WALDPORT – The two newest members of the Central Oregon Coast Fire & Rescue board were sworn in Tuesday night in the first regular meeting since two others were recalled and a third resigned in June.

Zach Akin, a Lincoln County Sheriff’s deputy, and Jon MacCulloch, a retired aerospace industry engineer, took the oath of office Tuesday following their appointments during a special board meeting June 29. They join Ray Woodruff, who was appointed by Lincoln County commissioners and sworn in June 29 — giving the board enough members to then appoint Akin and MacCulloch.

Woodruff and Kevin Battles were absent from Tuesday night’s meeting — Woodruff was ill and Battles was traveling — but after being sworn in Akin and MacCulloch were able to join Reda Eckerman to establish a quorum.

The three new members replace Todd Holt and Kathryn Menefee, who were recalled by voters June 7, and former chair Buster Pankey who resigned June 13. Their terms run for just one year – until June 30, 2023.

Related to the board turmoil but separate from the meeting, the Oregon Government Ethics Commission voted Friday, July 8 to dismiss an ethics complaint against Pankey, Holt, Menefee, Eckerman and Battles alleging they did not give proper notice under Oregon’s meetings law when they met March 16 in executive session to consider a memo from its attorney giving advice on six options to dismiss Chief Jamie Mason.

The complaint from district employee Erich Knudson said the board should have called the meeting under a different section of the state’s meeting law – the possible discipline or dismissal of an employee — allowing Mason the opportunity to attend the closed session or request the meeting be open to the public.

In its report, commission investigator Susan Myers said Pankey told her that if the board had decided to dismiss Mason, it would have scheduled another meeting to discuss that and allow the chief to be present. Based on that, Myers said the meeting was properly called to consider the board attorney’s advice and didn’t need to be called under state law pertaining to dismissal of an employee.

The commission agreed with her recommendation that the complaint be dismissed.

The March executive session came two months after a group began gathering signatures to force a recall election. With the June recalls and resignation, however, the issue before the ethics commission had become moot for most people.

In other business

The first meeting of the re-constituted board Tuesday night involved mostly housekeeping items, establishing goal-setting and information meetings, and scheduling training sessions by staff from the Special Districts Association of Oregon. Eckerman was voted as board chair, MacCulloch as vice chair and Battles as secretary/treasurer.

During its meeting, the board also:

Was told by Mason that he is asking Mckenzie Architects & Engineering of Portland to re-work previous designs to remodel the main station to keep it within its current footprint, which should help lower the cost of replacing it. Mason and the previous board have been trying to find a way to build a new station out of the tsunami zone, but have found no proper property or that development and construction costs were too high;
Was told that three district residents have been found to serve as an independent civil service committee to oversee hiring processes and procedures; and
Appointed MacCulloch and Akin as board representatives to work with Mason to negotiate a new contract with the firefighters union. The contract expired June 30, Eckerman said, but firefighters have agreed to work under its terms until the new one is negotiated and approved by the board.