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The arrest and conviction for theft by our City Manager, Janell Howard, on July 4 of last year continues to impact our community. This week, Our Community host Candice Michel is joined by former City Councilor John McKinney, who was on the Brookings City Council during the time, and tells us his first-hand account of what happened, and what didn’t happen, but should have. Why was Howard reinstated? McKinney states that Howard should resign and Mayor Hedenskog should be recalled, and that the people of Brookings need to show up at every Council meeting to demand that accountability.
Host: Candice Michel; Guest: Former City Councilor John McKinney; Producer: Candice Michel
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual participants. Curry Coast Community Radio takes no position on issues discussed in this program.
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Intro and end music: The Best Is Yet to Come, licensed from audioblocks.com.
This is an outrageous case of nepotism gone wrong here on the Oregon Coast. Any other employee or citizen would have been immediately terminated for this ongoing criminal behavior and lack of accountability which also begs the question of why a person with such serious mental issues is allowed to be involved in any government decisions whatsoever especially the financial access questions. Extremely troubling, corrupt and infuriating! Action is required by a higher authority.
Nepotism? Who is related?
Erin, thank you for listening and caring so deeply about this. I agree, it’s disturbing, infuriating, and is eroding the good name of our city. Unfortunately, we are the higher authority in this case – the voters. Since the City Manager is basically the CEO of the City, and her employment is determined by the City Council, only they can hire or fire. And only the voters can decide who their Mayor and City Councilors are. There is basically no higher authority than us. McKinney stated that Mayor Hedenskog should be recalled. If you weren’t at the City Council meeting last night, you might want to watch the video. We lost a good police officer to this, as Officer Bryan Holmes resigned last night. His emotional speech was hard to listen to, and he got a standing ovation from the audience when he finished. Please stay involved, and direct others to listen to the interview and get involved as well.
thanks,
Candice
What is the link to watch the video of city council meetings? I could not find it posted on You Tube.
Go to the city’s web page “Agenda Center” for agendas, minutes, and recorded meetings.
https://www.brookings.or.us/agendacenter
Look for the “Media” heading for recordings.
I really do hope that people are outraged by these actions. You mention 15 instances in a 90 day period, I’m positive there are more and that’s just what the AP team had time to scrape together. The corruption is running rampant in the coastal towns of Oregon and people think it’s Mayberry and nothing is going on. Time for people to start opening their eyes to the corrupt officials instead of worshiping the ground they walk on blindly!
The loss of Officer Holmes is truly a huge loss to the community. He was a fantastic, ethical, and upstanding officer. There are many who could have learned from him. There are many officers within the county, for multiple agencies who should have never been put onto the streets with a badge. I can say without a doubt that he is not on that list and could teach ethics and proper policing to those who are.
Beyond disgusting and disappointing that the good ones are driven out for the corrupt. I hope that the other employees who he spoke of in his resignation speech find a way out as well!
VOTE VOTE VOTE!!! Make your voices heard!!! Flood the city council meetings, do not be silenced!
Thank you, Lex. I hope folks are outraged as well. The over-arching question for me is why? Why has the Mayor gone to such extraordinary lengths for Janell Howard? One of our police officers resigned at the Council meeting last night, and said he wouldn’t be the last. As John McKinney says, Janell needs to resign, and the Mayor needs to be recalled.
Look further into it and follow the money. ALWAYS follow the money. She feigned mental health issues and threatened to sue for discrimination. It costs the city less to reinstate her than to fight a lawsuit in court.
Just wow this city needs to stop what is going on she is a thief and does not need to be employed with in our city management this is a outrage and I also think that the mayor needs to be recalled at once and she needs to be fired and maybe anyone that stands with them needs to go also this is just stupid they are liars so think about it what else are they lying about this is our city no theirs they work for us it is our money that pays their salary it’s bad enough that our government that runs our country are liars lets not have the same thing happening here stop this now .
In tbe past I was very active in local politics…never ran for any office, but went to many city council and planning commission meetings and always spoke to many in these positions. Brookings and Curry County have a long and often sordid history of corruption. Officer Bishop who managed to be the first ever Luitenant on the Brookings force and later joined the county Sheriff’s Dept. and more recently arrested for embezzlement of funds when appointed as head of an agency oc fellow officers. We had corruption in the city of Brookings under long serving Mayor Hagbom and drinking buddy city manager Leroy Blodgett and at the same time a Planning Commission of questionable ethics.
We lost a great police chief due to City Manager Leroy’s Bodgett being stopped for DUii by Donny Dotson who was told that no one is above the law…Mayor Hagbom and his corrupt council made sure that that police chief was fired…and the county was and is still run by many with no moral compass.
I also wrote many letters to the editor of the old Pilot as part of my activism. Mayor Hedenskog and I have gone toe to toe often even before he was first on the city council and later mayor and again councilman and now again mayor! It comes as no surprise to me that he appears to be the skunk in the woodpile in the Janell Howard travesty! I am no longer able to speak my truth to these corrupt people and the Pilot no longer represents the local citizenry with meaningful journalism. Tbere are wonderful people in Brookings, but we need to have good people have a voice and that takes time and commitment which sadly does not seem to be in abundance.
Perhaps someone will read this post in front of the Council since I am now unable to do so myself. Please note the glazed over eyes of many council members if you find someone willing to read my letter.
Thank you for taking an interest in this very serious lack of integrity by the mayor and anyone else with dirty hands.
According to the NBC5 report on KOBI5.com March 2, 2023 by Zach Larsen, Ron Hedenskog stated “although some city employees disagree with the decision [to reinstate Janelle Howard]…a majority of citizens and city staff support their [the council’s] efforts.” Hedenskog also stated as reported by Roger Gitlin in the Curry Coastal Pilot on 2-5-23 “I made my position very clear on this issue and did so before I was re-elected, last November.” In media literacy these are called lies of omission. This city government seems to do a lot of that. Hedenskog conveniently doesn’t mention that no public study, survey or poll was done so he has NO evidence that the majority of the citizens support him, AND he neglects to mention that he made his statement about reinstating Howard close enough to the election that many citizens had already cast their vote—a vote that might have been different if Hedenskog had been honest sooner.
Once again this man demonstrates that he really does not care about the opinions of the citizens of Brookings. He does not care about the cost to us citizens of the special interest decisions that he (and with his pressure) the council frequently make. This and the previous city council (where he served) have had to pay with our money: $300,000 in a lawsuit against a disabled woman; have us embroiled in a federal lawsuit against a church; with their special interest support of a local contractor, have us in an action involving the Oregon State Land Use Board of Appeals; and have paid for two interim city managers while paying for Howard on her leave—all using our tax dollars. Yes, follow the money. In fact perhaps we need to ask the Oregon Government Ethics Commission to step in and help follow that money!
This is the council that voted for commercial residential within our beautiful Dawson neighborhood. This after the planning commission voted it down. I knew there was golden handshake among the council . Lets all vote for new council.
as a retiree from the City, am appalled at the lack of ethics that continues. i would like thank Barbara N. for her letter. i alway enjoyed her at the meetings; her letter was “spot on ” from Blodgett to the the lack of professionals in the Planning Dept. (john Bisfcoff) was he was only only certified planner). i’m looking for the Recall for Hagbom: i did not vote for him.