In crowded, 5-way race for Yachats City Council, lines are clear on candidates’ view of how city is doing — and where it might go

 

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com

The lines are clearly drawn in the five-person race for two seats on the Yachats City Council – three candidates unhappy with how the council and city are operating versus two incumbents who say there can be improvements, but the city is functioning well.

The results of the council election – along with a vote on who will be mayor – will likely determine the direction of the city for the next two to four years.

The incumbents are Max Glenn, who was appointed to the council in 2015 and elected along with Jim Tooke in 2016 – when they were the only two City Council candidates on the ballot.

That’s changed this fall, with three others also seeking one of the two, four-year council seats up for election. Those are Greg Scott, who resigned from the council in July 2018 after 11 years; Ann Stott, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor two years ago; and Dawn Keller, a member of two city committees.

YachatsNews asked nine questions of each candidate and one specifically pertaining to them. Here are their responses.

In addition to this Q-and-A, the five council candidates participated in a two-hour forum on Sunday, Oct. 18 sponsored by YachatsNews, which videotaped the event. Beginning Friday, you can view that forum on this website’s YouTube channel.

Question: Why are you running for the Yachats City Council?

Max Glenn: I want to continue to serve the people and community that I love. We are in the midst of stabilizing a new form of governance, transitioning to new management and budget technologies, and negotiating government-related contracts and grants to upgrade and preserve our city buildings, offices, streets, trails, basic services and local businesses – especially during this Covid-19 crisis. I want to see this through.

Jim Tooke: After much thought I decided to seek re-election to the council. I weigh every decision I make when it comes to voting on issues. This causes a certain amount of stress. There are many people who question the decisions that we reach. There are many that agree with the decisions that we reach. There are probably a lot more people who pay no attention at all. That seems to be the nature of the beast. However, I would argue that going back to the future is no way to move forward. For this reason I believe my service on the council has value.

Dawn Keller: I do not believe that the community’s interest is being served well by our current City Council. The incumbent majority drives a business and marketing agenda, which while well intentioned, is not the job they were elected to do. I will be a public servant and make decisions based on the needs and interests of the community at-large. I want to work collaboratively on a council that respects diversity and engenders trust.

Ann Stott: I am running for City Council for one reason – the current council is not serving Yachats well enough. We need transparent representation that allows us to be informed and confident that there are no hidden agendas. We need representative government that welcomes and is responsive to community input.  We need to ensure that the community is not shut out of vital decisions that will have an impact on Yachats for years to come.

Greg Scott: If you have moved to Yachats in the last four years, you have no idea what we have lost. Yachats used to be the central coast’s center for music, arts, counter culture thinking, and volunteers for much of the work needed to run many city programs like the library, the Little Log Church and Museum, invasive plant control, trail construction and maintenance. The Friends of the Commons and other volunteers have been pushed away. The Commons as a community center has been neglected. Governance is a team process. We need a new team to begin restoring and governing with public trust. I would like to be a part of that team process.

What in your education, work/professional background and/or previous civic experience would make you a good addition to (or a continuing member of) the City Council?

Jim Tooke: I have a diverse background, which I believe allows me to view issues from a broad range of perspectives as I come to the end of my first term as an elected official on the Yachats City Council. These include a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, the owner and operator of three businesses over a 20-year period, working in a variety of jobs both union and non-union.

Dawn Keller: I am currently a member of the city’s Budget Committee and of the Parks & Commons Commission. Before I retired, I worked for 40 years as a congregational leader and specialist in resolving dysfunction in churches. Since the dynamic is the same, I recognize that a poorly implemented council/city manager government is 100 percent the responsibility of the council, and I know what needs to be done in our system to reorganize, become effective, and remain healthy.

Ann Stott: Being a history and government buff, I gravitated toward a career in teaching students about the social sciences, particularly civics. As an educator I learned the importance of being persistent, of planning, of anticipating pitfalls, of playing devil’s advocate, and of being patient. These lessons will allow me to serve as a responsible council member. Just as I served the diverse needs of all my students, I will serve the needs of all my constituents.

Greg Scott: I graduated with a bachelor of science from Oregon State University in business/accounting, worked as a finance officer for the city of Corvallis for 12 years, held a position on the Yachats Planning Commission for 2.5 years, and served on the Yachats City Council for 11.5 years. More background information can be found on www.election.yachats.me/greg_scott/

Max Glenn: I bring six years of experience on the council and time on the Planning Commission prior to being appointed to the council. I managed non-profit community service organizations for 30 years and have specialized training in work with organizations in times of transition to create new visions and community originated plans.

