Document text
Click Here 43 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, January 30, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend January 21, 2004 Medford Council action stuns ex-mayor Lou Hannum sees vote against Berryman appointees as insult; those voting say they took expert advice By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune A Medford Water Commission board member says it was an insult to Mayor Lindsay Berryman when the City Council snubbed her efforts to appoint someone to the influential board. "I was just stunned by the organized activity," said Lou Hannum, a former Medford mayor. The council Thursday voted unanimously against each of Berryman’s three appointments and ended up reappointing the current board member for a fourth term. Commission board member Jack Day, who has served on the board for 15 years, was reappointed to another five-year-term. "The (city) charter calls for the mayor to make the appointment," said Hannum. "I consider that an organized attempt to defeat the mayor on something. "I think it’s an insult to the mayor." Advertisement Unlike the city’s other commissions and committees, the water commission is a chartered organization and the mayor appoints volunteer board members and the council affirms them. Councilman Jim Key, liaison to the commission, said he asked the council to support him because he thinks continuity is important, especially with a new water commission manager, Larry Rains, on board. Councilwoman Claudette Moore said she was merely trusting Key’s judgment when she gave him her support. "It wasn’t meant to be disrespectful of the mayor at all," she said. She said the reason she voted the way Key asked her to is because she trusted that as liaison, he had a better sense of the needs of the commission. But the mayor said with 40 applications for commissions and committees this year, it’s essential to appoint fresh faces. To continue to appoint the same people tells residents they can’t get involved. She said unlike other commissions and committees, the water commission sets policy, and they have the power to extend city water lines, which can have an impact on when and where development goes. "It’s a nice status to be able to sit on that water commission," she said. Hannum agreed. "It’s probably the most powerful commission we have," he said. Unlike other departments in the city, all the revenue goes back into the water system, he said. "(The commission) has quite a lot to say about the money that’s used," he said. Hannum said he plans to bring up the issue at the water commission’s board meeting today12:30 p.m.in room 151, Lausmann Annex, 200 S. Ivy St., Medford. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times