I applied for a recently advertised position on the Manzanita Budget Committee. The Mayor did not select me. As one individual on the 10 member Budget Committee, I was not that naive to think that I was going to drastically change anything but I believed my background would have contributed to some healthy discussions among the Committee members and would produce a Budget that the Committee could confidently present to the community.
I have no reason to question the motives of the individuals who were appointed. What does concern me is that one of the individuals registered to become a Manzanita voter in the weeks just before last November’s Bond measure, appears to be a part time resident as Portland is listed as home on her Facebook page and she served as Director of the Political Action Committee “Building for the Future in Manzanita” that funded and worked to pass the failed City Hall Bond Measure. The Mayor was actively involved in the work of this Committee.
The other person appointed, in a community letter last Fall, concludes that questions regarding overhead allocations from the Water Fund for City Hall Managers have been discredited by the Auditor thus leading one to reasonably conclude that this person believes that there is nothing more to question or investigate in future City Budgets in this matter. Neither of these individuals has noted any professional or volunteer experience working with cities during their respective careers. Neither have any training in municipal government services and their operating budgets or municipal Audits.
I was prepared to offer 32 years of Oregon municipal government service including 8 years as Manzanita’s Budget Officer to help create the best possible financial operating plan for our City. The Mayor in an email to me stated that the above two individuals that he selected were the best qualified for the Budget Committee.
I will let the citizens of Manzanita decide if you believe the Mayor’s decision best represented your interests in these appointments.
Randy Kugler
Manzanita, OR