At the City Council meeting on January 3rd the gavel was passed from Phillip Houk to John Turner.
Houk, who had been Mayor since 2005, chose not to seek reelection, prompting John Turner to run unopposed in the 2015 election. During a short speech after he was sworn in, Mayor Turner instructed Pendletonians to pitch in and ignore the “professional naysayers.”
After Mayor Turner’s speech, Councillors Scott Fairley and Dale Primmer were sworn in. Fairley said that he wanted to “continue to make progress for Pendleton.” Not seeming to be one for ceremony Primmer said “I have no words. Let’s get to work.” Councillor Becky Marks was relieved when she found out that she didn’t need to be sworn in again.
The City Council found that the old City Hall property still constitutes a nuisance and voted to begin code enforcement actions against the owner Jose Quezada. The hearing ended with Miguel Quezada sarcastically saying “thanks for doing your jobs. Jerks.”
The Pendleton City Council unanimously elected Councillor Neil Brown to be Council President. Brown was the previous Council President.
The Pendleton City Council’s goals for 2017-19 are to:
1. Develop sustainable infrastructure funding for the construction,
operation and maintenance of public buildings, roads and utilities
2. Increase economic development activities
3. Facilitate development of quality industrial, commercial, and
residential lands and properties (new and existing)
4. Increase availability of housing for all levels of income.
The new goals of the Pendleton City Council suggest that our elected officials are listening after all. Good or bad, 2017 is off to a start in Pendleton. Let’s work together every day to be the premiere city in Eastern Oregon.