Kellstrom to continue as Sisters Mayor

Last updated Jan 18, 2011 12:0pm0

Gary Miller count

Steve Bryant administered the oath of office to David Asson, Sharlene Weed and Wendy Holzman.

David Asson, Wendy Holzman and Sharlene Weed took the oath of office as city councilors Thursday night - and immediately plunged into a tussle over the mayor's gavel.

Divided 3-2, the council reappointed Lon Kellstrom for a two-year term as mayor.

It all started out pleasantly enough.

Council and staff joined in a good-natured and humorous recognition of the work of outgoing councilors Jerry Bogart and Bill Merrill. City attorney Steve Bryant then conducted the swearing-in ceremony for returning council member Weed, and newly elected council members Holzman and Asson.

Kellstrom then called for nominations for mayor. Asson nominated Kellstrom, Pat Thompson seconded the vote. There were no other nominations, and Kellstrom moved quickly to the vote, but he was interrupted by Councilor Weed requesting some discussion.

"This is actually pretty difficult for me," Weed began. "I was hoping that with a new council we would bring new leadership to the town, which is what I really felt the community said loud and clear that they wanted on November 2.

"I was hoping that we would be able to end divisiveness, bring strong leadership, vision, better process, bring the community together," said Weed.

Weed indicated that she had promoted several alternative leadership configurations including either Kellstrom or herself as mayor and a mayor-council president team which would have allowed them to join together and "heal the

community."

"None of those options were palatable to the council majority," said Weed, "...which to me still leaves an imbalance, and is not inclusive, and doesn't recognize what the community told us on November 2."

New councilor Wendy Holzman stated, "I looked forward to us being able to work together as a council and move forward. But I do feel like the voters asked for change in the vote that they gave, and changing council leadership as well."

There was no comment from the other councilors.

The vote was then taken, with Kellstrom, Thompson and Asson voting for Kellstrom as mayor. Weed and Holzman voted no.

Mayor Kellstrom quickly moved to the election of council president; Thompson nominated David Asson, Mayor Kellstrom seconded the nomination. No discussion was offered. A quick 3-2 vote with Weed and Holzman dissenting gave new councilor David Asson the council presidency.

In other council business: The council approved on a proclamation brought about by the shootings in Tucson, Arizona. The proclamation was in recognition of public officials' service and spoke to tolerance, respectful discourse and debate. The document reaffirmed the council's commitment to civility, tolerance and respect as they carry out public discourse and debate.

Chris Eppley, city manager of Keiser, Oregon, and outgoing president of the Oregon City/County Management Association (OCCMA) presented a ceremonial lantern to the incoming president of the OCCMA, Sisters City Manager Eileen Stein (see story, page 1).

Asson offers rationale for mayor vote

By Jim Cornelius, News Editor

As the putative swing vote on a divided council, David Asson's first act as a city councilor was bound to be controversial.

Last Thursday, he threw his support behind Lon Kellstrom to continue as Sisters' mayor. He also accepted the position of council president, the councilor who presides over meetings in the mayor's absence.

That move drew fire from Councilor Sharlene Weed, who had proposed several possibilities for shared leadership between the apparent factions on the council. In an e-mail to supporters, Weed expressed puzzlement at Asson's actions:

"In talking with David a few days before the vote, he told me that his survey results show wide support for the views put forth by Wendy (Holzman), Jacki (Shepardson) and I during the election; that many community members he spoke with did not approve of Lon's leadership; that he himself had concerns about Lon after watching the Economic Development Director process and the water rate increase process; in our discussion he never once said anything in support of Lon... and he voted for him anyway. It doesn't make sense."

In an interview with The Nugget, Asson explained the rationale for his vote. In essence, his decision came down to weighing his perception of the strengths and weaknesses of the two councilors vying for the mayor's gavel.

He notes that Kellstrom can be "short" in his manner and has a tendency to drive issues through without sufficient preparation and reporting to the community. On the other hand, he believes Weed has a tendency to draw issues out and feed ongoing controversies. He indicated that he voted for the team he thought would be most effective, and that he felt he needed to take the council presidency in order to help Kellstrom and Weed work more effectively together.

"I'm hoping by a stronger involvement on my part to work with both of them to enhance their strengths," he said. "Sharlene has a hell of a lot to offer, but you can't just let (issues) fester. Lon's got a lot to offer, but you can't just force it through. I had to choose a way to use what little ability I had - and that (Kellstrom for mayor, himself for president) is what I decided."

Asson said he had hours of private conversation with Kellstrom and with Weed and also City Manager Eileen Stein about how to get past the rancor and division on the council. He believes the community has many opportunities to pursue and does not want to see the council bog down in endless debate over issues such as a pending water rate increase.

"It cannot go on this way," he said. "We cannot continue to disturb the community."