By Kirby Neumann-Rea • Of the News-Register • 

Mac’s mayor resigns

Only current online subscribers may access this article and/or our N-R e-editions.

One-day subscriptions available for just $3.

For all subscription offers, click here.

Already a subscriber, please .<0/p>

Comments

David S. Wall

Hey wait a minute...What about the $2Million dollar deficit? Where is fiscal responsibility and accountability?

Some say the article should be entitled, "Mayor Hill jumps from the sinking ship-like a rat."

But...Mayor Hill, a good and decent man by any standards is also the consummate politician. In the throes of a seemingly intractable problem (the deficit) he reaches into his bag of 'political tricks' and viol̀̀à, asserts the time immemorial affirmative defense:

*From the article, "... due to extended family health issues and to be closer to family...Much thought and consideration has been spent on this decision and due to extended family health issues and to be closer to family, we are moving out of state this spring..."

To me, the exit from the political stage, in the heat of a $2Million dollar deficit is classic political intrigue. Let us now review deeper into Mayor Hill's skillfully constructed exit.

*From the article, "... Much thought and consideration has been spent on this decision..." How much time? Enough time to defer the $2Million dollar deficit before Fiscal Year 2021-2022 comes to an abrupt stop on June 30, 2022?

*Again from the article, "... He will step down May 24, after what will be his last council meeting as mayor." Will the deficit issue be resolved before Mayor Hill's exit?

Also...has anyone on the McMinnville city council discussed the 'local contribution' to fund the never ending 'Bypass' story? Or...will the 'local contribution' be another variation of the 'McMinnville two-step' be employed to raise 'Taxes' masquerading as 'Fees' at some later date?

Finally, the 'Coup de grâ' of this mess is...the ascension of the President of the Council to be the 'Interim Mayor'.

McMinnvilleans are doomed.

David S. Wall

BigfootLives

DSW. Well said.

Hibb

I had the pleasure of collaborating with Mayor Hill a couple of times at the committee level and found him to be a kind, polite, consumate leader that will be sorely missed by the community at large. As with any competent leader there will be detractors like Mr. Wall, but then again one just has to consider the source. I for one will miss our Mayor and hope that Ms. Drabkin will be able to fill the coming vacuum. Mac voters will have a lot to consider in the coming election cycles...
Thanks Mayor Hill for the years of dedicated service.

Jeb Bladine

A comment above is an unfortunate example of political discourse without bothering to confirm the facts. Mayor Hill will be moving into a house he had built near Saratoga Springs, UT, and taking over responsibilities long maintained by a sibling for a parent’s care. It was a long process, far removed from the budget controversy that erupted last week.

One can argue that solutions proposed to eliminate the budget deficit should have been handled differently, but that’s a long walk from suggesting that Mayor Hill simply decided to run from the remaining council responsibilities. Three decades of public service in McMinnville and the state deserves better than such cavalier commentary.

CubFan

Completely agree with you Jeb. Anyone who has worked with Mayor Hill knows he's completely above board. He has given his life to service in this community and he will be missed. I'm surprised by David Wall's comments. As a candidate for County Commissioner, he should be about the business of building people up and not causing more division.

DMarks

I also agree with Jeb Bladine. When I worked as a city employee and Scott Hill was council member and later Mayor, I found him to be hard working, compassionate, honest, and caring deeply for this community. I wish him well in this transition.

Jayhawks

To suggest something nefarious about Scott Hill's resignation is completely ignorant. You would be hard pressed to find someone with more integrity and commitment to serving this city than Mayor Hill. DSW, your comments are pretty offensive and most certainly without any basis whatsoever. The leadership of Scott Hill will be sorely missed.

BigfootLives

The mayor is moving into a house he had built in Saratoga Springs and will be acting as caregiver for his parents, that is commendable and indeed does sound like long term planning. Who outside city council, and obviously close friends, knew of the mayors plans before giving 5 weeks notice to the citizens of McMinnville? Mr Bladine, was that something that should have been handled better given long term planning? I have no reason to doubt that the mayor is a kind man and responsive to the people he works with, and his family. I think the headline out of DSW's comment that is being glossed over is that he and the people he has been kind to work with is leaving the city with a $2 million dollar deficit and is announcing, apparently long term plans 5 weeks before he presumably leaves town. A short 5 weeks before the cities fiscal year closes.

Nothing to see here?

Jeb Bladine

BigfootLives,

The mayor’s plans appear to have been a well-kept secret beyond those you mentioned. We don't necessarily think the city’s budget situation would have been any different today if he had announced those intentions last year. The mayor plays a key role in city governance, but balancing the budget is a responsibility of the entire City Council and its Budget Committee working in consultation with city staff and the public.

That budget situation isn’t being glossed over; it’s a major story that is and will continue to be subject to news coverage and commentary. City budgeting plans for 2022-23 may have suffered a serious setback due resulting from opposition to much-increased utility fees and the possibility of a legal challenge to certain increases.

Much more to come on all that.

BigfootLives

Mr Bladine, I do understand the situation, for my employer, it is up to me to give them notice of a change in employment at my choosing that suits my timing, as it is with the mayor, but these optics are terrible.

David S. Wall

Jeb,

A few comments I feel are worthy of transmittal...

