SINGEL-MINDED ISSUE IS BEING BLOWN OUT OF PROPORTION

The time has come to call a time-out on the ongoing controversy over the resignation of the La Grande city manager.

The mayor and city council have been pummeled over Ron Singel's April 10 resignation. The Observer has been castigated for not doing an investigation into what led to Singel's resignation, and there have even been accusations by some people that The Observer simply won't challenge the mayor. Rumors about Singel's departure abound.

Frankly, the issue behind the Singel departure was not the sort of thing that demands an investigation. There was no malfeasance. No corruption. Not even a difference in management styles, though that is what Singel himself was quoted as saying after he submitted his resignation.

The issue was of a personal nature. The council had several closed sessions over a period of several months to discuss the issue. As Mayor Colleen Johnson noted in a Community Comment earlier this week, under Oregon law Singel had the right to choose whether the executive sessions would be conducted openly or behind closed doors. He chose the latter. That decision spoke volumes.

Under the Oregon Public Meetings Law, media representatives are allowed to attend executive sessions, but cannot report on what is said. We chose, after considerable thought, not to pursue the Singel matter outside of executive session. Pursuing stories outside of executive session is the media's right and in many instances would be the case. Had the issue involved corruption, malfeasance or any type of illegal activity, we certainly would have pursued an investigation. But this matter was personal in nature. The public disclosure of that information serves no useful purpose.

Are there personnel issues beyond the Singel matter at City Hall that need to be dealt with? Judging from what we've heard and encountered, probably so. Those issues, as well as details of the settlement cost to the city, will be investigated.

Did any of those alleged issues contribute to Singel's downfall? Perhaps, but we believe the ultimate responsibility for Singel's departure lies with Singel himself.

Did the mayor and city council falter in two searches for a replacement for former City Manager Wes Hare? Without a doubt. In December 2005, after the council ruled out the three finalists in its first search, I wrote in an Observer editorial, "Something's amiss in the city's selection process — or in who is doing the selecting — if two of three finalists were judged not suitable, especially considering the effort and expense that went into the process. Eleven thousand dollars is nothing to sneeze at. One only has to recall the uproar from a few months ago when a few councilors made an issue out of a $5,000 request to help keep the local animal shelter afloat.''

The editorial continued, "... a selection process should result — through reference checks and preliminary interviews — in a group of finalists who are capable of doing the job. Not being able to go to the second choice points to a problem in the process.''

Considering the Singel matter, the process apparently wasn't corrected. If the issue existed before Singel arrived in La Grande, the city wasn't able to root it out by talking to city officials in Wasilla, Alaska, where he was employed previously. Why? No one would talk.

Could that have been a red flag? Did the city send representatives to visit with the people in Wasilla?

The council apparently has recognized the two failed processes. Now the city is looking at a private "head-hunter'' recruiter rather than using the League of Oregon Cities selection process. The end result could be the same if the city doesn't fulfill its responsibility to thoroughly, and professionally, check out its leading candidate. It means visiting the city — and the people — where the candidate most recently worked. The process will cost more, but in the long run, the investment should be well worth it.

Hold the mayor and council responsible for their downfall in having a process that works — one that results in quality candidates. They blew it — twice.

The issue is the process, not Singel. And, I have to say, it should not be fodder for recall, as rumors and at least one letter writer have suggested. If the mayor and council can't do better this next go-round, the public should take that into account in the next election. Save the public the expense of an unnecessary recall election.

The city has issues it needs to deal with. But why Ron Singel resigned isn't one of them.

Ted Kramer is editor of The Observer. Reach him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it