Ahead of the November election, then-Mayor Pro Tem Sally Russell promised, were she to be elected as Bend’s first directly elected mayor, that she would prioritize listening to constituents as she makes City decisions. Following the election, then Mayor-Elect Russell, tasked, along with the rest of the council, with appointing someone to fill the council seat she’d vacate upon ascension to mayor, promised to offer a council appointee process that would be “as transparent as possible.”
With the recent City Council appointment process, we’ve seen neither of those promises fulfilled.
On Wednesday, the Bend City Council voted 4-2 to appoint Chris Piper to fill the two years remaining of Russell’s term. On Monday, each councilor had the opportunity to name three finalists for the seat. Only Councilor Justin Livingston had Piper on his shortlist. We can only assume that between Monday and Wednesday, councilors had a change of heart—but based on emails that came into councilors’ inboxes, that change of heart wasn’t necessarily based on listening to the community.
A public records request of communications to, by and between councilors from Monday through Wednesday reveals that a number of emails were sent to city councilors in regard to the City Council appointment. Five people wrote to the entire council during that time, expressing support for council appointee candidate Kerani Mitchell. Another email went directly to Mayor Russell in support of Mitchell. Another email went to the entire council from someone who said appointee candidate Karen Austin was their second choice—though the writer did not share who their first choice was. Another email expressed support for a “moderate right voice,” but did not name a specific person. None of the emails sent in that time frame expressed specific support for Piper.
If “listening” were a priority for this mayor and the wider council, it should stand to reason that the vast majority of these email writers would have been listened to.
Russell told the Source, when we asked her why she seconded the motion to appoint Piper on Wednesday, “I supported Chris Piper because I know he will help build bridges in our community and our government and pull people together.” Russell went on to say, “I ran for this office promising to be the mayor who listens, and who operates with full transparency.”
Listens to whom?
Councilor Gena Goodman-Campbell told the Source this week that she spoke with Russell on Tuesday—following Monday’s meeting—during which time Russell encouraged Goodman-Campbell to support Piper. “It was the first time I had heard her advocate for a specific candidate,” Goodman-Campbell said. She added, “Soon after that conversation, I received an email from a representative from the Chamber of Commerce encouraging me to support Chris Piper as well.” That email, while falling under the time frame of our public records request, was not among the emails delivered to the Source.
This leaves us wondering—beyond the alleged Chamber of Commerce advocacy—what conversations happened between Russell and other councilors, which aren’t revealed by public records requests? (We also requested text messages, which are still forthcoming.) Why would the council select the candidate who garnered only a single letter of support (and that we are only aware of due to Goodman-Campbell’s admission) over a candidate who garnered six letters of support in three days’ time?
“My understanding was that the decision was based primarily on a desire to maintain the partisan ideological balance of council,” Goodman-Campbell told the Source. Voting records reveal Piper is a registered Republican.
This process smacks of back-room dealings.
The Bend City Council is a non-partisan governmental body, yet it opted to appoint its new councilor based on that candidate’s partisan position—and did so over what appears to be broad public support for another candidate, who also happens to be the sole person of color on the shortlist.
The hazy public process, the partisan finagling, the apparent ignoring of the letters of support, and the fact that this decision was done in haste, with little public discussion of the candidate who eventually got the position, is not an ideal way to start off with this new makeup of the council.
Not only did transparency and listening go by the wayside, but so too did much public trust. This was a travesty of a public process. We expect much better from the Bend City Council.
This article appears in Jan 23-30, 2019.
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Sally Russell. The Mayor of white Bend. Bought and paid for by the Chamber of Commerce. I voted for Sally because she was not Bill Moseley. Turns out she isn’t–she’s worse. At least we all know where Mosley is coming from. But Sally, she’ll sell you out in a nanosecond and tell you she’s for collaboration (a word that had a pretty negative connotation in World War Two Europe, but I digress). She’ll tell you she is building bridges, while she works behind the scenes to blow them up. She’ll cite her own election as mayor as a sign of inclusion and diversity at the same time that she steps on two very qualified women (one a women of color) who applied to fill the council vacancy. I suspect that the Bend Chamber told her it would not support the transportation bond unless she got behind Chris Piper. She got conned. And, on top of all that, after telling us all she would be a great leader she didn’t even have the courage to lead the process and discussion about appointing a new councilor. She farmed it out to the mayor pro tem. That shows a real lack of leadership. This while affair is a permanent stain on her brief record as mayor. Talk is cheap and she has clearly demonstrated she cannot walk the walk.
