Manzanita’s residents have actively engaged in discussions about the city’s administration, demonstrating varied and strong opinions on its governance and policies. Additionally, there has been considerable scrutiny and critique of the Pioneer’s reporting on these matters. Residents have raised concerns about transparency, decision-making processes, and the accuracy and bias in media coverage, reflecting a community deeply invested in its civic affairs and media representation. The information that has been shared comes from credible sources, city council meeting videos/transcripts and direct quotes.
On social media, Kim Rosenberg criticized a recent article for misinformation, underscoring the need for journalistic integrity. Sandy Wood expressed disappointment over the behavior at a City Council meeting, pointing to broader issues of civility in governance. Judith Sugg called for fact-checking and honest reporting, reflecting a desire for accuracy in media coverage. We’ve received multiple emails calling for us to investigate the goings-on in Manzanita (which we have been doing for months). Randy Kugler raised concerns about the departure of Judy Wilson from the Short-Term Rental program, highlighting issues of transparency. A Nehalem resident, that didn’t go on record, suggested clarification around the failed 2019 bond measure and suggested rewording the sentence on water rates. Future articles will discuss both in detail as well some of the other issues that have been raised.
Deb Simmons, former Manzanita Mayor, shared her perspective on the challenges she faced during her tenure. She stressed the need for checks and balances in city governance and expressed concern over the council’s decision-making processes.
The former mayor believes it is time to revise and update the city charter, which can only be done through a vote of the citizens. Some specific ideas for changes:
Vacant council seats should be filled through elections rather than appointments by sitting councilors, in order to prevent a minority of councilors from controlling decisions.
Institute term limits for councilors.
Require a citizen’s vote for city expenditures over a certain threshold.
Simmons emphasized that the current city charter has specific rules about the mayor’s role in committees and appointments that must be followed by councilors unless and until changes are made through a public vote.
“I believe in checks and balances,” Simmons said in a letter to the Editor. “The city needs to account for its carte blanche spending and spend within its means. Otherwise, the default will go to the property owners.”
Simmons advocated for charter revisions and voiced her frustrations with what she perceived as toxic behavior and personal agendas in the council, which ultimately led to her resignation.
“I am resigned from the Mayor’s position. Yet, I am still getting councilors and their writers who are accusing me of spreading ‘mis-information’. I asked Councilor Spegman to be specific at the last work session, and his accusations were not substantiated. An educator’s reputation is built on a foundation of truth and trust. As an educator for 40 years, I will let my reputation of four decades speak for itself. Lastly, we are a community of vibrant citizens, the majority of whom are in our senior period of life. No citizen should be pointed out as an enemy of the city. All citizens must be respected,” Simmons added.
“I am a resident of Manzanita and a supporter of our Mayor, Deb Simmons, and more importantly of a lawfully and well-run city hall. Last May an investigation was initiated upon the complaint of a staff member against Mayor Simmons. Significant staff time and taxpayer dollars have been spent on this effort with zero results reported out and no transparency after more than six months,” said Harris in a letter to the Editor.
“Politics in a city should never be about personalities – Politics should be about issues. Listen to the people – Encourage them to vote,” Simmons closed in her recent letter.
As you can see from the feedback summarized here, we receive a lot of valuable input from residents on both sides of the issue, letters to the editor and via the BBQ, as well as text, phone calls, and face to face meetings. Sometimes people ask us to reach out to specific people, which we do when possible (some people don’t actually want to go on record!) and we strive to be open, unbiased, and transparent in our reporting.
It’s become a common communication device to declare “mis-information” if the story/truth doesn’t fit a particular narrative – just because something doesn’t agree with your view of the truth, doesn’t make it misinformation or bias, maybe there are more sides to the story that deserve attention and research.
This is an ongoing investigation with many issues and views that continues to evolve. We always welcome feedback, and will share letters to the editors and/or op/eds that are sent to us for publication – send to editor@tillamookcountypioneer.net.