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Casey Myers,
John Day Public Works Director and
Chief Petitioner for the Recall

Restoring
Competent, Transparent, and Ethical Leadership in John Day

We Deserve Better Leaders!

Vote YES by September 17th

Top 5 Reasons to vote YES

  1. Financial Mismanagement
  2. Lack of Transparency
  3. Poor Decision Making
  4. Undemocratic Practices
  5. Unethical Conduct

My Concerns

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Financial Mismanagement

These councilors have consistently mismanaged our community's finances, jeopardizing vital resources and burdening residents with increased costs:

  • Jeopardized Grant Funding: The council has irresponsibly turned down and risked millions in grant funding, crucial for projects like the  treatment plant and broadband. Their mishandling of the Purple Pipe project forced the return of $3 million in grants and risks additional repayments. This incompetence also forfeits $60,000 in annual revenue, leading to higher water and sewer rates for everyone.

  • Excessive Spending: The council has failed to provide transparency on its expenditures, with $270,000 spent on legal and consulting fees this year alone. Despite this, they plan to expand administrative staff, adding to the already substantial $170,000 annual cost of the City Manager with another $90,000 a year public employee.

  • Disregard for Public Input: The council has bypassed public engagement, making decisions without resident input and neglecting required meetings. Concerned citizens have repeatedly been turned away from discussions on critical issues, their questions unanswered.

  • Lack of Financial Oversight: For months, the council neglected to track city revenues, ignored mandatory audits, and failed to report financial data to the Urban Renewal Agency. When residents requested financial transparency, they were met with claims of non-existent records and redacted invoices.

This pattern of mismanagement underscores the urgent need for responsible and transparent leadership to safeguard and effectively manage our community's resources.

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Failed Leadership and Undemocratic Practices

The current council's incompetence and disregard for democratic processes have severely impacted our community:

  • Costly Negotiation Failures: Their inability to negotiate effectively with Malheur Lumber will increase sewer rates for residents and cost us $3 million in grant funding. This demonstrates a clear lack of skill in protecting our community's interests.

  • Disregard for Public Concerns: The council has consistently ignored critical public questions. Their negligence threatens the only secured grant funding for a new treatment plant - financing obtained by the previous administration they frequently criticize.

  • Mishandled Opportunities: The council's mismanagement derailed the greenhouse sale negotiated by the previous administration. Their insistence on an unnecessary appraisal, followed by a failure to obtain one, cost our community a valuable opportunity. This is just one example of their harmful lack of follow-through.

  • Undemocratic Appointments: Half our current council has been appointed, not elected. This undermines the democratic process and silences the voices of John Day residents. Despite public demand for an elected mayor following Heather Rookstool's recall, the council refused to hold elections, further eroding democratic representation.

  • Lack of Transparency: The council has made critical decisions without proper deliberation or disclosure. They've awarded leases to outside companies over local businesses without finalization and approved budget committee appointments while intentionally concealing information about other qualified applicants.

These actions reveal a pattern of incompetence, secrecy, and disregard for democratic principles. Our community deserves leadership that respects the will of the people and operates with transparency and accountability.

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Destructive Agenda and Abuse of Power

These councilors repeatedly violated public meeting laws and proper procedures, undermining transparency and community trust:

  • Ethics Investigation: Councilor Eric Bush is under preliminary investigation by the Oregon Government Ethics Commission for using his position as a councilor to fund his own department with the County Sheriff's Office without declaring a potential conflict of interest as required by statute.

  • Illegal Public Hearings: The council bypassed the planning commission and violated state law by holding illegal public hearings for conditional use permits. This incompetence has wasted time and money, forcing a costly restart of the hearings process.

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Instead of addressing community needs, the council pursues a vindictive agenda:

  • Personal Attacks: These councilors have allowed and engaged in personal attacks during their meetings, shifting blame for their conduct onto others. They publicly shame current and former employees and local businesses, using their positions to bully and intimidate.

  • False Narratives: They consistently blame past administrations for current problems while refusing to provide public records that would prove otherwise. Their policy decisions have caused irreparable harm to our community's future.

Specific examples of their abusive behavior include:

  • Councilor Sherrie Rininger's public disparagement of public employees in council meetings and letters to the editor.

  • Councilor Eric Bush's consistent condescension and belittling of others in meetings, including former city employees.

  • Councilor Ron Phillips attempted to harm a local business by filing a false police report while using his political status to avoid consequences for theft of public property.

This pattern of behavior demonstrates a clear abuse of power and a failure to serve the community's best interests. John Day deserves leaders who prioritize transparency, ethical conduct, and genuine community development.

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