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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-0717_SPEC_CouncilSeatapptMINUTES FOR THE SPECIAL MEETING ASHLAND CITY COUNCIL July 17, 2006 – 5:30 p.m. Civic Center Council Chambers 1175 E. Main Street CALL TO ORDER Mayor Morrison called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. in the Civic Center Council Chambers. ROLL CALL Councilor Amarotico, Hartzell, Jackson, Silbiger and Chapman were present. APPOINTMENT OF COUNCIL POSITION #1 Determine interview questions. Determine method of voting on appointment. Interview candidates. Motion to appoint. Mayor Morrison announced that the purpose of this meeting is to deliberate and then select the replacement of Jack Hardesty, who recently passed away, to Council Seat position #1. He suggested a 10-minute question period for applicants with a 5-minute period allowed for follow-up questions. Suggested methods of voting included Council putting forth motions for consideration, each councilor sharing individual perspectives and then voting individually, paper ballot of top three preferences after Council discussion, round of voting in order to determine top three candidates to vote on, ranking of top three choices and majority vote method. Mayor commented on the confusion in the previous voting method when rounds of voting were done to determine a candidate. Council consensus was to do a paper ballot vote on their top three choices, followed by a round of voting on these top three choices, and a final vote to determine which candidate has the majority. It was clarified the Mayor would not be voting unless there is a tie. Councilor Jackson suggested using the following questions: 1) Council decisions are rarely simple, how would you prepare for a meeting in which a complex decision must be made? and 2) How do you view the role of an individual councilor in conducting the business of the City of Ashland. Along with question #2, she suggested the candidates read a handout, which is an excerpt from the City Charter. Consensus was not to ask the candidates to read the handout. Councilor Hartzell commented that she was okay with the second question suggested by Jackson, but felt the first one was too long. She stated she would like to avoid “pat answers” to questions and that she is more interested in finding out a different mind then something that is easy to answer. Council discussed the proposed question with the handout. Councilor Jackson’s intent with the handout was to give the candidates a chance to see what the City’s charter says instead of having the candidate explain their experiences and that this would test the candidate to think on their feet. The consensus was not to ask the candidates to read the handout but supported asking the question regarding how they viewed their role as a councilor as part of the group. Council suggested the following questions: What do you think are the biggest issues facing the city? What is your primary motivation for seeking the vacant council seat? What is the role of the city councilor? What community and city activities have you been involved in recently? It was agreed that if there were time left in the interview, to ask the candidate if they have any questions. Colin Swales Currently serves on the Traffic Safety Commission, is liaison between the Traffic Commission and Bike and Pedestrian Commission. Submitted his range of community activities to the Council with his application and noted his various topics of discussion he has had with the Council through email. This last winter he volunteered with the Jackson County Fuel Committee in assisting needy families in Ashland. He noted that as a past Planning Commissioner he has kept in touch with current Community Development issues. Mr. Swales noted his friendship with past Councilor Jack Hardesty, stated his similar visions of Mr. Hardesty, and would represent the same opinions in matters of voting. He felt that it is important, for the people who elected Mr. Hardesty, to have a voice on this Council. He noted as the biggest issues facing the city as the various important items that come before the Council such as the cleanup of Railroad property. He noted the Downtown Plan and the Railroad Master Plan had yet to be adopted or discussed. He would like to see the budget reigned in and has the impression that the Council needs to give a clearer direction to administration. When asked how he saw himself contributing to resolving these issues, Mr. Swales explained that he is used to working in a planning decision making body to reach consensus and that this is the job of Council. He noted the Council is an elected body by the citizens and their job is to represent these citizens and to make clear decisions, which is passed onto administration. He stated that the job of the Council is to represent the best interests of the citizens as a whole. It is not the job of the Council to micro-manage the running of the City but to give clear direction to administration. How do you view your role as an individual council in giving direction to administration? He felt as an individual councilor he would draw upon his experience with being involved in city government. He felt that a quick and efficient majority decision is important and that currently a number of agenda items are delayed. Council agreed that there was time to add, “How do your see yourself contributing to resolving these issues” as a second part to the question regarding the biggest issues facing the City. Philip Lang Mr. Lang stated he has been involved in public service for forty-three years and is currently a multi-year councilor at the high school. He has a private therapy practice of which he provides free service to citizens, has voiced his interest in providing and maintaining affordable housing in Ashland, and was a major participant in the “We the People” constitutional dialogue regarding the City charter revision. He noted his many submitted testimonies over the years on various issues, and has been a community activist for many