Oakland voters reject council recall bid.

Byline: Karen McCowan The Register-Guard

OAKLAND - Voters soundly rejected a recall bid of the mayor and three city councilors on Tuesday by better than a two-to-one margin.

With 14 ballots to be counted, the recall of Mayor Nanci Staples was defeated with 216 no votes and 108 yes votes. City Councilor Jana Cunningham was retained 226-97. Councilor Bette Keehley's recall went down 222-103, and Linda West kept her office, 219-106. All are in their first year in office.

"I'm just glad that it's over and now we can go ahead and go on," Staples said.

West said she had talked to enough townspeople before the election that she wasn't surprised they voted against the recall.

"I think they're tired of it," she said. "Recalls don't work. That's not getting government done. It's nonproductive."

Cunningham said she viewed the vote not as a mandate but rather "a vote of confidence."

"I'm really gratified by the response," she said. "It proves the system works and we're headed in the right direction."

Keehley said she was "re-energized" by the vote and eager to get back to working on city business. "I'm just very grateful we'll get a chance to do what we set out to do.'

The recall election echoed a similar effort almost exactly two years ago, when a previous mayor and two city councilors lost their posts after their firing of former police Chief Dale Shaw divided the town.

Tuesday's recall effort also focused largely on police department issues. Among the four city officials' first acts after assuming office Jan. 3 was to schedule a January dismissal hearing for Shaw's successor, Norm Counts. Counts responded by filing notice in February of his intent to sue the city for $200,000, alleging wrongful termination.

On the recall petitions organizers circulated, they accused Staples, Cunningham, Keehley and West of trying to fire Counts without cause. They also alleged the four held illegal meetings, wasted tax dollars on attorney and investigator fees, interfered with the operation of the police department, opened the city to litigation over efforts to fire Counts, and improperly disbanded the police department's reserve corps.

The mayor and three councilors, as well as Council President Andrea Botwinick, who was not targeted for removal, still face a couple of issues cited in the recall.

Despite Staples' announcement Sept. 4 that the city had struck a resignation deal with Counts that would pay him $11,807 in severance pay and a $10,000 settlement from the city's insurance carrier, Oakland had no signed agreement as of Tuesday. Counts said late last week that the parties still disagree on overtime compensation.

And the Oregon Government Ethics Commission confirmed last week that it is investigating a complaint filed by Counts that the City Council violated Oregon's public meetings law by illegally discussing changes to city ordinances in a closed-door executive session.

Reporter Tim Christie contributed to this report