City Council Meeting for Vote to Hire Tim Johnson as City Manager (12/18/09) Part One

I filmed the special City Council meeting concerning the appointment of Tim johnson to fill the position of city manager for Baker City on Friday, December 18, 2009. As there is no other video record that I am aware of, I am publishing the video of the meeting, in the public interest, in several segments on YouTube. Those YouTube segments may be accessed from this blog as they become available. Google Blogger tends to cut off portions of the right side of the video, so if you want the full view, it is better to view them on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=chrischristie1948&ytsession=Z6UGcoFaVykIyDwVq6AYsI5jvODdRK3Ye7yk4BuQeYshopzRgyRtvJjG1fPlztLijpl0Ssd7QYc09YYnmbdkcfuj24DDN5osVrf9vSMApEZThHN7PxpgPk7fTP1HBz0vvH3WEBZfnLRNGuqoa5t43K1a-_lTxOdeH0Jk1DazcJYZf4g5T7aw19SGSVemb06MSszrC850FAo#p/u

I don't really have a dog in this fight, because as Councilor Button and others have said, any of the four finalists would probably do a good job for Baker City. In the interest of full disclosure though, I must tell you that I have spoken with Tim Johnson twice. I find him to be very intelligent and much more informed in many ways than I am when it comes to managing city governments and making cities successful (ok, that may be a low bar ;-)). He is also very open, personable, friendly, and frank. He has said that he favors an "open, shared, and participatory" government, and that the city's actions will be "measurable, accountable and time bound." He has also suggested that he may remove the door to his office ;-). It is my hope that those traits will translate into a successful city manager for Baker City.

My own bias is exposed in certain ways in the descriptions of the proceedings. Most importantly, I feel that Councilor Pope's letter, and Tim Collins' reading of it, was an attempt to "poison the well" prior to Mr. Johnson's taking charge." Poisoning the Well" is, as first described by John Henry Newman, an attempt "to cut the ground from under [someone's] feet;—to poison by anticipation the public mind against [someone]."

In yesterday's Herald (Councilor's List Down To Johnson), it was reported that "Dorrah said Councilors discussed Johnson's and Hulse's background checks during an executive session, which is closed to the public, because the city agreed to keep the information confidential."

Obviously, Councilor Pope and temporary city manager Collins, were not in full agreement with that view, as the proceedings shown below demonstrate.

Some have suggested ulterior motives, because in the same article, assistant city manager Jennifer Watkins "told the Council Thursday that in the event the Council decides to postpone making a decision, Tim Collins, city manager pro-tem, has offered to stay on for an additional six months." The theory is that Collins, Watkins, and city staff are afraid of personnel decisions that might be made by a Brocato replacement who actually works for the Council. Some people have also told me that city manager pro-tem Collins was largely responsible for the selection of Freeman and Associates, the firm that returned a very unflattering background check on Tim Johnson.

Below is the first set of several segments of the Council Meeting. I will post more as I have time to process them for YouYube. Without further adieu, here are the first segments:
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Council 121809-Part1
Part one of the Special City Council meeting to vote on hiring Tim Johnson as the new Baker City city manager. (short)


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Council 121809-Part 2: Poisoning the Well
Part two of the Special City Council meeting to vote on hiring Tim Johnson as the new Baker City city manager. Tim Collins reads portions of Milo Pope's letter referring to a conclusion drawn by Mr. Freeman of Freeman & Associates in a background report for city manager candidate Tim Johnson. Normally this type of personnel issue is handled in executive session, and by reading some of the letter in public, people are told of a negative report with no specific allegations or any evidence being presented to substantiate a negative opinion.


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Council 121809-Part 3: Councilor Calder expresses displeasure at Collins for reading letter
Part three of the Special City Council meeting to vote on hiring Tim Johnson as the new Baker City city manager. Councilor Calder expresses displeasure that staff read parts of Councilor Pope's letter in a public session.


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Council 121809-Part 4: Councilor Bryan suggests reading Councilor Pope's letter into the record.
Part four of the Special City Council meeting to vote on hiring Tim Johnson as the new Baker City city manager. Councilor Bryan suggests reading Councilor Pope's letter into the record.


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Council 121809-Part 5: Councilor Bonebrake responds to innuendo in Councilor Pope's letter
Part five of the Special City Council meeting to vote on hiring Tim Johnson as the new Baker City city manager. Councilor Bonebrake responds to innuendo in Councilor Pope's letter, citing a preponderance of evidence favorable to Tim Johnson's 30 year career as a public servant. ". . . there is absolutely nothing in his record that would indicate lawsuits or conflict or grievances, or anything else . . . .


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Council 121809-Part 6: Councilor Button supports Tim Johnson and says "it is time to move on."
Part five of the Special City Council meeting to vote on hiring Tim Johnson as the new Baker City city manager. Councilor Clair Button notes that "None of us is perfect and I think that if anyone of us were subjected to the degree of scrutiny Mr. Johnson was put through, there is not one person here who would not find something in the way of a person who was disaffected with you at some point in the past. That is not to say that there are not things we need to discuss . . . . I recognize that there are some people who will never accept the past decisions of this council and who will not accept the voice of the voters as was represented in the recall election . . . . I personally take that as an acclamation from the public to move on . . . ."


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Council 121809-Part 7: Councilor Bass says " I really don't have a whole lot to say."
Part seven of the Special City Council meeting to vote on hiring Tim Johnson as the new Baker City city manager. In this segment, Councilor Sam Bass says " I really don't have a whole lot to say. . . . . We have said thing and said things and said things, and nobody seems to care one way or the other, uh, I did not vote for Mr. Johnson."


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Council 121809-part 8: Councilor Bryan--Poisoning the well, part 2
In this segment: Councilor Bryan--"I have . . . great concerns about his character and fitness for the city manager position. I don't think this is the time or place to provide more detailed information . . . it is not appropriate . . . the bottom line is that the background check was not a positive reflection on Mr. Johnson in this position and was not a recommendation to hire him."


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Council 121809-Part 9A: Mayor Dorrah Defends Johnson, Reads Recommendation Letters
Part 9A of the Special City Council meeting to vote on hiring Tim Johnson as the new Baker City city manager. Here, Mayor Dennis Dorrah defends Johnson and reads recommendation letters. "One thing I'd like to point out from the discussion with Mr. Freeman--he pointed out that on a criminal background check--which was, this was almost a criminal background check, that 98% of the people he checks out, do not pass their, do not meet their satisfaction. On a positive note. . . ." [Dorrah reads some of around ten letters praising Tim Johnson's success and abilities.]


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Council 121809-Part 9B: Mayor Dorrah Defends Johnson, Reads Recommendation Letters
Part 9B of the Special City Council meeting to vote on hiring Tim Johnson as the new Baker City city manager. Here, Mayor Dennis Dorrah reads more of around ten letters praising Tim Johnson's success and abilities.


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Council 121809-Part 9C: Mayor Dorrah Defends Johnson, Reads Recommendation Letters
Part 9C of the Special City Council meeting to vote on hiring Tim Johnson as the new Baker City city manager. Here, Mayor Dennis Dorrah reads more of around ten letters praising Tim Johnson's success and abilities.


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I will be adding more clips as time allows.