Your response, " A comment above is an unfortunate example of political discourse without bothering to confirm the facts."

*I took the 'facts' from The NR's article, referenced them, and asked a few questions.

Your response, " Mayor Hill will be moving into a house he had built near Saratoga Springs, UT, and taking over responsibilities long maintained by a sibling for a parent’s care."

*The aforementioned indicates his Honor had the intent to move by building a house to retire to and assist family members in their final days. Why didn't Mayor Hill announce his future resignation to the public? Mayor Hill took significant effort to plan and execute his retirement and future family service plans as the 'Deficit' festers as if were a necrotic gangrenous wound.

Your response, " It was a long process, far removed from the budget controversy that erupted last week."

*It appears the NR's reporting and your very own aforementioned statement illustrates a 'false' reporting of the facts. And not doing fair and thorough reporting, you and the NR failed again by implying the "...budget controversy that erupted last week...".

*The 'Budget controversy' has been "erupting' like a volcano spewing the results of incompetent management of public monies for many months indicating a breach of fiduciary duties.

Got to post #2
David S. Wall

David S. Wall

Post #2

Your response, " One can argue that solutions proposed to eliminate the budget deficit should have been handled differently, but that’s a long walk from suggesting that Mayor Hill simply decided to run from the remaining council responsibilities."

*Let's see...Mayor Hill intentionally (and for good and descent reasons) decided to assist ailing family members and built a house in Utah...without informing the Public of his impending resignation until recently.

*Meanwhile back at McMinnville, 'No' productive actions were taken to resolve the 'Deficit' for many months up to and including this very date. Do these facts reflect a competent and dutiful fiduciary? Don't confuse a really good person with a dutiful fiduciary.

*A dutiful fiduciary would not have allowed a 'Deficit' to occur. And if a 'Deficit' did occur, the responsible administrators would be summarily removed from service in addition, program cuts would immediately follow to stop the budgetary hemorrhaging, to bring the budget under control without raising 'Taxes' masquerading as fees to burden the rate payers.

Your response, "Three decades of public service in McMinnville and the state deserves better than such cavalier commentary."

*Your 'brown-nosing' opinion is guaranteed by the First Amendment.

Go to Post #3
David S. Wall

David S. Wall

Post #3

*Now let us review a couple of statements you made to 'BigfootLives'.

*'BigfootLives' speaks, "The mayor is moving into a house he had built in Saratoga Springs and will be acting as caregiver for his parents, that is commendable and indeed does sound like long term planning. Who outside city council, and obviously close friends, knew of the mayors plans before giving 5 weeks notice to the citizens of McMinnville?"

Your response, "The mayor’s plans appear to have been a well-kept secret beyond those you mentioned."

*I knew it, yes, I knew it..skullduggery is afoot. And just when did the NR find out the Mayor's compassionate and responsible family service plan to justify keeping resignation plans 'secret'?

Your continued response, "We don't necessarily think the city’s budget situation would have been any different today if he had announced those intentions last year."

*Ah,...looks like the NR only reports part of the story and intentionally shields material facts for their own malignant purposes. If the Mayor's resignation plans were made known to the public via the information the NR apparently possessed, maybe the 'Deficit' problem could now be a sordid remnant of piss-poor administrative failures past.

*The 'Voting Public' would have also had the opportunity to discuss and digest the information to make an informed decision who would be the interim Mayor via public discourse with the City Council.

*But...someone at the NR shamefully decided to shield the Mayor's retirement and resignation plans and to keep material and vital information from the public.

David S. Wall
(a loyal NR subscriber)

Joel R

While there is no doubt Mr Hill is a kind, humble and gentle man, I feel that the city of McMinnville has really gone down hill under his watch. I believe he sold us out to the out of town builders. Look at that nasty monstrosity down by the mormon church (on baker creed road) if you need an example.
Where we once had beautiful, pastoral farmland we now have hundreds and hundreds of houses and the predictable result of congestion and endless bumper to bumper traffic. Our little town has turned into Hillsboro or Beaverton under his watch. We lost our once famous livability.
I wish Mr Hill well in his new life in Utah, but frankly I'm glad to see him go.

Scotty

Joel, I for one love the residential and commercial development of McMinnville over the last 5-10 years. I can not wait to see what the city becomes in the near future. I know people want to cling to the old sleepy farming town and I can really appreciate that. But I don't think it is practical. A city like McMinnville is either progressing or dying.

I am sympathetic to wanting what was here before, but amongst my friends, family and colleagues, the consensus is that we want population growth and the opportunities that come with it.

I am really not trying to be a troll or pariah. We all have views on this tough subject. Lets just hope that we can all be reasonable and work on this as a community.

But anyway, Mr. Mayor, thank you for your years of service and please enjoy retirement. You left McMinnville in a wonderful place. There is a reason so many people want to live here.

Oregonian

Scotty, I understand your point but what about the traffic?

Bad traffic will kill a town quicker than any other problem. There is absolutely no plan (and no money) to deal with that issue.

Oregonian

Wait a minute - isn't the McMinnville mayor position largely a ceremonial one and the city manager the actual decision maker? What role did the current and prior city managers play in the current budget problem?

  • Most viewed
  • Most commented
Web Design and Web Development by Buildable