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ALLEGATIONS FLY Gold Hill citizens committee voices frustration Members say city manager has undermined them; he questions their actions Comment By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 11, 2016 at 12:01 AM By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 11, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News Members of the Gold Hill Committee for Citizen Involvement have voiced frustration over alleged actions by the city manager that they say undermined the committee and led to the resignation of committee Chairwoman Lisa Tognoli last week. Tognoli she said resigned because of frustration in communicating with City Manager Rick Hohnbaum, along with a list of concerns ranging from his refusal to provide required recording devices to interception of communications between the committee and council. Hohnbaum said there is some confusion about the role of the group. He said the city is open to feedback from the two-dozen-member committee, adding that the group has failed to follow state open-meeting laws. Formed several decades ago but largely inactive until recently, the citizen committee is asked to provide residents' perspectives on topics being discussed by the council. Tognoli said the group had recently made a recommendation to the council to deem recreational marijuana dispensaries as "adult businesses." Before the recommendation was shared with the council, Hohnbaum drafted a response to include in council packets. Hohnbaum said the committee spent hours "erroneously" discussing a desire for the dispensaries to "remain" under a code that does not exist. Tognoli said the committee's desire to see dispensaries viewed as adult businesses should have been relayed to council, regardless of codes. Tognoli and newly appointed committee chair Deb West said group members declined to have Hohnbaum present at meetings and voiced distrust of city government. A contract employee unexpectedly showed up at a committee meeting to record it, but Tognoli said Hohnbaum could not produce the resulting recording, "because of some mix-up with a dead battery that apparently made the recording unusable." But Hohnbaum "was somehow able to produce minutes" that were inaccurate, Tognoli claimed. Frustrated with what she termed as Hohnbaum's "aggression," Tognoli purchased a recording device for future meetings and said she provided copies to Mayor Jan Fish. While early committee meetings were held at City Hall, committee members initiated a move to the Gold Hill library out of concerns that video and audio-recording equipment could allow remote monitoring. Cameras and audio-recording devices were approved last year at City Hall following allegations from city employee Mary Goddard of inappropriate behavior on the part of Hohnbaum against Goddard and West. Two of three allegations are currently being investigated by the Bureau of Labor and Industries. Asked if he monitored the meetings, Hohnbaum said that he had no desire to do so and that the city was unable to access video recordings remotely. Hohnbaum said he had not set up an audio recording specifically to record the meeting but that a large tape recorder in the council chambers "could have been on" and that he had "been experimenting with use of it and been unsuccessful at getting it to operate." In an email to the Mail Tribune, Hohnbaum later clarified that, in the interest of preserving open meeting laws, "When the CCI met at the city hall, I did have the tape recorder on." On Friday, West alleged that Hohnbaum "tried to road block" her first order of business as new committee chair, thwarting a Jan. 20 request to publicly notice the Feb. 4 meeting; Hohnbaum said he declined because West had not yet been recognized as the committee chair. West called the technicality another example of Hohnbaum "controlling even the smallest dynamics" and said Tognoli had already advertised the Feb. 4 meeting on a group Facebook page. Committee member Debra Riordan said "all the back and forth" between the city and the group was counter-productive and discouraging. "It's all just very disappointing and feels like a betrayal that the City Hall won't listen to the citizens in this community," she said. "It's not a receptive environment for citizens to voice their concerns." Councilor Margaret Dials defended Hohnbaum, saying the citizen committee was "struggling" and that the city manager had made every attempt "to provide minutes and (the) ability to tape meetings" despite accusations of micromanaging. Meanwhile, Hohnbaum implied in an email that the committee was a tool for Council President Donna Silva. "The CCI has become a beating stick for the minority of the council to pummel the majority of the council after discussions and decisions have been made," Hohnbaum wrote, noting that lack of attendance at council meetings "makes it challenging to accept the level of credibility of the CCI when people can make the private meeting at the library but not the public meeting at the city hall because Ms. Silva informed them that the city manger can watch their meetings remotely on the cameras at City Hall." Silva took issue with Hohnbaum's statements, noting that she attended just one meeting, alongside the mayor, Baker and Councilor Chris Stanley. Silva said she never discussed the cameras with the committee. Asked what evidence existed that Silva controlled meeting agendas for the committee, Hohnbaum replied via email, "No evidence. Just presence at CCI startup and leading the process." A frustrated Silva replied, "I went to one meeting because I was asked to help facilitate. That was the last one I attended. Rick Hohnbaum is delusional." Buffy Pollock is a freelance writer living in Medford. Email her at [email protected] . By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 11, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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