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Council begins fact-finding on complaints against Mayor Sipe, transfers presiding authority
Summary
Council moved through a due-process step on complaints arising from a July memorandum, asked the mayor to respond and voted to transfer presiding authority to Councilor Wheeler; council scheduled a special follow-up meeting to deliberate further.
At a public fact-finding session on Dec. 3, the Umatilla City Council opened the next step in a multi-part complaint process concerning conduct by Mayor Sipe. The city attorney summarized four discrete complaints from a July 11 memorandum and allowed the mayor to present his response; the meeting was limited to fact-finding rather than deliberation.
The complaints summarized for the mayor to address included allegations that he had attempted to influence the city manager regarding a general-obligation bond to fund a new police station, that his communications with a telecom company had interfered with contractual negotiations, that his attendance and remarks at a meeting of special districts had undermined the city manager’s position on enterprise-zone funds, and that he had filled out and submitted a city-manager performance form in a manner staff found inappropriate.
To ensure an orderly hearing, Mayor Sipe transferred presiding authority to Councilor Wheeler after the council moved and approved the transfer. The city attorney clarified that tonight’s session was for the mayor to provide responses and for council to collect facts; any deliberation and decisions will occur at a later meeting. When asked whether the council would consider possible outcomes tonight, the city attorney said that the session was not the time to discuss potential determinations; options would be provided at a later stage if the council chooses to act.
Councilors discussed scheduling a follow-up special meeting to deliberate once both sides have been heard; a date and location were proposed during the meeting and council moved to set a special meeting for later in December (the transcript records a motion to meet on Dec. 17 at the Chamber of Commerce). The meeting concluded with council preparing to move into an executive session to consult legal counsel on possible litigation and next procedural steps.
No final finding or sanction was made at this hearing; the council limited the evening to fact-finding and set a date for further consideration.