What are 2-3 of your (not the council’s overall) priorities if you are elected?

Dawn Keller: Supporting and building local support for the implementation of the Lincoln County climate action plan; and, creating an exceptional community among the people, organizations, local businesses, and interest groups.

Ann Stott: My No. 1 priority is to seek community input and be sure the council is indeed serving the needs of Yachats. I will propose regular town hall meetings to encourage open discussion about all things Yachats. I also want to seek the voices of all community members by conducting surveys. This will allow our council to hear from everyone, not just the “squeaky wheels.” I want to address the lack of fiscal responsibility being exhibited by our current council. We have been told over and over that Yachats is doing great. However, the city manager never seems to be able to show us a complete and accurate financial report. This has been an issue for more than two years. We have two members on our council who are continually voicing concerns about excessive spending and are almost always shut down by the other three members of council. From passing a budget in June with new staff positions to using an outside agency for our accounting work, the oversight on fiscal planning and management needs to be enhanced. I look forward to voters shifting the make-up of our City Council and adding members who will follow the example of Councilors Vaaler and O’Shaughnessey. I promise to make all my decisions as a council member with fiscal responsibility in mind.

Greg Scott: Priority No. 1 is a review of all the “systems” needed for governance. High on this list will be our financial tools. Priority No. 2 would be a review of short-term spending. Until we know where we stand financially, we need to trim back on spending as much as possible. This should include a hold on new spending initiatives in this and next year’s budget. Priority No. 3 overlaps the first two. When I chaired the organizational study that recommended a city manager model, the organizational chart identified the need for financial expertise on staff. Failure to complete the unfinished organizational study is partly my fault. It is clear to me that the current model with only one voice about city affairs is part of our problem. If elected, I will propose a new position for a financial officer that will report to the City Council. This will provide a second voice about city affairs and ensure the council, commissions, and staff have access to financial expertise. I envision this position also acting as the budget officer and responsible for city financial reports.

Max Glenn: Four priorities. They are continue and improve our basic services – water, sewers and streets, providing a sustainable water supply, and get ownership of our watershed. Continued support for our small businesses to ensure their survival. The city should continue the current Community Lending program, but open it up and make it a gift or grant program with no repayment. Continue our efforts to be transparent in all things and improve communication with all citizens, including website technology. And, revise the strategic plan 2020 “Yachats Area: An Active Vision to Create Community” to 2030.

Jim Tooke: My priorities, if re-elected, is to try take advantage of the many assets that the city has and make sure those are used in an effective and useful manner. Primarily continuing to upgrade the infrastructure and use of our built environment such as the Commons and the 501 Building. To work to make sure that the Parks Master Plan moves forward, especially when it comes to the use of the old ball field. Also to continue to be involved with the many issues affecting our water security and the effects of climate change on our coastal environment.

Now that Lincoln County is in Phase 2 of the state’s reopening process, when should the city reopen its facilities – everything from the Commons to city offices to the library — to the public? What about city meetings?

Ann Stott: All city facilities should be open to the public. Following protocols, including masks and physical distancing, should allow citizens to begin using the Commons and the library. City meetings can be held as well with proper distancing and masks. To allow for proper distancing council meetings may need to be held in the multipurpose room.

Greg Scott: As a council member, I would defer to medical expertise about opening city facilities to the public and holding city meetings. I do not believe in micro management for health and public safety decisions that require highly technical knowledge or experience.

Max Glenn: They can open when it is safe to do so. We will have to wait until the governor’s directives and the Lincoln County health department say it is safe, and meet their conditions and standards.

Jim Tooke: The question of when to reopen our facilities is incredibly important. We have chosen to take a measured approach. Because we are a small community with limited numbers of employees and city offices that are not Covid compliant we are continuing to limit access to the Commons. City hall is open by appointment only. We have opened the playground to limited use. We do allow some use of common spaces for mental health counseling and the pavilion is available for limited numbers of people on a reservation basis. This is a moving target and all things are subject to change. I will be guided by the science and the recommendations of Public Health officials, taking into account our unique situation in Yachats.

Dawn Keller: In order to safely reopen safely under state guidelines, we would have to have more full-time cleaning staff and other accommodations which we cannot afford. Bigger government operations will be able to open sooner than smaller, mixed-use buildings like the Commons. Since the 501 Building is now the only “single use” building we have, city offices might be able to allow some appointments and limited lobby hours. City meetings should continue to take place on Zoom. The recent decision to only have a summary instead of full meeting minutes should be reversed, and the chat room comments should be recorded as part of the full meeting minutes.

