Letter from Lakeside Councilor Elaine Armstrong

Councilor Armstrong

I, along with four other councilors promised you an open and transparent government when we were elected in November 2008.

This is not what Mayor Orville Nelson and one councilor were hoping for; they prefer the way it was, with the last council.  The mayor practiced cronyism, favoritism, and wanted business as usual.  It appears, Mayor Orville Nelson does not like change or abiding by our city charter or state laws.  For him change does not come easy.

I am confident in what we have and are accomplishing, we are keeping our promises to the citizens of Lakeside.

In only eight months of working together the five of us have accomplished the following:

• We have made the city offices more accessible to the public by staying open until 5:00 pm daily.

• Our city was spending tens of thousands of dollars for an out of state, absentee city attorney whose average monthly billings were $3,000.  This council voted to hire a respected local attorney who attends meetings and is available to all councilors at a modest flat fee per month. This alone is saving the city thousands of dollars.

• We have stopped past irregular hiring practices, thus ensuring a fair and level playing field for all applicants.

• This council identified and stopped the prior councils practice of allowing employee compensatory, vacation and lieu time to exceed the mandated limits set by our personnel rules and state law, which had created a huge financial liability to the city.

• Always inspecting the monthly bills to ensure they are accurate and accountable.

• We discovered what appeared to be, numerous irregular bidding process for services.   Contracts had been awarded without following the open competitive bidding laws.  We stopped that practice and now require sealed bids or proposals making us in compliance with our charter and state law.

• This council has hired a certified class 3 Wastewater Superintendent thereby complying with DEQ’s OAR 340-049-0015, saving the city the possibility of major fines for not having a certified WW3 on site full time.

• We have defined the lines of authority and chain of command for a more efficient city administration.

I promise, I will continue to ensure fair and transparent government, protecting the rights of all citizens’ of Lakeside and will endeavor to protect and use our limited finances wisely.

Elaine Armstrong,

Lakeside City Councilor