Baker City Council Dwindling as Another City Councilor Resigns
By Joe Hathaway on Thursday, August 31st, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
Baker City — The Baker City Council is dwindling in numbers, after another councilor announced his resignation.
The City confirms that Boston Colton resigned. Colton was appointed to the council in July to replace Matt Diaz.
Colton’s departure means the seven-person council now has two open seats, after Dean Guyer resigned from the council in August.
Here is Colton’s resignation letter:
To the City Council and the people of Baker City,
It is with a heavy heart that I announce my resignation from the City Council. When I applied for the open council position, I did so with the intention of serving my community with my entire being, and always listening to the people first. After receiving feedback from many citizens both through email and in person, I have come to the conclusion that despite my short tenure as Councilor, I have already failed in what I set out to do.
When I cast my vote on August 22nd’s City Council Work session to pass the resolution for a $15 residential, $50 commercial public safety fee, I did so in the mindset that having something in place now would lessen the stress of the city on collecting revenue for our deficit. I cast my vote with the people of Baker City in mind, but despite good intentions it has been made clear that I decided wrong.
I applied to the City Council because I love my community and believed I had a voice that could contribute effectively to what we needed to thrive. However, what I understand now is the council needs members that understand and can walk the precarious line of city budgets and citizen taxation, a skillset that I am the first to admit I do not have. As much as I love serving my city in this role, I believe in transparency and honesty, and it is clear that what the city needs and what I can provide are two different things at this point in time. Rather than continue to contribute to harmful votes with my ignorance, it is better to resign my position, and try my hand when the city has found peace and stability in its budget.
I would like to thank Councilors Calder, Hodgdon, Spriet, Waggoner, Duman and former Councilor Guyer for taking a chance on a young person like me, and for showing that they support the youth voice in Baker City. I hope that in the future I have a chance to work with them all again. It has been a pleasure and honor serving the city as a Councilor, as short as that time was.
Best regards,
Boston Colton
The City is currently accepting applications for the two vacant positions.
Applications can be found here: https://www.bakercity.com/2248/City-Council-Elections
If you have any questions, please reach out to the City Recorder at cityrecorder@bakercity.gov or 541-524-2033.