The city is now in its fourth year of a transition to a Council/City Manager form of government. How do you think that is going? What, if anything, would you propose changing, improving or eliminating?

Greg Scott: We need to take a time-out and ask the community this question with sufficient granularity to understand the scope of both the positive and negative responses about city services. My impression is there has also been a systematic reduction in the data available to the public. This needs to be corrected.

Max Glenn: This was a necessary decision, made because administrative duties have grown beyond what a volunteer mayor can handle. Unfortunately, the implementation was interrupted with the resignation of the first manager after just over a year. We are in the midst of stabilizing a this new form of governance, transitioning to new management and budget technologies, and negotiating government-related contracts and grants to upgrade and preserve our city buildings, offices, streets, trails, basic services and local businesses – interrupted again by this COVID-19 crisis. The transition process will take several more years. I want to see this through.

Jim Tooke: I was not on the council when Yachats had a strong Mayor/City Council form of government. I took office approximately 6 months after the first City Manager was hired. While I have been on the council, the first city manager decided to retire due to changes in the PERS retirement system. We then lost a certain amount of time while we went out and recruited candidates. We hired our current city manager in the fall of 2017. Given the fits and starts I think the decision has resulted in more positives than negatives. I support our city manager and appreciate the tremendous amount of time and effort she puts into the job. Considering the current state of the nation and the world I am often surprised that we manage to get anything done at all.

Dawn Keller: As you can tell by my other comments, I do not think this is going well. The council has exercised poor control and created an enormous amount of role confusion, but this is their chosen mode of function, so I do not see a way out without a change of council leadership.

Ann Stott: At this point our city council has failed the citizens of Yachats. We elected five individuals to create policy and instead we have a city manager making these decisions. There is nothing wrong with the form of government. It is ridiculous that some members of council still bring this up. What needs to change is the current make-up of council. We need new council members who are willing to make policy and require the city manager to properly manage the city. I am up for this challenge.

Vacation rental licenses and operations are a long-running issue in Yachats (and elsewhere). Are you satisfied with the results of the council’s work the past year? Should the license limit remain at 125, or should it go up or down? Should the number of licenses increase as the number of houses in the city increase?

Max Glenn: The city councils over a number of years have spent a great deal of time on trying to find a fair and equitable to this many-sided concern. While we welcome visitors and our economy is based on tourism, the operation of businesses in residential neighborhoods are sometimes not welcomed. Circumstances are evolving and having a cap on the number of licenses seems to be the fairest way to manage vacation rentals at the present time. We are getting word that there are a number of unlicensed short- term rentals now operating and we are exploring ways to effectively identify them. I do support the cap at 125. This issue will be ongoing, because there will always be a split between groups with conflicting interests. But this ongoing conflict can’t be a reason to do nothing.

Jim Tooke: I am satisfied with the work we have done so far. Having said that, this is one of those issues which will have to be revisited on a constant basis. Every decision that we make is subject to review and revision by the current and subsequent councils.

Dawn Keller:  The council did a good job on this, and we should thank them for the unpleasantness they endured by taking on this necessary work. I think it would serve the public interest either to keep the limit or lower it. The related issue of public safety and code enforcement still needs to be addressed.

Ann Stott: I strongly support a cap on vacation rentals. We have a good policy, so we don’t need more regulation. What we need is a full-time employee, not a contract worker, dedicated to responding to complaints and educating people about the rules and regulations. I believe a town hall on this issue would be prudent. Now that all the pieces are in place with the current policy, we should give it a year or so and then begin a new process of seeking how we can improve the policy. I do not support an increase in the number of licenses. I can see myself supporting a lower cap if that is what the community wants.

Greg Scott: I believe the voters want to preserve the quality of life in residential neighborhoods.  I do not support increasing the license number beyond 125.  I also believe policy changes need to be supported by data. Is the city collecting and analyzing complaint data? Is the code enforcement officer monitoring vacation rental and have any relevant data to suggest a need for change? Do we know anything about the type and location of complaints? Five people sitting around a table making policy decision without current data doesn’t work for me. We need a clear understanding of the problem before formulating solutions.

The city over the past three years developed what appears to be good-sized financial reserves. This year the budget committee and City Council agreed to use some of those reserves to maintain city services and possibly add 1-2 employees, should current finances recover from pandemic restrictions. Do you agree with that approach? If so, why? If not, what would you do differently?

