Council Passes Midnight Edicts in its Final Meeting of the Lame Duck Session!

To All COLA LO Members,

As many expected the city council went late into the night on their last session passing many of the projects and plans of the current administration in 4-3 votes at the "midnight hour" of this lame duck council.    Clearly the current administration had their "ducks all lined up" before the council session.  

Citizens testified often that they felt betrayed by the council making these decisions a week before Christmas knowing that the new council would disagree with the direction. 

It was clearly a night for jamming decisions and costs through when the current Hoffman administration knew they had a 4-3 majority on the council.     It was after all consistent with how this administration has acted over the past four years.  

Details can be found in :  Late Night Council Passes Foothills

The majority of citizens opposed the effort to push through decisions on Foothills, appointments, and expenditures at the final hour.    Despite attempts by councilors, Gudman, Kehoe, and Olson Mayor Hoffman ignored the appeals of the public and forced votes.  

Several COLA members and members of other groups testified that it wasn't morally right for the decisions to be made in the final session of a council that was effectively ousted in the 2012 election, when they knew the new council voted by the people were against the proposed direction.  

It seems the final legacy of the Hoffman administration has been sealed in the history of Lake Oswego, and its fair to say its not a positive one in the minds of the majority of citizens. 

As one online comment states:
  "I believe Mayor's Hoffman and Sam Adams are similar in many ways including their desire to ram through their last minute "epic" efforts to be relevant. They both have failed. Also, they have both been the worst mayors in memory for their respective cities. So glad they are gone for good. Hopefully the new city council in Lake Oswego can reverse the damage Hoffman and his cohorts have done to that great city. "

Lets see how the new council handles the issues as many believe they will reverse a majority of the decisions made in late night backroom agreements in this administration.    2013 may be the real year of tough work to return good governance to Lake Oswego.  

More details to come before the holidays.  

Please notify all members, contacts and friends.