Brookings Mayor Ron Hedenskog, City Council President Ed Schreiber, and Councilor Michelle Morosky are the subject of the recall.

Longtime Brookings resident and educator Kristi Fultion has been appointed Councilor Position 4 by the Brookings City Council.

The action came at the regular Brookings City Council meeting Monday evening, Nov. 13. The council also accepted the resignations of Brookings Mayor Ron Hedenskog and City Councilor Michelle Morosky during the public session.

The action follows the November 7 Special Recall Election in which Hedenskog, Mornsky and Councilor Ed Schreiber were recalled according to the unofficial vote. The election results were to be certified no later than December 4. It was not immediately clear this posting if Schreiber would submit his resignation.

Moving forward

The Brookings City Council is accepting applications from interested citizens who would like to serve on the council. Applications are available at Brookings City Hall, 898 Elk Drive of at the city’s website, www.brookings.or.us/102/City-Coincil.

City Council members must be a Brookings resident for at least 12 months preceding appointment and a registered elector of the State of Oregon. Voter registration will be verified with the Curry County Election Board.

Applications must be received by the Brookings Deputy City Recorder at city hall by 4:30 p.m. November 28, 2023. The Brookings City Council will then review the submitted applications in a public council meeting and deliberate inn open session on two make appointments.

Background

The Special Recall Election was triggered following collection of more than 463 voter signatures each for three council petitions. As previously reported by the Pilot, Dennis Triglia, is chief Petitioner for the recall of Hedenskog. Triglia, a former Brookings City Councilor, was joined by Henry “Hank” Cunningham, chief petitioner to recall Schreiber, and Debra Worth, chief petitioner to recall Morosky.

All three said the reinstatement of Howard as Brookings City Manager prompted them to file the recall petitions.

Triglia’s petition to recall Mayor Hedenskog says in part that, “Against strong public opinion, Hedenskog has insisted on keeping Janell Howard as City Manager, with whom he has had a long-standing relationship.”

Triglia’s petition states that, “Hedenskog has squandered an excessive amount of hard-earned taxpayer dollars in legal fees, reports and investigations.”

Cunningham’s petition claims that, “Schreiber persuaded other councilors to vote for a permanent reinstatement of Howard, approved by a narrow 3-2 majority” and that “public confidence has suffered”.

Worth says in her petition to recall Councilor Morosky that, “Ms. Morosky has flip-flopped on voting out and then voting to retain Ms. Howard” and “the reputation of the city has been damaged and there is no confidence in the three members of the three members of the sitting council that continue to kowtow to the city manager, a known thief.”

The petitioners outlined their motivation for the recall as based on Hedenskog, Schreiber and Morosky each voting to reinstate Howard as city manager after she was arrested on July 4, 2022, for theft at a local business.

“Howard spent seven months on paid leave before being reinstated to her job in early February, despite strong public opposition. A Brookings Police officer resigned, multiple Brookings City employees wrote a letter in protest, and council chambers were packed with citizens over several months, many of whom implored the council not to reinstate Howard,” the petitioners stated.

The city’s charter declares “A vacancy in the council shall be filled within 60 days by:

• Appointment by a majority of the council.
• Special election when the number of vacancies in the council exceeds the number of members holding office.”