Mayor and city council recall, Jefferson, Oregon (2017)
| Jefferson Mayor and City Council recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Bob Burns Brad Cheney Stan Neal |
| Recall status |
Resigned |
| Recall election date |
| September 19, 2017 |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2017 Recalls in Oregon Oregon recall laws Mayoral recalls City council recalls Recall reports |
Jefferson Mayor Cyndie Hightower was removed from office in a recall election on September 19, 2017.[1] Recall organizer Audrey Webster argued that Hightower and City Councilmen Bob Burns, Brad Cheney, and Stan Neal wasted public resources attempting to annex 15 acres of additional land. Hightower's official response countered that she followed municipal codes on public meetings and faced opposition from community members after assuming office. Burns, Cheney, and Neal resigned from office prior to the recall, leaving Hightower as the only official on the recall ballot.[2][3]
Recall vote
A mail-in recall election concluded on September 19, 2017.
| Recall of Cyndie Hightower[4] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Recall | 356 | 64.03% | ||
| Retain | 200 | 35.97% | ||
Recall supporters
Audrey Webster, speaking on behalf of Jefferson First, told local media that they sought the recall of officials due to allegations of ethical and fiscal irresponsibility. The group cited the money and public resources used by the city in an attempt to annex 15 acres of new land. Annexation was delayed after the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals sent the case back to the city for more evidence of the annexation's necessity.[2] On August 11, 2017, the city council approved annexation of the land.[5]
Hightower, Burns, Cheney, and Neal all lived near the proposed annexation area and filed a lawsuit as private citizens in county court prior to their elections in November 2016. In June 2017, the Oregon Government Ethics Commission initiated an investigation into whether Burns, Cheney, and Neal violated state ethics laws, which did not find wrongdoing by the officials.[2]
Recall organizers submitted the following statement for inclusion on the recall ballot:
| “ |
Hightower has failed to fulfill her duties as mayor through gross ignorance of public meeting procedures, filling the council's agenda with pet projects championed by her friends and husband, and disinterest in attending or participating in community events. Hightower's interests as mayor have promoted her personal agenda. Hightower sought the advice of mayors serving communities entirely different than Jefferson - instead of experienced Jefferson public elected officials. Her inability to effectively lead public meetings through normal process has confused councilors and wasted time at public meetings. Hightower sent messages to the city attorney without council oversight or consent. This circumvented processes in place to ensure transparency and reduce involous expensive legal costs to the city. Hightower communicated with fellow council members outside of public meeting and discussed public meeting agenda topics; thus undermining the public hearings process, accountability, and transparency. Hightower's dedication to public input is further questioned by her changing of visitor rules without council consent; thus circumventing city charter rules. These rule changes have stifled a Jefferson tradition of council and public collaboration.[6][7] |
” |
| —Audrey Webster (2017) | ||
Recall opponents
Hightower filed the following statement of justification on August 15, 2017:
| “ |
Mayor Hightower was elected by majority to restore the citizen's right to vote on annexations, oversee curb appeal, City Center rejuvenation, and reform the Comprehensive Plan to attract new businesses providing needed jobs and offset the growing tax burden. From the beginning, the incumbent councilors and audience bullied, ridiculed, and laughed at the Mayor never supporting her while she brought new ideas to an old council. The wasted time came from councilors and audience not following meeting rules. Hightower, as any wise new mayor, sought the Council of Government and the Mayors Coalition obtaining advice of mayors with deep experience in city activities. As Mayor Hightower took position, she was left with a mess the prior councilors had left by choosing not to allow the people to vote on annexation. Answers were sought through the city attorney according to Council rules. Mayor Hightower followed communications rules and public hearings process according to Municipal Code and Resolution 882 which has been in effect for nearly 10 years. In lieu of all the negative dialogue projected toward her, the Mayor still stands for the citizens who voted for her and continues to represent their voice as Mayor. She will not resign.[6][7] |
” |
| —Cyndie Hightower (2017) | ||
All four officials said that they were no longer involved as private citizens in the annexation case. Neal told local media that their names remained on the county court case because other people involved in their lawsuit continued with the case.[2]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Oregon
Jefferson First had to gather at least 135 valid signatures from city voters for each official to require a recall election.[2]
Recent news
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Albany Democrat-Herald, "Recall effort passing in Jefferson," September 19, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Albany Democrat-Herald, "Jefferson officials face recall effort," July 26, 2017
- ↑ Albany Democrat-Herald, "Jefferson councilors resign, mayor will fight recall," August 22, 2017
- ↑ Marion County, Oregon, "City of Jefferson Recall Election," September 19, 2017
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedfinal - ↑ 6.0 6.1 Marion County, Oregon, "September 19, 2017 City of Jefferson Recall Election," accessed September 13, 2017
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
