By Scott Unger • Of the News-Register • 

Contentious debate ends in Water & Light confirmations

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Comments

MacPerson

Additional facts to consider. The next W&L commission meeting is not till January 21st well after Morris and Elmer are sworn in. In the event of an emergency W&L GM has emergency powers. If an emergency quorum was the concern request one of the resigning commissioners stay on till Morris and Elmer take office. Appoint Elmer who went through the vetting to fulfill Gormley's remaining term which gives a quorum. Appoint the runner up from the Gormley search to one of the vacant seats then going through vetting for the 2nd position, this person was well qualified and vented and told by Drabkin to apply at the next opening. Macy-Baker nor Garvin was one of the 7 applicants for the Gormley seat that was vetted and filled by Elmer. Why were these rushed appointments not discussed with the existing W&L commissioner, the GM nor the Mayor Elect. Regarding the City Charter. The W&L is included in the charter as chapter 10 not a separate document. It states W&L commissioners are appointed by the Mayor but in chapter 5 it says the same basic thing regarding all appointments. Why then does resolution 2024-65 not apply to W&L. In multiple places in the charter it reference the W&L commission as part of the City and in section 57 states "The Water and Light Commission of the City of McMinnville". Finally ask yourself why the rush when clearly not necessary. Why your two friends, one you speak with daily and one that clearly "has your back on the council" the appointees when they never expressed interest or applied for the Gormley seat a month prior especially considering there was a well qualified and vetted runner-up available for appointment. Lastly ask yourselves why did some members of this council approve these appointments when the slightest bit of research clearly shows there were multiple solutions that did not violate either resolution 2024-65 itself of at least the spirit of the resolution. PS what happened to DEI.

Deroyam

MacPerson, great comments. Yes the runner up to Elmer was told that with in a year there will be another opening. Tankersley like Gormley said he was retiring at the end of his term. With those two announcing they would step down several years ago the board discussed succession planning and training. All of that started and with the election of Kathy Tate as Chairperson was the start of passing on the institutional history and information both Gormley and Tankersley possess.

CubFan

If something smells fishy, there is usually a reason.

Good point by Morris:

"Morris said the hurried appointments aren’t fair to Denny Elmer (who was voted to replace Gormley last Tuesday) and the others who went through an application process when neither of the new appointees had previously sought the seats to which they are being appointed. We hear about being inclusive, equitable, fair, but yet the process used for the appointment of Commissioner Elmer did not get used the same way the very next day, Morris said, referring to Drabkin’s appointments."

Also good points by Tucholsky:

"Tucholsky pointed out that council passed a Unified Board and Committee Appointment Policy last week along with a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion organizational assessment and the rushed appointments don’t follow the intent of either. This (appointment) resolution supports an open recruitment process, formal applications, multiple interviews, and a thorough vetting of those recommended for appointment. In this case there was no open recruitment process, application process, interviews or vetting of anyone for the city to understand their qualifications to run a $60 million utility responsible for our most precious resource — drinking water, Tucholsky said. These rushed appointments raise significant questions about the integrity and fairness of the decision-making process and stand in stark contrast to the support the Mayor and City Council once again purported for DEI at the last council meeting.”

Drabkin is clearly flexing her muscles on the way out the door.

Thank you MacPerson for your insights!

Bob

I feel strongly that the current city councils vote to go against their own new policy in order to allow our city’s outgoing mayor to appoint two friends to the W&L board - two weeks before she leaves office creates the emergency situation MacPerson referred to. Besides clearly dumping on our new mayor request to hold off (she will become the head of the W&L board in January). Won’t the ex-mayors two two appointments create a likely conflict of interest situation where our ex-mayor’s friends could potentially make the W&l’s general manager and boards jobs much more difficult by attempting to block important - and financially sound operational and budget decisions in an attempt to accomplish their personal agenda?

Mac citizens have already experienced the financial and operational mess that ex-mayor Drabkin and councilors Garvin, Geary, Menke, and Peralt’s “special interest” agenda results in. Hopefully our W&L general manager can legally declare an emergency situation, so incoming mayor Morris can start with a clean slate. If not, I’m sure it is nothing that 4-5 million dollars of taxpayer funded consultants can’t fix!

BC

How to say you're not planning to ever run for a public office again in McMinnville without coming out and saying you're not ever going to run for a public office again in McMinnville. Mayor Drabkin nailed it.

I'll just be over here warming my hands by the light of the burning bridges.

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