Flatterers will tell you exactly what you want to hear in order to advance a specific agenda and false prophets will lead you astray based on half-truths and innuendo disguised as “facts.”
This might seem like a strange way to begin but strange seems to be the order of the day in our once stable berg.
There is a small, but vocal group of individuals currently circulating petitions to recall four members of Silverton City Council (including yours truly) for having the audacity to cast a vote based on adopted city policies and council goals, but in opposition to “how they directed us to vote.”
Before we get to the end, we should start at the beginning. Downtown revitalization has been a policy focus for the city as far back as I can remember. My first exposure to local government was sitting on the Downtown Revitalization Committee (DRC) task force in 2002.
The purpose of the task force was to provide recommendations to the city council on policies and programs that could help lead to a more vibrant and viable downtown core. The DRC was formed in response to a major push back from the community on the concept of creating “commercial nodes” in existing and future residential areas.
The council at the time felt that historic downtown Silverton should be the primary focus for future investments and that strip commercial development would have a deleterious impact on the heart of Silverton.
The three major recommendations that came out of the DRC were: adoption of a downtown master plan (streetscape project); creation of an urban renewal district (funding mechanism for streetscape projects and other infrastructure improvements in the downtown), and; exploring the feasibility of forming an economic improvement district (EID).
The downtown master plan and urban renewal district came to fruition, while the EID did not garner sufficient support from downtown property owners.
The recall petition cites two examples of current council waste regarding urban renewal expenditures. I am glad that chief petitioner, Mr. Squires, chose these two examples because they are excellent examples of how urban renewal should be used.
However, I will take exception of Mr. Squires’ representation that one of the grants benefited Orville Roth personally. Yes, Mr. Roth owns the building, but the benefit is really to the community and the business involved: Seven Brides Brewing.
We should be celebrating Seen Brides Brewing as a local success story and not impugning the integrity and motivations of Mr. Roth who has been and continues to be, a major supporter of our schools, community groups and non-profits.
Seven Brides Brewing has exceeded all of its employment goals in the first 18 months of operation. This is exactly the type of economic development the city of Silverton NEEDS to be involved in; growing local jobs is something that is widely supported by the community as evidenced by our most recent community survey.
The city adopts a multi-million dollar budget every year. As a member of City Council and the Budget Committee, do I agree with every last expenditure? No.
However, I do feel it’s my civic duty to be informed about those expenditures and speak up during deliberations to share any concerns I might have.
I think it’s unfortunate that Mr. Squires and his friends are peddling revisionist histories about four hard-working, conscientious volunteers who have done their homework and voted their conscience.
Perhaps he, and those like him, would be better served by rolling up their sleeves and contributing something positive to the community, because that is exactly what I will continue to do.
Randall Thomas
Silverton City Councilor
