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. Rebate and financing offers valid on select 2015-2019 new and
unregistered Polaris ® RZR ® , RANGER ® , Sportsman ® , GENERAL ® , and ACE ® models purchased between 6/1/19 -
6/30/19, but availability of the offers and the offer terms may vary by State, so see your local authorized dealer for
complete details. "Rates as low as 3.99% APR for 36 months. Examples of monthly payments required over a
36-month term at a 3.99% APR rate: $29.52 per $1,000 financed; and with a 60-month term at a 6.99% APR rate:
$19.80 per $1,000 financed. An example of a monthly payment with $0 down, no rebate, an APR of 3.99% APR for
36 months at an MSRP of $12,699 is $374.87/mo. total cost of borrowing of $796.27 with a total obligation of
$13,495.27. Down payment may be required. Other financing offers may be available. See your local dealer for
details. Minimum Amount Financed $1,500; Maximum Amount Financed $50,000. Other qualifications and
restrictions may apply. Financing promotions void where prohibited. Tax, title, license, and registration are separate
and may not be financed. Promotion may be modified or discontinued without notice at any time in Polaris' sole
discretion. WARNING: Polaris ® off-road vehicles can be hazardous to operate and are not intended for on-road use.
Driver must be at least 16 years old with a valid driver's license to operate. Passengers, if permitted, must be at
least 12 years old. All riders should always wear helmets, eye protection, and protective clothing. Always use seat
belts and cab nets or doors (as equipped). Never engage in stunt driving, and avoid excessive speeds and sharp
turns. Riding and alcohol/drugs don't mix. All riders should take a safety training course. Call 800-342-3764 for
additional information. Check local laws before riding on trails. © 2019 Polaris Industries Inc.