years. Mr. Lang stated he has acted on his love and concern of Ashland since 1985. Mr. Lang stated it is very important that someone continue to represent the ideas and the principles that past Councilor Hardesty had. The most important issues include the structure and conduct of Council and commission meetings and that the goal of increased public participation has been a priority for the Council for many years. He stated there has been no significant result even with the funding of two formal studies and input from citizens. He felt there was a need to change the way meetings are run in order to increase dialog between citizens and Council. The Charter review needs to proceed and include a way for alternative ideas to be considered along with an ethic provision to be included in the Charter for elected and appointed officials that is mandatory. He stated the importance of informing the citizens of what is being proposed in the revised Charter. Mr. Lang felt that the Planning process needs to be reformed, and that Community Development, Planning and Building should be separate functions. Respective roles of staff, commissions, etc. need to be clarified and boundaries respected. He noted the problem of affordable and work force housing and the need for an Ashland Housing Authority with members that represent cross sections of the community and should be chosen by more than just the Mayor and have an independent staff who coordinates and works with the Planning Department but not as a staff person for the department. He noted the need for the Railroad cleanup, allocation of motel/hotel tax should be reviewed, the RVTD service should be maintained at current level and costs as it is important to seniors and community workforce, the future of AFN and his believe that it should not be turned over to a for-profit entity. In regards to how he would solve these issues, he noted his longevity in the area and his long-standing involvement and continued recommendations that he has brought forward on various issues. He felt that as a councilor, it would give him more authority to be productive. He noted his many levels of panels he has served on since 1970 and stated he has the ability to work cooperatively and facilitate meetings. Mr. Lang cited several examples of groups he has worked with. Mr. Lang felt the role of the councilor is to represent the citizens of the community. He felt that it was important to find out and know what people want and to encourage participation. He stated that anyone who was interviewing for this position should not be doing so if they did not have the desire or willingness to run for this Council seat in the November election. Mr. Lang was asked how he works in the group to get things done well. Mr. Lang responded it is important to set priorities and gave example on how he has done this in the past. He stated that he does not get “bogged down” and “hung up” on the little things. He felt that the hard part is holding on through long meetings. Finally, Mr. Lang shared that he is a “labor person” and is one of the founders of the union in Alameda County in California. He was the Chief of Collective Bargaining in 1970-71. He felt that it would be valuable in this type of setting to be a labor and union man. He noted he has taken on agencies who are not “making it financially” and has helped them to succeed and be healthy. He noted that he is very good with money, and understands budgets and grants. Charles Delgado Mr. Delgado was not present for his interview. City Recorder Barbara Christensen verified that his address had been confirmed with the County elections office. She clarified that there is no tenure requirement for residency for elected positions in Ashland. Steve Hauck Reported that in the past years he has remained involved in the Human Services area. He helped to put together, design and implement the Needs Assessment for the United Way Agency that was adopted a couple of years ago. He noted that after finishing his term on the City Council he went back to school and received his Masters Degree. He has also stayed involved in inter-agency activities and was part of the planning team for the poverty summit, which was held recently. He reported that the biggest area that he has remained involved in is transportation, which has always been a big issue to him personally. The agency where he is currently the Executive Director provides transportation in that part of the county. He explained that he is involved in a process called “Human Services Transportation Coordinated Plan,” which is be similar to other transportation planning eligible for Federal or State funding. He stated that prior to his current job he has stayed involved in the activities mentioned. He stated that because this appointment is until December 31, 2006, he could bring expertise and current knowledge in regards to transportation and that he could help the Council move through the process. Along with transportation issues, he believes that affordable housing continues to be a key issue and he would be interested in contributing to this cause. He also mentioned the importance of making citizens feel like they are part of the process. He stated that he continues to be involved in the affordable housing but that transportation is his main interest. Mr. Hauck believes that the Council should be a representative of citizens and he understands the need for citizens wanting to be more involved. He stated that the key is being a team member and that determines how effective you are as a councilor. He felt that he had that as a past city councilor and noted his recent achievement in the master’s program included a management program. He used the example of working as a team in his current position. He commented on his experience of running for the position of Mayor and how he had relied too much on his past recognition and that he should have been more connected with current issues. Mr. Hauck stated that if he were appointed he would probably run for the two-year term but had not decided if he would