacted as many people would. Council member Sticka said she was op- posed to the appointment of Thompson because of the unpaid bills. “Why do we want someone on the council who won’t pay his bills,” she said. To bolster her argument she had a right to vote on the Thompson appointment, Mayor Kemp produced a letter at May’s meeting from the League of Oregon Cities. Kemp had requested an opinion from the League about the dispute. The letter was from Special Council Paul Nolte, who concluded in part “that the vacancy can only be filled when a majority of the re- maining council members, including the mayor, votes in the affirmative for the ap- pointment.” Although Nolte said the League of Oregon Cities does not act as legal counsel to individual cities, he based his opinion on his interpretation of the town charter. He said he reads the charter to say the filling of vacancies is made “by appointment by a majority of the entire council,” and the “council consists of a mayor and four councilors.” Gordon and Beard dis- agreed, saying there was sufficient “grey area” in the charter that it needed clarification. At last week’s meeting Gordon said she Much beloved parish priest Father Gerry Condon is celebrat- ing 64 years in the priesthood this year. To commemorate this had contacted the Wasco auspicious year, the Gazette-Times is reprinting a story about city attorney for his opin- him written in 1995. ion, and he suggested a motion be made to clarify the town charter on the question of if a mayor can vote for a vacancy. Gordon made a motion to interpret the charter to mean “council members whose offices are not vacant” be interpreted to mean council members only, not the mayor. The mayor would be entitled to vote only in the event of a tie. This clarification motion was voted on by the three council members and passed with Sticka voting no and Beard and Gordon voting yes. Gordon then made a second mo- tion interpreting the charter to mean that the “entire council” means only coun- cil members and not the mayor, thus restricting the mayor’s vote to only in the event of a tie. That motion Dam safety, water quality, flood control and other topics to be discussed at town hall. also passed with the same The U.S. Army Corps row County Health Depart- of the project, water quali- council count. of Engineers invites mem- ment for a brief presenta- ty, water management and Kemp disagreed with bers of the public to attend tion, followed by questions flood control and recre- the validity of both motions, a town hall meeting about from the public. ation. saying it was not interpreta- Willow Creek Dam, Thurs- Topics discussed at The meeting will be tion of the charter, but was day, June 27 in Heppner. the meeting may include held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thurs- actually changing it, which The Corps will be the history and purpose of day, June 27 at the Bar- requires a vote of the peo- joined by state and local Willow Creek Dam, recent tholomew Building, next to ple. At one point she threat- officials from the Oregon inspections and dam safety, the courthouse at 110 North ened to leave the meeting Health Authority and Mor- operations and maintenance Court Street in Heppner. but did not. Subsequently, after the clarification votes, the council voted one to The Community Pride Heppner City Park on June from 6-8 p.m. on July 5, two without the mayor’s subcommittee, now known 20 from 8-9:30 p.m., NERF August 2 and September 6. vote to appoint Thompson as the Heppner Outreach War, with teens against A Color Run is planned for to the vacant position. He Council, that was devel- the sheriff’s department August 24 at 10 a.m. and was later sworn in by town oped during the Heppner at the Heppner Library on Lanterns on the Lake will recorder Greisen. community meeting held June 27 from 6-7:30 p.m., be held Sept. 28 at 6 p.m. Later following the last summer, has been meet- Teen Week at the Heppner The Heppner Outreach meeting, Kemp told the ing and working on activi- Library July 16-19 and Council will hold a meeting Gazette-Times she has con- ties and special events for Family Movie Night July at the Heppner Chamber tacted the Oregon Secretary the community. 19 at 7 p.m. at the Episcopal office on Monday, June 24 of State “who advised me Events currently sched- Church Parish Hall. at 6 p.m. and everyone is in- by phone that any actions uled are Movies in the Park, First Friday events will vited to attend and become by Curtis Thompson may not be legal.” She said the showing Bumblebee at the be held downtown Heppner involved. Secretary of State also ad- vised her to notify the state Ethics Commission. At the council meeting Kemp said she was also going back to the League of Oregon Cities for its opinion on the coun- MORROW COUNTY GRAIN GROWERS cil actions. 350 MAIN STREET, LEXINGTON OR CONTACT: JUSTIN BAILEY, 541-989-8221 EXT. 204 In other business the council discussed the num- ber of late water bills there are in town. Kemp said there is currently $1,200 Corps to hold Willow Creek Dam meeting Health and Corps officials to answer public’s questions Committee plans activities -See LEXINGTON/PAGE SEVEN ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE: MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M. Offers vary by model and are subject to availability. 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