Cathy Clark may have won election last fall to return as Keizer’s mayor but she found herself in a bit of political isolation during recent meetings
The tensions between Clark and others on the Keizer City Council were apparent. The majority of the council reformed city practices over her Clark’s objections, removing or limiting some long-standing powers of the mayor.
For the average Keizer resident, the changes may seem just so much bureaucratic nail biting.
But the path to these changes masks deep political divides among the mayor and six councilors that could affect city business for years.
Clark and the councilors sat for four hours on a recent Saturday as they performed a meticulous review of the council’s policies and procedures. They never got to another item on the agenda, setting the city’s goals for the year ahead.
Instead, they parsed the meaning of words and got on-the-spot legal advice on what changes might mean. Taking part in that work was Lore Christopher, one of Clark’s rivals for mayor. Christopher lost her bid to return to the mayor’s role but did subsequently get the council’s appointment to a vacant seat.
They were joined by Councilors Shaney Starr, the council president, Marlene Parsons, Soraida Cross, Kyle Juran and Dan Kohler.
Throughout the meeting, Clark sparred with other councilors. That continued at the next formal council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 21.
Clark, Starr, Parsons and Christopher later responded to Keizertimes questions about what they saw as key changes. Cross, Kuran and Kohler didn’t respond to emails seeking their comments.
Starr, Parsons and Christopher all cited two changes as among the most important – changes already implemented.
One changed the start time for council meetings, moving it up an hour to 6 p.m.
“This change aims to make it easier for citizens, especially those with young children, to attend meetings,” Christopher said.
Parsons said the new time provides “greater opportunities for the public to attend in person or watch remotely, ensuring broader community engagement.”
Limiting council meetings to three hours was another change cited by some councilors as an improvement.
“This ensures that meetings are manageable for both attendees and participants,” Christopher wrote.
The majority of the council also approved creating the new position of council vice president and then voted to appoint Cross to the role.
Clark opposed the move, later explaining, “I do not see any benefit of creating another special designation of a councilor.” She said the position was proposed “out of the blue” by Christopher and said “it serves no real need.”
Over Clark’s objections, the council approved the revised council procedures. The mayor was the lone no vote.
The mayor came with prepared remarks, addressing the previous meeting and the impending vote by other councilors to invoke changes.
She took issue with what she considered a hurried vote. She said the document containing changes from the Saturday session was provided to her and other councilors just of three hours before they met to approve the changes.
“There’s no way for the people of Keizer to know what is in this document until after it is passed,” Clark said. “That is not how I believe we should be doing business.”
Clark seemed particularly offended by changes that stripped the mayor of the power to appoint people to committees. Under the revised procedures, the full council now will consider and decide such appointments. Clark said this upended a process used since the city was founded in 1982.
The mayor in her remarks anticipated where the council was heading next.
“If this passes, what you are about to see in the next order of business is the action by the council that will result in my no longer serving on most of the four boards on which I serve,” she said.
She was, in part, right. She volunteered to turn over her seat on two regional government boards to Juran. Councilors agreed that Clark could continue representing the city on the board of the Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Governments.
The tussle came over Keizer’s seat on the board of the Mid-Willamette Valley Homeless Alliance.
Clark noted she was one of the founders of the alliance, which helps orchestrate area services for the homeless.
“I feel very strong about remaining on the board,” Clark said.
But Cross also pitched the board as her top choice.
The council backed Cross, leaving Clark as an alternate.
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