run if not elected. He noted that the City of Ashland was not listed as a participant on the Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan, and that he had asked to include the City of Ashland. He stated that the Council should be receiving information on these meetings. Mr. Hauck shared from his own experience the difficulty of finding affordable housing in this community and that income plays an important role in finding housing. Alice Hardesty Ms. Hardesty is currently on the City Housing Commission, chair of the Land Use Committee, and was part of the Education Committee that helped to put on a workshop on employer assisted housing. She was involved in a community forum on work-force housing, is on the Board for Chamber music concerts, is a member of Siskiyou Singers, has planned poetry readings and workshops, is the liaison for the Housing Commission to the Ashland School Board, and has attended many various other meetings. Her motivation for seeking this Council seat is that it is important for her to try and to fulfill her late husband, Councilor Jack Hardesty’s legacy. She noted the Downtown Plan in particular, citizen involvement and support of the Arts. She also noted reasons of her own as affordable work-force housing and sustainability. She would like to see Ashland become involved in a large sustainability projects with other communities in the Rogue Valley. Ms. Hardesty stated the number one issue facing the City is the lack of work-force housing and that the Housing Commission should do more education in this area. She also noted the difficulty of recruitment for city staff, teachers, etc. due to the high cost of housing in the area. Ms. Hardesty noted that problems with disparity between income levels are cause of unrest in the City. She believes that there is a need for a Housing Authority that has funding and more staff time to devote to this huge problem of work-force housing. She feels that hiring a new Police Chief is important and that this person be committed to Community Policing and direct the Police Department to more community outreach while community policing. She would work towards all this as a councilor. She stated that many years of experience in government has taught her to work well with other people and to be a net worker. She feels she has the ability to pull people with diverse views together. She commented on the talented citizens of our own community and that we should utilize this talent more often. Ms. Hardesty believes the role of city councilor is as a reactive body. A city councilor should read up on issues, be well informed and be ready to make decisions on complex problems. Also, they need to be a good listener, facilitator, and willing to spend time to go to meetings of other commissions and other types of meetings. She felt that councilors need to be as objective as possible and should set aside personal preferences. Ms. Hardesty was asked if there are any significant things the Council has done or missed in the last year. She answered that the Downtown Plan was almost there but was missed because it was not funded, that the City has taken great strides toward solving the AFN problem, but that the debt associated with this needs to be addressed. She clarified that a Housing Authority should be an integral part of City, but would need to have more staff, funding and authority than the Housing Commission currently has. She felt that if there was no AFN debt, then there might be funds for funding a Housing Authority. She suggested the City could sell something that they own or consider raising taxes. She hoped that this position would be filled quickly and hopes that the person that fills this position has the kind of philosophy that Jack had. She stated that Mr. Hardesty had progressive ideals and was in favor of an ethical, efficient city government for both appointed and elected officials. Douglas Hewett Mr. Hewett stated that he was a member of the Democratic Precinct, is involved with the Ashland Peace House and Interfaith Care of Ashland. He is an advocate for the homeless. His motivation for seeking this position is the need for affordable housing and better jobs, which he feels are the biggest issues facing the City. He would work with the Council on an agreement with the Chamber of Commerce toward resolving these issues. He believes that a city councilor should be a voice for the people. He stated that education is having finance problems in the state and that maintaining the schools and their upkeep is difficult. He also noted that that Ashland is closing schools because of the loss of students. He felt that it was important to try to raise money to better equip the schools and suggested a bond levy. He noted that individuals have had to work several jobs in order to make a living and that the price of homes are going up and are out of range for normal people to afford. He supports better paying jobs. He asked what the council wanted from the person they appointed for this 5-month time and what is important to them now. Councilor Hartzell suggested he wait to hear the Council discussion after the interviews as this would be better answered at that time. Mayor Morrison stated it is important that the person appointed have a level of understanding and familiarity with issues. That this person have the ability to turn these into policy and action and be able to “hit the ground running” given the short-time frame of the position. Greg Williams Mr. Williams noted his City activities as a member of the SDC Committee, after serving on the City Council for five years he has remained active in the community. He served on the Hospital Board for eight years as well as the Citizen Development Committee. His motivation for seeking the position is due to it being a five-month position and he felt, that as a past city councilor, his experience would be important. He is aware of the game and noted that he has stayed on top of issues. He felt that there would be a very little learning curve and noted his long-time residency in community