The Real Story – Community Information – Endorsements
The Hillsboro Herald receives communications from community groups and candidates during election cycles. The Herald is posting this information, which was sent to us by Friends of Smart Growth for review. We find the information here particularly important, as it introduced the candidates, provided sound information, and informed the public about important North Plains updates and a pending data Center Moratorium.
After a careful review of the candidates and platforms put forward for City Council, the Herald endorses Don Weber, Anna Warrington, and Melody Axe. The main reasons for our decision are the commitment to fiscal accountability and to measured growth. North Plains has been fraught with historical financial issues stemming from years of the City management’s and prior councils’ inability and failure to do so. In addition, previous Councils from 2020 to 2024, pressured by large landowners and developers, sought to expand the urban growth boundary by massive amounts and proposed Industrial lands adjacent to grade schools and residential neighborhoods. A town like North Plains with its excellent history of balanced growth should not double in size overnight. Rather, small additions that enhance the fabric and character that already exist should be carefully pursued. This slate of candidates is focused on the right things and on engaging the existing residents, giving their voices center stage. The Hillsboro Herald heartily endorses the panel of Anna, Melody, and Don to take North Plains into a prosperous future.
We have reviewed the information we could locate on the other candidates for North Plains City Council and were unable to determine their platforms or commitments on issues of growth and financial stability.
In addition, there is an important meeting on Monday to push through a Data Center Moratorium to prevent North Plains from facing the negative impacts of Data Centers, as seen in Hillsboro. See below.
See their Platform right here.
There is a Meet and Greet today with RSVP, and three additional events coming soon.
From the Email we received today-
North Plains City Council Elections Feature a Slate With Community-Focused Platform
Hello North Plains Friends,
Just a reminder to RSVP for a meet and greet this afternoon with three great candidates for North Plains City Council, Anna Warrington, Melody Axe, and Don Weber. The event is today, Sunday, 9/20 from 4-6pm in Brynhill – we’ll send the address to those who RSVP.
We also want to share news about what North Plains can accomplish with good staff and City Councilors:
City Councilors Mark De Forge and Don Weber recently saved a $1 million grant that the city almost lost because of mismanagement by former City Manager Bill Reid and his staff. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted this money to North Plains to clean up the city-owned Glencoe property. Reid (who was hired by the former Council led by Russ Sheldon and Teri Lenahan) and the city’s former planner claimed that they were doing work under this grant right up until their last days, but as soon as they left we found out that this was false. Top Oregon EPA officials contacted North Plains City Council to let them know no work had been performed on this grant, no funds had been requested, and EPA had received no communication from city staff for 15 months despite multiple attempts by EPA to reach out. EPA staff were baffled because this was the first time that a city had failed to use their funding, and they wanted to know if the city still wanted the money because otherwise they would take it back. Fortunately, Councilors De Forge and Weber along with former Interim City Manager Ross Schultz assured the EPA that they would use the funds as intended – to clean the most blighted part of the city. City Council is doubling down on the Glencoe property at Monday’s meeting. Councilors De Forge and Weber should be applauded for negotiating in an emergency to keep funds that the former city manager almost lost.
You might notice that the Jessie Mays building is now being repaired. That’s great. But repairs like this could and should have happened under the former City Council managed by Russ Sheldon and Teri Lenahan. Former City Manager Bill Reid (hired by Sheldon and Lenahan’s City Council) lost tens of thousands of dollars in public works funding because he was non-responsive to grantors. Reid applied for about $20,000 for AV improvements at Jessie Mays, but when the grantor reached out to him to finalize the paperwork Reid didn’t reply for four months so we lost the funds. Reid also had to return over $30,000 for tech upgrades to the Kindel Center because he didn’t use the grant. Reid then refused to give the money back to the grantor for 6 months, causing the grantor to consider legal action against North Plains. Reid was singularly focused on forcing a 550+ acre expansion, to the extent that he neglected the basic duties of a City Manager. Councilor Don Weber has been especially focused on getting public works funding, which includes restoring the grantors’ confidence in City Council now that Bill Reid is gone. Now with a professional serving as Interim City Manager and Councilors dedicated to community services and responsibility, we are seeing progress on Jessie Mays.
City Council will be considering a data center moratorium at their meeting tomorrow, Monday, 9/21. The call for a data center moratorium is being led by Councilor Anna Warrington, and most Councilors seem supportive. We ask you to give comment in support:
In writing, emailed to info@northplains.gov and/or
Verbally at the meeting at 7:10pm.
If in person, fill out a yellow card when you arrive at Jessie Mays.
If by Zoom, email the City Recorder at info@northplains.gov by 3:00 pm on Monday and provide your name, address, email, phone, and a general topic.
Watch or testify on Zoom here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/
81572897204?pwd= AdDUI3UGvOJDjUgy4LybYbK51TMDou .1
Meeting ID: 815 7289 7204
Passcode: 058780
As a reminder, Friends of Smart Growth exists to make sure that your tax dollars and our natural resources are used well on city programs that benefit the community, not on unneeded sprawl that benefits only a few developers and land speculators at your expense. We do this work openly with elected officials who share our core values, who you can see plainly on our website. And we do it not only for the benefit of North Plains, but for the state. For example, we’re advancing legislation inspired by the misdeeds of North Plains’ former staff and the former Lenehan/Sheldon City Council to require cities to: perform audits, not spend tax dollars on promoting candidates or PACs, and not obstruct Councilors from calling special meetings. We are an organized 501(c)(4) and report our campaign contributions and expenses with full transparency.
Contrast our approach to the misinformation group “real friends” of North Plains that works on behalf of special interests to help them make money off of sprawl at your expense. The “real friends” are very likely funded exclusively by those special interests, but we don’t know for sure because they aren’t organized as an entity and don’t publicly report their funders.
To support Friends of Smart Growth and our slate of candidates who value good governance, community services, responsible growth, and stewardship of tax dollars, you can meet our candidates for City Council: Anna Warrington, Melody Axe, and Don Weber at upcoming events. RSVP here especially to get the address of the meet and greet TODAY at a private home in Brynhill.
9/20 (TODAY Sunday) at a home in Brynhill (RSVP for details): 4-6pm
9/27 (Sunday) at Rogue Brew Pub: 4-6pm
10/11 (Sunday) at Tentatively at Jessie Mays, Candidate Forum hosted by Strong Towns North Plains: 4-6pm.
More to come…
Want to host your own meet and greet? Just let us know!
Sign up to Volunteer or host a Meet & Greet here.
Sign up for a Yard Sign here.
Donate to help the slate of candidates here.
In partnership,
Friends of Smart Growth
