Canyonville mayor, city councilor angrily quit
The Roseburg News-Review - August 25, 2005
Canyonville Mayor Chuck Spindel who was responsible for establishing rapport with Cow Creeks abruptly resigns.
CANYONVILLE -- Mayor Chuck Spindel and City Councilor Susan Moran-Kaidme resigned Monday, saying they're unhappy with fellow council members.
Spindel, who has served as Canyonville's mayor since March 2001, wrote in his resignation letter that he had lost his effectiveness as a leader because of what he called lies being spread about him by one or two people over a resolution to temporarily grant him power over city hall.
" ...I see situations in the city that are intolerable to me. I have lost any respect I ever had for a few councilors and cannot in all good conscience be civil to them. This would not be good or effective for the city...," he wrote.
Spindel declined to take phone calls for comment from The News-Review.
Council President Ed Parker will serve as the temporary mayor until the council selects a replacement. A new mayor must be chosen within 60 days. The council could appoint one of the current council members or a community member. It will also appoint a community member to replace Moran-Kaidme.
"I was very sad and disheartened to see that occur," Parker said. "(Spindel) has been an excellent mayor and it's to the city's detriment that he's gone."
Parker would not comment further on Spindel's and Moran-Kaidme's resignations.
Moran-Kaidme said she resigned because she thinks two of the seven council members were misleading the public. She thinks these council members, whom she would not name, were spreading rumors about the purpose of a resolution on the agenda at their Aug. 18 meeting.
She believes they were telling people that the resolution was meant to give Spindel the authority to take over City Hall and to railroad City Recorder Cheryl Everett.
"... I'm tired of the bull---- and choose not to sit on the same council as two people who I do not trust or respect and for whom I have the greatest contempt," Moran-Kaidme wrote in her letter. "A small group of misinformed but verbose citizens who were manipulated into making fools of themselves at the last council meeting was the last straw ..."
At Thursday's meeting, the council discussed Everett's job performance in executive session. The media is prohibited from reporting on topics discussed in executive session.
In open session, the council voted 5-2 to give Everett a pay raise and agreed to withdraw the resolution. Councilors Chuck Mauldin, Harold Burdge, Marie Pyevach, Spindel and Moran-Kaidme voted in favor, while Ed Parker and Marilyn Loomis voted against.
About 10 community members spoke on Everett's behalf, saying she earned her raise.
The idea behind the resolution, Moran-Kaidme said, was to provide more direct oversight of Everett, who needed some extra training. She said her job was never in jeopardy.
In order for the council to provide supervision, it would have to meet in frequent executive sessions, which must be published in a newspaper. That makes it appear the council is having a bigger issue with an employee than it is, Moran-Kaidme said. The resolution would have allowed the council to pass along job expectations through Spindel.
The resolution, designed to last six months, would have given Spindel the oversight of the administration of city rules and the power to approve overtime of the city recorder and her two-person administrative staff. It would have also given him the ability to provide supervision for matters including work scheduling, office decorum and general conduct of the administrative staff. These powers are currently held by the council.
Spindel, however, wouldn't have had the authority to terminate administration staff and would have to report back to council at least once a month on the progress of City Hall employees.
Spindel denied he was attempting to take control of City Hall in his letter. He was the first council member to suggest withdrawing the resolution at last Thursday night's meeting.
"... I have devoted many thousands of hours toward making the city run smoothly and put the interests of its citizens above my own ... to say that 'the Mayor is trying to take over the city' is a crock," Spindel wrote.
Loomis said she too believes some of the other council members were misrepresenting the resolution.
"Chuck Spindel was the best thing to happen to Canyonville," said Loomis, adding she hated to see him and Moran-Kaidme resign.
During Spindel's tenure, he was active in the community and was named Canyonville First Citizen in 2002. He was a member of the Oregon Mayor's Association and the League of Oregon Cities, among other organizations.
Loomis said most notably, he built a good rapport between the city and the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians.
"If it wasn't for Chuck, we wouldn't have that relationship," she said.
The council will call a special meeting sometime next week to accept Spindel and Moran-Kaidme's letters of resignation.
* You can reach reporter Danielle Gillespie at 957-4202 or by e-mail at dgillespie@newsreview.info.
