No vote on new mayor’s proposal

Silence.

That’s what followed an amendment proposed by new Portland Mayor John Boggs, which failed to receive a vote at the first Portland City Council meeting of the year Monday.

The amendment would have made the mayor’s executive administrative assistant a full-time position with powers to act as an extension of the mayor.

Multiple council members expressed confusion as to why the unfilled position needed more responsibility. Proposed additional responsibilities include representing the mayor at events, meetings and “some operation decisions.”

“If you have the secretary do all that, what would your job be then?” council member Mike Aker asked Boggs during the meeting.

“I don’t want to be in (city hall) answering the phone,” responded Boggs. “The mayor needs to be out talking to voters, talking to the residents, getting things done.”

After explaining the proposal and answering questions from council members, Boggs asked for a motion to vote on the amendment. Twelve seconds followed before council member Kent McClung made a motion to approve. But it was met with silence. The motion, therefore, died for lack of a second.

“To get my job done the way I want to get the job done, I need a strong personal assistant,” Boggs said to the council. He plans on reintroducing the proposal at every city council meeting until it is voted on, he said.

As well as the additional responsibilities and power, the proposed amendment would make the administrative assistant position full-time with a wage of $18 an hour.

Aker said after the meeting he believes there should be a full-time assistant and has no problem with the proposed wage, he just wants to see the mayor do the responsibilities that have been historically done by the mayor alone.

“In the past, the mayor had done everything (Boggs) listed,” Aker said. “Why can’t he do it now?” Aker said.

Under previous administrations, the mayor’s secretary position had been full-time, also serving as executive director of Portland Housing Authority with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) paying half the salary.

HUD pulled funding for the position in 2016 citing nepotism and mismanagement.

As a result, the city council voted to make the position part-time at a rate of $11 an hour.

Boggs said he doesn’t plan to fill the position until it is amended.

The mayor also gave new assignments for city council members, who will now be assigned to become an expert of sorts of for each city department on a six-month rotation.

“The purpose of this is for you to become more familiar with weekly and monthly challenges faced by city supervisors,” said Boggs, who will also be receiving a weekly report from the departments about the council members.

Boggs said when council members have a question about what’s going on at a department, the council member assigned to it can act as a proxy of sorts and answer the question rather than a representative from the department having to come before the council during its regular meetings.

Boggs said this will make voting on budget matters smoother.

In other business, council members Michele Brewster, Dave Golden, Matt Goldsworthy, Don Gillespie, Janet Powers, McClung and Aker:

•Heard Doug Baker, Albany, explain the need for census workers in Jay County. Baker said the U.S. Census Bureau needs two to three dozen workers from Jay County to work 10 to 40 hours a week from mid-April to mid-August. Wages start at $18.50 an hour with 58 cent compensation per mile traveled by car, he said.

•Unanimously approved an updated City of Portland Employee Policy and Procedure Manual.

•Heard an update on the county’s animal control task force from Julie Forcum. The council unanimously voted to hear a plan by the task force once it is finalized at a future council meeting.

•Paid claims totaling $1,065,804.79.

•Unanimously elected McClung as president of the city council. “It sounds cliché, but it’s an honor,” said McClung.

•Heard a new rule from Boggs for city council meetings, which will now start with the Pledge of Allegiance beginning Jan. 20, its next meeting.Aker said after the meeting he believes there should be a full-time assistant and has no problem with the proposed wage, he just wants to see the mayor do the responsibilities that have been historically done by the mayor alone.

“In the past, the mayor had done everything (Boggs) listed,” Aker said. “Why can’t he do it now?” Aker said.

Under previous administrations, the mayor’s secretary position had been full-time, also serving as executive director of Portland Housing Authority with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) paying half the salary.

HUD pulled funding for the position in 2016 citing nepotism and mismanagement.

As a result, the city council voted to make the position part-time at a rate of $11 an hour.

Boggs said he doesn’t plan to fill the position until it is amended.

The mayor also gave new assignments for city council members, who will now be assigned to become an expert of sorts of for each city department on a six-month rotation.

“The purpose of this is for you to become more familiar with weekly and monthly challenges faced by city supervisors,” said Boggs, who will also be receiving a weekly report from the departments about the council members.

Boggs said when council members have a question about what’s going on at a department, the council member assigned to it can act as a proxy of sorts and answer the question rather than a representative from the department having to come before the council during its regular meetings.

Boggs said this will make voting on budget matters smoother.

In other business, council members Michele Brewster, Dave Golden, Matt Goldsworthy, Don Gillespie, Janet Powers, McClung and Aker:

•Heard Doug Baker, Albany, explain the need for census workers in Jay County. Baker said the U.S. Census Bureau needs two to three dozen workers from Jay County to work 10 to 40 hours a week from mid-April to mid-August. Wages start at $18.50 an hour with 58 cent compensation per mile traveled by car, he said.

•Unanimously approved an updated City of Portland Employee Policy and Procedure Manual.

•Heard an update on the county’s animal control task force from Julie Forcum. The council unanimously voted to hear a plan by the task force once it is finalized at a future council meeting.

•Paid claims totaling $1,065,804.79.

•Unanimously elected McClung as president of the city council. “It sounds cliché, but it’s an honor,” said McClung.

•Heard a new rule from Boggs for city council meetings, which will now start with the Pledge of Allegiance beginning Jan. 20, its next meeting.