Speak Out on West Linn City Council

December 31, 2020 3:04 pm

It’s been two years since we began our work to transform Historic West Linn City Hall into a multi-cultural center for Arts, Heritage and Culture at the Gateway to our proposed National Heritage Area: Willamette Falls.

Thanks to your support we’ve helped craft MOU’s, won grants for the project, enlisted huge community support and finally saw a unanimous City Council approve $1.2 million in GO Bond funding to assist with the project. All our partners, from Tourism to private businesses were on board. But then, political agendas took over Our project is once again in jeopardy That is why I am sharing former West Linn Council member Breanda Perry’s post.

Please read it, and share it with your contacts. This City Council cannot be given the opportunity to derail our progress. Sadly, three of them stand to control the narrative moving forward. Please read the attached post and send your email to the City council to voice your disapproval. We need better behavior, ethical standards, and community engagement in West Linn.

Let’s hope that our New Year begins with our voices being heard.

Kind regards,

Siobhan Taylor

Executive Director

Willamette Falls & Landings Heritage Area Coalition

Brenda Perry’s Facebook Post:

The residents of West Linn need to be aware of the power grab being attempted by Councilors Relyea, Cummings and Sakelik right now. They are pushing to have a Special meeting of the council tomorrow with barely 24 hours notice. At this meeting they plan on setting the agenda for January 4th. The agenda (shown below), aims to have Councilor Walters resign her position and be sworn in as Mayor first. This will allow them to use their 3-2 majority to appoint Rich Sakelik to the vacant position.

This is not the way the procedures usually work, but they are looking for technicalities and loopholes that will allow them to stay in power. Like me, I think many West Linn citizens have had enough of this divisive and troubling behavior. Rich Sakelik came third in the mayoral election, which certainly seems to clearly say that we all wanted some positive changes on the council.

The council transition is usually a peaceful and celebratory process. The new council is welcomed in and little else is done in that first meeting. The Council retreat is the time set aside for the new council to talk and how they want to proceed going forward. I was hoping that the new council would work together in a positive manner with each of the new members working as individuals and not bringing a negative agenda with them.

I am asking that the people of West Linn pay close attention to what is happening. Send emails to citycouncil@westlinnoregon.gov and voice your disapproval. If they are successful in scheduling the meeting, send in testimony, or better still sign up for public comments.

I am very concerned with Councilor Relyea’s behavior in this matter. If he persists in with this divisive behavior, then maybe it’s time for a recall.

On Dec 24, 2020, at 8:59 AM, Cummings, Teri <TCummings@westlinnoregon.gov> wrote:

Dear City Manager Gabrielatos, Mayor Axelrod and fellow City Councilors,

The City Council has several items of business to complete on January 4, 2021.

The following order of business is appropriate for the January 4, 2021 City Council Meetings and Councilor Relyea and I ask that the Agenda be revised accordingly:

5:00 PM – Executive Session 192.660 (2) (i) and (f) (Complete City Attorney’s evaluation and receive Dee Rubanoff’s advice per- redacted Sept.2020 Memo)

6:00 PM Special Meeting

Call to order and Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag (Please display Flag)

Approval of agenda

Public Comments

Consent agenda- 2020 Meeting notes. Release redacted Sept 2020 City Attorney memo previously approved to be posted on City website under Fesser case. (Routine matter)

Council votes to acknowledge completion of City Attorney’s annual evaluation. (According to Council Rules Section I (1) “The Council shall perform an annual evaluation on the Attorney under the terms of the City Attorney’s contract.” Councilors give feedback individually, but must as a whole, provide a written evaluation in order to provide clear Council direction to the City Attorney, the same as it does for the City Manager). Thus, all individual performance evaluations will be forwarded to the HR Director and compiled for a composite rating.

Councilor Walters resigns as a City Councilor – The City Charter under Section 30 provides language that indicates the Council must declare a vacancy in cases when the incumbent resigns. Thus, Councilor Walters must resign her current position so that Council can announce the vacancy.

The remaining Council declares a vacancy and votes to fill the position by appointment until a “successor” is elected, per Charter Section 31.

City Manager/City Attorney report

Swearing-in ceremony.

Elect President of the Council. (Charter Section 18 requires electing a President of the Council at the first meeting of the year)

Celebrate!

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Speak Out on West Linn City Council

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