Even the Bend Bulletin editorial staff seemed perplexed, writing this about Mr. Piper: “But we really don’t have much for him either.” His name appears once in the initial 30 choices of the Council, while others receive as many as 4 nods He phones in his Council interview from Las Vegas, while everyone else shows up in person. Then, suddenly, he emerges in the top two. Thanks to the Source and private citizens for attempting to discover what exactly happened in those intervening days.
Hi Foster and the People,
Maybe Chris is the Pied Piper of Bend? Unlike Hamelin, we don’t seem to know where and how he will lead US; might be a Pot of Gold or over a cliff.
Have we ever discussed the concept of Politically Correct Fairy Tales? Maybe instead of addressing Bend’s urgent civic needs the City Council should debate construction of a Wall around Bend. It would keep all of US in and everyone else out. The Oregon Legislature could debate building a Wall along the Southern boarder with California. The Northern Boarder has a Moat called the Columbia River. The I-5 Crossing desperately needs a new bridge but it’s still unfunded after a decade of Civic Discussion. Everyone wants it but nobody wants to pay. Isolationism comes in many forms.
Does Civilization really need another Wall? No State of the Union means ‘No’ Union – it’s unprecedented. Please know, I believe Evil is alive and well in both Major political parties at all levels of Government. The beginning was over 7 years ago without the four score.
Warm Regards,
Justin Lewis Gottlieb
PS – With Immigrant Citizens like ours – > Who needs Walls…
There is a reason why this process wasn’t transparent. I think the people should demand a recap of what really happened.
New website backroombend.org is publishing text messages and other records obtained dealing with the selection.
Wow!
Did our old friend Mr. Wallace excert his influence via 3rd Party? What about Mr. Smith, Taylor and BPRD?
I sent a couple emails in December/ January to Sally and Barb. Otherwise, My entire application was submitted as Transparent Public Record. It included a Bribe, Green Folio, Public Testimony and Thank You within the Assembly beginning last October. It was a fun process. Unfortunately, I think everyone missed it. They blinked or got distracted by special interests; Bill was the lone exception.
Mr. Piper and other vetted Candidates* should politely withdraw. It would give Council an additional 30 days to re-review 30+ Applications.
Back to the drawing board.
* Those receiving formal Interviews, Media Attention and Endorsements (Backroombend.org)
My understanding is that the Bend City Council received dozens of messages of support for Kerani Mitchell. This is acknowledged in a released text message from 1/14 (see http://backroombend.org): The paid Central Oregon Builders Assn. lobbyist tells Mayor Russell, “I’m a little worried about what Gena and Barb are going to pull between now and then [the final vote]. They clearly had something going on as why they both wanted to push the vote to 1/16.” To which Mayor Russell replies, “Maybe. They have been working their peeps pretty hard.”
No evidence has come to light proving that Councilors Barb Campbell and Gena Goodman-Campbell colluded in any way to marshall support for any of the candidates.
These texts also seem to indicate that the Mayor was only interested in appointing a male candidate to the vacant spot. The texts reveal the Mayor may have spoken to only one Mitchell supporter. 2 or 3 others may have been trying to contact the Mayor in support of Mitchell or Austin, but their requests to talk with the Mayor apparently went unanswered. Finally, there is one text that–to me, at least–seems a little disturbing. It’s from Tuesday, Jan. 8. Councilor Livingston writes to the Mayor, “I hear you are taking a lot of heat. I’m sorry they are taking that tactic with you. Stay strong & stick with your gut on how you feel about her.”
Question -> Who is the ‘they’ to which Mr. Livingston refers? The posted list appears to be missing a few names.