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Beverly Calder recall, Baker City, Oregon (2023)
| Beverly Calder recall |
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| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2023 Recalls in Oregon Oregon recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Mayor Beverly Calder did not go to a vote in Baker City, Oregon, after Calder resigned on September 27, 2023.[1][2]
Recall supporters
The statement of reasons for the recall effort filed by Bryan Dalke reads:[1]
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Beverly Calder, Mayor of Baker City, should be recalled for the following: 1. She stalled a special election per Oregon statute, citing an unprecedented and incoherent interpretation of the City Charter. 2. She attempted to hold a regular City Council meeting on September 12, 2023, without a quorum and only cancelled due to unsubstantiated safety concerns. 3. She attempted to illegally convene an official meeting on June 13, 2023, despite the lack of a quorum when four other councilors weren't present. 4. She unilaterally attempted to reappoint herself as mayor without council consent or even a written legal opinion. She simply removed the real mayor's name tag and took his seat. 5. She has had several disruptive outbursts during council sessions. One was June 27, 2023, when she repeatedly interrupted another councilor who was trying to make a motion, stood up, walked away from her seat, and sat in the audience. In April during councilor comment at a work session, she cut off another councilor's remarks with an accusation. 6. She helped organize protests and sought out negative media against fellow councilors, creating ill will and disfunction. That disfunction directly led to the resignations of three council members.[3] |
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Recall opponents
In a written statement, Calder said:[1]
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I have no intention of stepping down as an elected member of the Baker City Council. I take very seriously my oath to defend the charter and represent our citizens. I have dedicated myself to improving communication with the public to rebuild trust between the city and citizens. The lawsuit and recall challenge compromise the ability of our council to serve the community and respond to the immediate challenges we are facing. The public safety and fiscal stability of Baker City have been my chief aim since the election, but these are not achievable without dependable city operations. For this reason, I will continue to focus my work on the critical issues facing our community including hiring a city manager, restoring a budget that we can afford, supporting adequate health and birthing services and developing ‘middle and affordable housing’ units to address stable employment. It is vital that the town hall meetings are rescheduled to give our community the opportunity to address revenue generating options and prioritize city services. “I am honored to serve in my fourth elected term on the Baker City Council. I will always strive to keep the best interests of this community in mind in all my actions as an elected representative of this community. [3] |
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Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Oregon
Recall organizers would have had until December 13, 2023, to collect 747 signatures in order to trigger a recall election had Calder not resigned.[4]
A special election will not occur to fill the vacancy created by her resignation. City Councilors Ray Duman and Jason Spriet also resigned on September 27, 2023, leaving the council without any members. According to ORS 221.160(2), "If all positions in the governing body of a city become vacant and if the charter of the city does not provide otherwise, the governing body of the county in which the city maintains its seat of government immediately shall appoint the number of persons sufficient to constitute a quorum for the transaction of city business. The persons appointed by the governing body of the county shall appoint a sufficient number of persons to fill any remaining vacancies existing in the governing body of the city."[2][5]
In Baker City, the mayor is selected by the city council from among its members.[6]
See also
- Ballotpedia's Recall Report
- Baker City, Oregon
- Recall campaigns in Oregon
- Political recall efforts, 2023
- City council recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Baker City Herald, "Baker City man files recall petition against Mayor Beverly Calder," September 14, 2023
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Elkhorn Media Group, "Council Chaos: Remaining Baker City Councilors Resign after Court Ruling to Trigger State Law," September 28, 2023
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Elkhorn Media Group, "Petition to Remove Baker City Mayor Moves Forward," September 20, 2023
- ↑ OregonLaws, "ORS 221.160," accessed September 28, 2023
- ↑ Baker City, Oregon website, "City Council," accessed September 28, 2023