Jim Tooke: As regards the budget, that is also an issue that is never fixed in concrete. It is very much a living document in that it is subject to change and modification in response to economic and social forces that are in a state of flux. I agree with our current approach to our budget and to our finances.

Dawn Keller: I am on the Budget Committee and it does not serve any purpose whatsoever. I did say at the budget meeting that I disagreed with this approach. It is just a way to give permission to go ahead and spend money on things without using the provisions that we already have in place for getting more money if we need it.

Ann Stott: This council has completely failed the citizens of Yachats by allowing the city manager to propose such a budget. The use of reserves should not be used to fund operations, especially to add unneeded employees in a year of global pandemic. Since we began contracting out for financial services with the Council of Governments in early 2019, we have seen funky math happening. We still are not getting accurate readable reports, even though this was promised by switching to software recommended by COG. I will vote to stop excessive spending and digging into reserve funds

Greg Scott: There has been a problem in the past where money has disappeared. Internal controls have been made, but there appears to still be problem areas. I would like a forensic audit of the city’s systems and controls and report needed changes to the City Council. This could serve as a basis for future changes. I have been told the city moved to a cash basis as the only way they could complete the last audit. Then I heard they wanted to move back to a modified accrual basis. These are not changes to be made casually. When you are doing year-to-year comparisons, changes of this nature make it almost impossible to sort out differences. The reports being produced are not useful for policy or financial discussions at the council or commission level. We need to get our financial records in order before making new financial decisions. Too much detail (numbers) does not necessarily yield better decisions. All of this needs to be done with far more transparency than we have seen the past three years. My one exception to this would be the new financial officer which I have proposed.

Max Glenn: We are budgeting conservatively and have been increasing our reserves. Reports to date show the wisdom of this approach. Now our city’s finances go to a comprehensive financial system that allows us to understand where improvements can be made. I am supportive of this approach. The need for employees is always determined by the workload. A justification for increased staff, based on workload, is always required and must be approved by the council at the time.

Public involvement and/or transparency has become an issue in this election. What is your opinion on how the city of Yachats has done in this regard? If you see issues with this, please cite specific examples and what you would have done differently.

Dawn Keller: The current city government has not done well with this. Some examples that come to mind are, scuttling the coronavirus wastewater study option without bringing it to the public. I would have brought it to the public right away. On the Driftwood Lane project, I would have sought input and explained the project before starting. On the resurrection of the Driftwood Lane project after the project was halted, I would have let the citizens have a win on this one and not compelled people to work more on a project they did not want. The city hall move from the Commons to the 501 Building passing with all speakers and Vaaler/O’Shaughnessey against it at the poorly publicized public hearing, the surprise buyout of the Visitors’ Center by someone who was hired as a marketing contractor by the city (I would not have done this and it was wrong in so many ways). In addition, the city manager has selected groups she works with, none of which keeps minutes or is subject to open meeting laws, one of which is composed of all the commission chairs. The City Council should have stopped this, but some of them are also taking part. It may not be illegal, but it looks bad and it causes division in the community.

Ann Stott: We almost had a two-lane road with sidewalks on both sides in the alley behind the 501 Building. This happened because our current council didn’t seek public input. This project never went to the Planning Commission. It was created by one person. This project ballooned because we were chasing grant money. This project, as with all major capital improvement projects, should have begun with a survey of the citizens. The survey should have offered various options for the project with a bottom line price for each. I find it hard to understand how our current council really believes they are doing well, when they continually refuse to seek community input.

Greg Scott: One school of thought is it is easier to govern when the public doesn’t ask too many inconvenient questions. The amount of data that has disappeared from public view is staggering. More than 6,000 historical documents from the document library are not available as well as the property inventory with records on every single lot in Yachats. If you want a public record, you have to fill out a form and wait for staff to find it for you. People generally understand most city information is public. I highly value that right and sleep better when that data is easily accessible. Changes in this area need to be a priority for the next council.

Max Glenn: We can always improve communication. We are a lot more transparent today than any time in the past and can still improve. Our user-friendly website has many features to enhance involvement and transparency. Citizens can choose areas of concern and get automatic notices and alerts when there is information and activity in that area. Concerns and complaints filed are automatically channeled to appropriate staff and tracked. Also, some projects take years to accomplish and they have a great deal of input initially of which newcomers may not be aware. In my experience, communication is a two-way street. I would ask those who feel unheard to make a personal call or contact to council members, and not just complain to each other. Talk to more than one councilor – try to talk to someone who does not agree with you. Sometimes the people saying they were not heard mean they were not agreed with. This is always a possibility in a democracy, a representative government.

