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Members of a group called Support Our Seniors are working to recall three members of the city’s elected Parks and Recreation Commission in the wake of the August firing of the Ashland Senior Center’s staff and an evolving plan to modify senior services. Petition paperwork was taken out last Wednesday to recall Michael Gardiner, Jim Lewis and Rick Landt. The other two commissioners are Matt Miller and Joel Heller. Resistance to senior program changes is documented at a new website (ashlandsos.com) and in a video assailing the commission for the layoffs and proposed changes in what services are offered. Among changes that did go through was the discharge of the center's paid staff, including former senior center manager Chris Dodson. She has retained Portland lawyer Christopher Lundberg, who calls it a “wrongful firing … vindictive (and) related to silencing her as an advocate and active spokesperson for that (senior) community.” Lundberg says he and Dodson, manager of the senior center for 14 years, are “actively reviewing all her legal options to address the … wrongful firing.” A lawsuit has not yet been filed, he said Friday in an email. Recall petitioners are listed as Mary Sundberg, Mary Canfield and Avram Chetron. They allege the commissioners "mismanage" a $9 million annual budget and personnel and fail to follow Oregon public meetings law by "under-publicizing meetings, disallowing or ignoring public input, and failing to accurately reflect citizen input in meeting minutes," among other complaints. Support Our Seniors has faulted the process that led to the parks proposals, announced Aug. 7, saying it included "little or no forewarning or input from seniors," and "very little opportunity for public comment since then." While noting that the department had pivoted on its original plans for cost recovery and moving some senior program offerings to The Grove on East Main Street, Chetron, in an interview, said the next step for SOS is to “broaden the net and involve more people … and maintain pressure on the City Council to be responsible and admit they have the power to intervene.” Chetron called on Parks and Recreation to “restore core services” at the senior center, saying they were wiped out with layoffs. “They should start again at the beginning,” said Chetron. “They assume things will simmer down and they can go ahead with their new proposal.” Parks and Recreation Director Michael Black said public officials can’t comment on legal issues. Commissioner Gardiner declined to comment on the advice of his lawyer. Commissioner Landt said the controversy has been marked by many claims but few facts — and is an uncivil discourse. An ad hoc committee on Senior Programs, he adds, will make its recommendations for future operations in February and “we have to trust this process. We will submit their recommendations to the Parks Commission." The recall petition charges malfeasance, but Landt says “none of my votes or actions are malfeasant.” He said the goal of the commission is to help at-risk seniors and that no senior program has been halted. “I challenge any person to name one senior program that has not stayed open,” he said. Commissioner Lewis said all meetings and documents on the issue have been public and the commission never contemplated closing the Senior Center. Lewis said charges of mismanagement by SOS are “trumped up” and a performance audit by a private consultant didn’t find any such problem in Parks and Recreation. The uproar over the Senior Program and the public charges against commissioners and Black have been “shaming,” said Lewis. “Never in my whole life have I been shamed like this. This is really difficult as a human being. You’ve got to have a little empathy. Being tried in the public arena is no fun ... I’m still in shock a little bit. “It seems totally unwarranted. These people are upset because of rumors and half-truths. What’s not realized is that change is inevitable and you’ve got to adapt to it and improvise,” Lewis said. Perhaps the most contentious point has been the layoff of Dodson. But Lewis said, “Chris is not the only person who has these abilities. The transition period has been rocky because of all this controversy and naysaying. We’re still in transition and we have to hire a person (to replace Dodson). It’s not a smooth passing of the baton. “I’ve been volunteering (on city commissions) for 30 years,” says Lewis. “If I’m recalled, I’ll go find another place to volunteer." — John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected].