Guyer Resigns from City Council, City Accepting Applications

BAKER CITY — The Baker City Council has an open seat.

Dean Guyer has resigned his post on the seven-member council. Guyer had served on the council since December 2021.

In his resignation letter,  Guyer stated:

After much reflection over the past 7 months, I find myself having difficulty embracing a behavior supported by a majority of councilors. My past 40+ years of training in a corporate environment would see the conduct emulated by the recently appointed Mayor as unacceptable behavior and at the very least would have received a reprimand for the actions demonstrated. Instead, a promotion was bestowed without reservation. I have a higher standard than this and do not want myself to be associated with decisions that contradict my values. I therefore resign from Baker City Council immediately. 

Elkhorn Media reached out to Beverly Calder, mayor of Baker City about Guyer’s letter calling her actions “unacceptable”. She provided this statement via email:

I ran for the Baker City Council because I love Baker City and I believe in public service.

I am proud of the work that the council accomplished during the first 4 months of the year, during my service as mayor. 

We had productive conversations and adopted goals that directly addressed the needs of the community. We celebrated heroes, state champions and addressed some of the challenges facing our community. We also updated rules for the council to encourage greater public participation, productivity and cooperation.

The rules for council included the statement that “in all cases, the common goal should be acknowledged even though individuals may not agree on every issue.” Our rules clearly define that all members of council “practice civility and decorum, avoid personal comments and support the collective decision making of the council”. 

As council members, we are expected to be effective communicators and be dedicated to serving the best interests of the community at all times.

I believe that my love for Baker City has never been more apparent than it has during the past few months as I refused to be bullied into submission or retreat. I have faithfully, and proudly, served my community to the best of my ability. I look forward to the council beginning anew and addressing the concerns before us. There is much work that needs to be done, in order to show the citizens of Baker City that we are listening, responding and planning for a healthy future – together as representatives of all of Baker City.

The City of Baker City is now accepting applications for anyone who wants to fill the vacant position. 

The deadline to submit an application is Thursday, September 7 at 5:00pm.

You can find more information and applications 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.

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Elkhorn Media Group