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Chair rebukes published op-ed; commissioners agree to route misstatements through agenda process
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Summary
After an op-ed that an editor said had been verified, Chair Melissa Newts told the commission she would not speak for the full body and provided a factual email response; commissioners agreed that alleged misrepresentations should be brought back to the full commission through the agenda process for discussion.
Two commissioners brought an item to the April 21 agenda after an op-ed claimed a commissioner felt "unnecessary" and suggested commissioners were sidelined. Chair Melissa Newts said an editor asked her to verify claims; she replied with fact-based items but declined to serve as a permanent spokesperson for the commission and asked that future disputes follow the commission’s agreed communication processes.
Vice Chair and other commissioners agreed that if a commissioner believes they have been mischaracterized, the right path is to place an item on a future agenda (two commissioners can request an item) so the body can discuss it in public. City Manager Grant Gager said city practice under his leadership is generally not to engage in extended social-media rebuttals; the executive branch will respond only when information is needed quickly (for example, to provide a Zoom link) and otherwise will not "get in the mud" with false claims.
The commissioners expressed unanimous support for using the agenda process to resolve disputes and for prompt internal communication when allegations appear in public. Several commissioners noted the difficulty of balancing personal and official email accounts and said they will route constituent queries and media requests to official commission channels when the subject is city business.