Jim Tooke: Public involvement and the transparency of city government is something that we need to be aware of and constantly seek to improve. However communication is a two-way process. We basically see a very small number of people at most meetings. Most people only show up if they believe a subject for discussion impacts them directly. Case in point, the town hall we had on vacation rentals my first year in office. We used the multipurpose room in the Commons for that meeting. Lots of people attended. Information is published in a number of formats. We should continue to try to improve participation and access to information. This will always be an ongoing discussion.

Water “security” is a Yachats council goal. Would you support spending money to acquire land for adding/protecting water sources? How about spending to acquire land for water storage?

Ann Stott: I would support acquiring land only if it was useful for raw water storage. This is the only way to realistically store enough water for the longer term.

Greg Scott: This topic has been discussed many times. It appears we have a very short-term memory. A village of 800 people needs to be more realistic about what we can afford to do. The short answer is no. I believe both of these options are unrealistic in terms of being affordable and meeting future water needs when rainfall declines as climate predictions indicate. The near-term plan should be to partner with the South Lincoln County Water District. This will buy time until a regional water solution is available.

Max Glenn: Yes, this is a high priority for me.

Jim Tooke: In terms of livability and property values there is nothing more important than a reliable source of drinking water. There are ongoing efforts to study these issues. One of which is the Drinking Water Protection Plan process that is now ongoing. There are also countywide processes such as the MidCoast Water Planning Project. In the short term the best path forward is to improve the resiliency and the inter-connections of the systems already in place. Purchase of watersheds and construction of additional storage are more long-term goals.

Dawn Keller: Yes. You cannot have drinkable water without forests and watersheds. Since the long-term goal would be to have our own control over our own water supply, we need to think about what kind of storage would be needed for that. The water district hook up is nice to have in the short term if we need it, but I do not trust it as a permanent solution.

Questions to individual candidates

Ann Stott: Is your limited experience on city commissions or other involvement an asset or shortcoming in seeking a city council position?

Answer: I see it as neither. I have the skills necessary to make educated, transparent decisions. I understand the current issues in Yachats well enough to hit the ground running as a member of City Council. I saw enough in several months on the Public Works & Streets Commission to determine our city government is broken. We have a non-elected city manager using the commissions to get her desired policies approved by the City Council. Council long ago delegated policy decisions to the manager. I resigned from the commission because I refused to be manipulated into voting for policy I did not support.

 

Greg Scott: You resigned in July 2018 after more than 11 years on the council because of a philosophical difference with the council and city manager, centered on the city’s website and internet technology decisions. Is that still an issue? What’s motivating you to run again?

Answer: The issues were much deeper than your question suggests. Access to city data was a symptom of larger issues. Sometimes you have to step aside and let bad things happen before people understand there are problems. Now I believe voters are frustrated and recognize the need for change. Voters are being offered clear choices for leadership. I do not see anyone on the council today that has my technical strengths in accounting, municipal finance, information technology, and operational experience. I am all about the need for appropriate processes for the discussion of public issues and decision-making. This election is about the need for greater transparency in government and public trust. I believe we need to return to the rational and collaborative teamwork which Yachats experienced in the past.

Dawn Keller: You have been stressing in city meetings that “the people” should decide issues. How do you resolve this with our representative form of government? What happens when people evenly disagree on a topic that requires action?

Answer: In a representative form of government, it is the job of elected representatives to know and care about the interests and needs of their constituents and then represent those interests when they go to make decisions. It should be easy in a town this small to figure out what people think about things, but no one is even asking because it is not relevant to the business and marketing agenda that is being forwarded. Even when a clear opposition majority is voiced, it doesn’t matter. Our leaders just go over or around us. It would be a hopeless situation if we didn’t have that last little vestige of representative democracy, the vote. If our leaders are not making decisions based on the public interest, then our government is broken and the people should decide this matter once and for all. I urge you to do exactly that.

Max Glenn: Please describe your role as council president, what you do in that role, how you might advise or help the city manager and mayor?

Answer: The council president becomes the presiding officer in the mayor’s absence, I sign checks and am “on call” as needed. I meet weekly with mayor and city manager, help prepare agendas for council meetings and share input from the many constituents who have developed my trust over my 20 years of volunteer involvement in the community. Please visit my website: www.maxglenn.com

Jim Tooke: You publicly agonized whether to run for a second council term. What made you decide to seek re-election?

Answer: Did not respond.