Baker City in Disarray as Two More Councilors Resign
By Joe Hathaway on Thursday, September 7th, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER CITY — With the resignation of two more Baker City Councilors, business and important decisions are now at a standstill.
Johnny Waggoner Sr. and Nathan Hodgdon both submitted their resignations on the afternoon of Wednesday, September 6. With their departures, the council now only has three members remaining, Mayor Beverly Calder, Ray Duman and Jason Spriet.
The Baker City charter states that at least four councilors need to be present “to do business, but a lesser number may meet and adjourn from time to time to compel the attendance of absent members.”
With four council seats vacant, there are no absent members.
The charter also states that only the council can fill vacated seats. So with no quorum to conduct official business, the council cannot fill the seats.
The two most recent resignations come on the heels of the resignations of Boston Colton and Dean Guyer in the past month.
Baker City Mayor Beverly Calder provided this statement to Elkhorn Media Group:
“The 2 council members that resigned – at the same time- never voiced any concerns to me, nor to the council during the past 2 public meetings. I will not guess as to their motive but certainly it was not in the best interests of the city. Their coordinated action puts our entire city operations at risk. I will work with legal counsel to address our next steps.
The city has 3 town hall meetings planned in the next two weeks to hear from the community and be able to discuss possible options to maintain public services and operate within our budget.
We also just posted the opening for our permanent city manager. The newly appointed citizen advisory committee has already begun working with city HR staff to refine the process to recruit a candidate to successfully lead our city through the upcoming challenges – and celebrations.
The remaining members of the Baker City Council are committed to honoring their oath and will continue to serve the citizens with integrity.
There will be a meeting at City Hall on Tuesday at 6 pm. Members of the community are welcome to come and speak to the council and share any concerns or suggestions at the beginning of the meeting.
The council remains deeply committed to representing the citizens of Baker City and diligently working together with our dedicated staff to craft solutions to keep Baker City safe, sustainable and economically vibrant.”
Below is a text of Waggoner and Hodgon’s resignation letters:
Waggoner’s Letter:
“This is one of the hardest things I have ever done is write this letter. I’ve never been much of a quitter at any point in my life. However I see no way to represent the citizens who elected me to do the hard things they need done, it’s time to go. I can’t see light in the other end of the tunnel without a vote of the citizens of Baker City. It’s come to the point folks need to stand up and take the council back even if it means my resignation. It has been a great run, I love the staff we have working for baker City. Our Fire Dept has a good start, and just a great group of folks. Hopefully it will continue and get better with more involvement of citizens and supporters! Police dept, well I have a sense of brotherhood with them with me coming from Corrections, keep up the great work! Jennifer and Joyce, I want to thank you two as well for Keeping me informed. I just have to surrender and realize the Good Ole Boys and Girls run deep in Baker city. When the voice of a few out weigh the many its time for a reset.”
Hodgdon’s Letter:
“To the Citizens and Council of Baker City,
“When I first came to council, it was without experience in government but with years of experience in business consultancy, in charity work, and in the nitty-gritty operations of nonprofit organizations that must operate on the verge of collapse because their shoestring budgets allowed for nothing else. My family business did well financially during the COVID lockdowns as we found our own success by investing in the success of others, helping other businesses pivot themselves to weather the unprecedented storm from which many are still suffering. It was this experience that I volunteered to the city, to my new home, without thought of reward. I am grateful to my fellow councilors and to city employees who were very gracious in getting me up to speed in order to be the best member of city council I could be.
“That gratitude leaves me crestfallen over watching the city go around the same tired tracks of division and devotion to failed policies. We are neighbors, a single community of one zip code connected by a scant few square miles of turf that bind us together regardless of our diverse temperaments, beliefs, and opinions. Personal differences may be unavoidable but they aren’t the end-all-be-all. We need not agree on everything in order to find the best way forward. Yet there are times when “best” does not seem very good, and that’s when executive responsibility requires us to choose options which aren’t optimal, especially when those choices give us time and space to pursue winning long-term strategies.
“Cities and counties across the state are facing budget shortfalls because the tax system is broken. Throw a dart anywhere at the map, dig in, and you’ll find just that. For a number of reasons beyond our control, we live in an increasingly expensive world. We must look ahead strategically toward real solutions. In the 20th century, frugality was America’s saving grace, but in the 21st century, our only saving grace is ingenuity.
“That doesn’t mean we should forget all the lessons of the past—we learn from them because they were hard-won—but it does call for us to boil down our grievances and feuds to brass tacks and get over them. If we don’t, then our divisions will collapse this city worse than any budget shortfall. Practically speaking, it means we have to consider how much we hate the thought of things like taxing marijuana—do we hate those things enough to pay extra fees to cover the rising costs of basic government services? Do we flirt with anarchy by playing chicken with the budget through slash-and-burn cuts? Do we continue to expect first responders to work under unnecessarily dangerous conditions? If we can cast off the sweetly-spoken promises, empty boasts, and perpetual tug-of-war that demands our way all of the time, then we could finally make the most of the time we have and leave a lasting home for our children and grandchildren. That has always been my North Star.
“A lesson I learned from my father and grandfather is that it’s a lousy craftsman who blames his tools. City staff, up to and including the city manager, are merely tools for council. If any city council fails to make winning use of them, then we ought to remember that with every accusing finger we cast at our public servants, we have three more pointing back at ourselves. Talk is well and good, but action is better. If talk never yields action, then it amounts to circular conversations with nothing to show. If blaming tools makes a poor craftsman, then what sort of leader continually blames their servants?
“Finally, when the city charter specifies seven councilor positions and four of them, mine included, will end up being filled by appointees within such a short window, something should be done. Cronyism is a cancer that has contributed to national ruin and I will not be party to it. The people of Baker City deserve to elect those who will lead them in such a tumultuous time as we find ourselves and not to be led by a majority council of appointees.
“It is for these reasons that, effective at 5:00pm on this sixth day of September, 2023, that I tender my resignation as city councilor. Along with other council resignations, this presents our citizens with the opportunity to do more than offer opinions. Now is the time to make your voice heard in the way which matters most. For, in my final act as city councilor and acting mayor beneath the sitting mayor, I call for a special election to fill council vacancies in order to honor and represent the consent of the governed. Let the voice of Baker City be heard and may the newly elected council take this vote as a referendum on the future direction of the city without regards to personal agendas or back room deals.
“God bless Baker city, and may the people of Baker City bless one another.”