and his understanding of the town. He stated that the issues facing the City include the frustration from citizens on getting things done, that the wheels are not turning very well right now. He felt that he would be able to help with this as one of his greatest assets is working well with people. He stated that that there is division and animosity in the City that was not there 15 years ago that concerns him. He noted the various community boards that he has served on and knows how to work with people. He felt that the role of a councilor is to establish policy but not to implement it and that there is too often the danger of a councilor going into the implementation of policy. Mr. Williams commented on a future planning action he is involved in, and if it were to come before the Council, he would either excuse himself, or disclose it. He does not see this as a conflict to being appointed to the Council. When asked his opinion on significant things done or not done by the City, he stated this was hard to answer. He felt that process has been slow and commented on his concern with the recent changes and loss of staff. He felt that there is a need to get staff in place and the noted the need for a Community Director. John Jory Mr. Jory reported that he is a member of the Siskiyou Woodcraft Guild and sat on the steering committee for this. He stated that after discovering Ashland four years ago, he retired here and his desire is to help the city in any way that he could. He likes Ashland the way it is, and questioned how to allow the growth that is bound to occur, and still keep Ashland a charming place to live. Mr. Jory felt that the biggest issues facing the city are growth and schools. And, how to maintain a balance between retirees and families. He shared that his career was in sales, which gave him the ability to establish long-term relationships and skill in compromising. He felt that there are many issues facing a city councilor. That a councilor should try to meet state and federal requirements with as a little upset to the community as possible. Mr. Jory stated that he saw himself as a delegate rather than a representative. He does not want to be someone that takes small groups input and just represent that, unless it was something that he believed in. He felt that that there would always be division and the job a councilor is to try and find the right course and then help people understand what the right course it. He concluded by stating that he does not bring a long history with him and that he likes the city very much. He would hope that whomever the council chooses would help the council to make decisions more rapidly. Council Deliberation Councilor Amarotico stated that it was not his direction to appoint someone based on Jack Hardesty’s position, but rather on qualifications. Councilor Jackson stated that she would make her decision by considering qualifications and not whether someone is filling a past councilors position. She noted the short-term of the position and that it was important to have someone that has more experience, rather than less. She disagrees that anyone in this position ought to be running. She would rather have someone that would work well with the group and would bring a variety of expertise to the group. Councilor Silbiger stated that it was important to him that the person work well in a group and showed a degree of independence in their thinking. Councilor Hartzell commented that when death happens on a council, it seems different to her. She noted the 66% vote for Councilor Jack Hardesty, which she felt was a strong indicator. She is interested in someone who is an extension of the current work of the city and not someone who is interested in this position as short-term. She would like someone with experience and someone who wanted to be more than a fill-in councilor. Ms. Hardesty stated her close work with Jack Hardesty also meant working closely with Alice Hardesty. Councilor Chapman voiced his desire for someone who works well in groups, has broad interests and experience. He felt that the council should consider what past Councilor Jack Hardesty stood for. The mayor commented that it was important to have someone who understood the broad sense of government process. He stated that there was need to face the reality that Councilor Hardesty was a popular city councilor and that it is incumbent upon the council to choose the best candidate. He felt that the role for the council would not be to determine whom the best person is, but who best reflects Jack’s legacy. He stated that the council should consider the candidates understanding of process, their commitment to the community and their ability to work well with others. And most importantly their ability to demonstrate analytically. First Round Voting – in no particular order – all candidates – vote for three Amarotico 1) Alice Hardesty 2) Steve Hauck 3) Greg Williams Chapman 1) Colin Swales 2) Alice Hardesty 3) Steve Hauck Jackson 1) Alice Hardesty 2) Steve Hauck 3) Greg Williams Silbiger 1) Colin Swales 2) Alice Hardesty 3) Steve Hauck Hartzell 1) Colin Swales 2) Philip Lang 3) Alice Hardesty Second Round Voting – in no particular order- vote for two Candidates brought forward – Colin Swales/Alice Hardesty/Steve Hauck Amarotico 1) Alice Hardesty 2) Steve Hauck Chapman 1) Alice Hardesty 3) Steve Hauck Jackson 1) Alice Hardesty 2) Steve Hauck Silbiger 1) Alice Hardesty 2) Steve Hauck Hartzell 1) Colin Swales 2) Alice Hardesty Third Round Voting – in no particular order- vote for one Candidates brought forward – Alice Hardesty/Steve Hauck Amarotico 1) Alice Hardesty Chapman 1) Alice Hardesty Jackson 1) Steve Hauck Silbiger 1) Steve Hauck Hartzell 1) Alice Hardesty Councilor Chapman/Hartzell m/s to appoint Alice Hardesty to Council Seat #1. Roll Call Vote: Hartzell, Amarotico, Jackson, Chapman, and Silbiger, YES. Motion passed. ADJOURNMENT Meeting was adjourned at 8:03 p.m. ___________________________________ _____________________________ Barbara Christensen, City Recorder John W. Morrison, Mayor