Citizens Working To Recall Waldport City Council

During the April Waldport City Council meeting when Mayor Heide Lambert attempted to take her place as Mayor to lead the meeting, she was presented with paperwork from City Manager Dann Cutter that effective immediately, she was excluded from city hall in any other role other than a general citizen. This was because the rest of the city council voted through to remove her as the elected Mayor of Waldport. During this meeting the city also denied any public comment. As a result while the Mayor was being removed and cited, which was dropped, the crowd of citizens who voted for Lambert were shouting "Recall, Recall, Recall." And now they have taken action on that promise.

On July 10th, Chief Petitioner Tony Thimakis filed 5 Prospective Petitions for Recall at Waldport City Hall. The 6th petition was filed a few days later. City council members petitioned for recall include Greg Dunn (City Council President), Susan Woodruff, Rick Booth, Jayme Morris, Michelle Severson and Jerry Townsend. The recall started due to dissatisfaction with the council's actions, including the mayor's removal and rubber-stamping decisions and actions by the city manager without listening to what citizens have to say.

The council learned of the recall efforts at their July Meeting. Council president Dunn made a statement "I am not surprised. There has been a group of people who have been very vocal and I am not surprised someone would try to remove me. That's not going to deter me. I'm standing up for the citizens, for the city and I'm not going anywhere unless I get recalled, if I get recalled."

“It started out that we were upset about what they did with the mayor, and that was a unanimous vote,” said Thimakis, recall organizer. “As we dug through the records, we’re finding more and more that they’re just rubber stamping things that the City Manager brings in. There’s no discussion, there’s no debate. It’s just presented, signed and move on.” The recall petition, now in its early stages, has garnered significant community interest.

Organizers have a single-signature petitions that can be mailed in or picked up. “We are getting response on all of that. We’ve had people reach out to us the last several days. Again, a lot of this has just gotten going. We got all the paperwork last week, made copies, so it’s still in its infancy, but we’re getting a good response from the community,” said Thimakis. Details can be found on the Justice for Waldport page.

In addition to the recall, an ethics complaint has been filed against the council, alleging violations of public meeting laws. The state Ethics Commission has found merit in the complaint and has launched a formal investigation. “The Ethics Committee has said that there is merit to my complaint and that they’re now doing an actual investigation,” Thimakis explained. While the likely outcome may be a reprimand or required training, the investigation underscores the seriousness of the allegations. There was also an ethics complaint made by someone else about Mayor Lambert, however that was dismissed.

The council’s handling of city audits has also come under scrutiny. Critics argue that the council has failed to enforce compliance with state requirements, citing a lack of penalties for noncompliance and a pattern of excusing lapses by referencing similar failures in other cities. Waldport has not had an audit completed since 2020. The controversy has also reignited debate over term limits and the interpretation of the city charter. Some officials have served for over a decade, and there is disagreement over whether the charter’s 12-year consecutive term limit applies equally to councilors and the mayor.

Financially, the recall process is expected to cost the city between $2,500 and $3,000, a sum that will ultimately be borne by local taxpayers. “It would have been much easier if they talked to us and tried to fix the problems, but you have to admit there’s a problem before you can fix it,” said Thimakis. If the recall petitions gather the required 192 signatures, a special election will be held. Council members have the option to resign within a set period to avoid the recall vote. Should the recall succeed, the city charter stipulates that the remaining council members—or, if necessary, the county—will appoint replacements until a new election can be held.

As the recall and ethics investigations proceed, Walport residents are left grappling with questions about transparency, accountability, and the future of their local government. “I believe that the citizens of Walport need to be informed,” said Thimakis. “For six city officials to decide that the vote of the entire community is invalid, and that they have priority over who’s going to be on the council is offensive.” The coming weeks will determine whether the recall effort succeeds and what changes may be in store for Walport’s city leadership.