Council members absent from first-ever local session led by state Ethics Commission

By Damian Mann for Ashland.news

An Oregon Government Ethics Commission training Wednesday helped Ashland officials and staff better understand Oregon ethics law in the wake of two violations last year by local officials.

“Education is one of our highest priorities,” said Ruth Sylvester, trainer for the Ethics Commission.

About 12 officials and staff attended the more than two-hour ethics training in the City Council chamber.

They got the lowdown on Oregon Revised Statute 244, which details how those in government should perform their duties and how to safeguard the public trust.

The training follows two ethics violations in 2023, one by Mayor Tonya Graham and the other by Leslie Eldridge, director of Parks & Recreation.

Graham’s conflict of interest arose when she voted on Feb. 7, 2023, in favor of nominating herself as mayor, a position that at the time paid $150 a year more than a councilor. When she cast the vote, Graham was councilor.

At the time, the councilor position paid $350 a year and the mayor position paid $500.

During a council meeting on Feb. 21, 2023, Graham attempted to correct the error and announced she had failed to disclose a conflict of interest and asked a fellow councilor to make a motion to reconsider her appointment as mayor.

Eldridge didn’t announce a conflict of interest when she was nominated as director, though she recused herself from voting and also announced the conflict at a previous meeting.

When Eldridge was nominated, she was a member of the parks commission.

Eldridge, who acknowledged her mistake in not announcing a conflict, said she is working to resolve the complaint with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission

When Eldridge was nominated as director in 2023, she was a member of the parks commission.

Both Eldridge and Graham received letters of education from the Ethics Commission, resolving the complaint filed by former Ashland City Councilor Russ Silbiger.

Neither Eldridge nor Graham attended the meeting, though Graham briefly appeared before the meeting began and spoke with Brandon Goldman, director of Community Development.

Graham said she had previously had training in ethics law.

Jim Bachman, chair of the Parks & Recreation Commission, was in attendance, along with fellow commissioner Rick Landt.

Landt said he received training years ago from Ashland legal staff about ethics law.

He said that in addition to the in-person class Wednesday night, there will be an upcoming online class as well.

During the training, Landt wanted to know if a public official needs to leave a meeting when a conflict of interest is declared.

Sylvester said there are some cases where it is recommended that an official leave the room.

She said that if there is any conflict it needs to be put in the public record or minutes of the meeting.
Conflicts of interest fall into two main categories: potential and actual.

A potential conflict must be announced at a meeting on each occasion when the same topic is discussed.

An actual conflict generally requires making an announcement and refraining from talking about it.

In some instances, an official who has declared a conflict may not talk about the topic but could potentially vote on in situations where there isn’t a quorum.

Sylvester recommended that, if a conflict situation arises, to call the Ethics Commission to get further insight.

Other topics discussed at the training included discussion of rules that prohibit use of an office for personal gain or private employment, nepotism and gifts.

Generally gifts can’t exceed a value of $50 during a calendar year from a single source.

Confidential information gleaned while working for a public agency can’t be used if an elected official takes a job in the private sector.

Some of the penalties for violating ethics laws could include a civil penalty with a maximum $5,000 fine. Letters of education are another penalty for lesser offenses.

In Oregon, there are 260,000 public officials, such as those on boards, commissions and city councils, as well as firefighters and school teachers.

Sylvester said the nine-member Ethics Commission was formed in 1974 in response to the Watergate era, a scandal that led to the resignation of then-President Richard Nixon.

Another city official who attended, Brandon Goldman, director of Community Development, said he didn’t recall the city previously having this type of ethics training from the Ethics Commission.

His recollection was later confirmed by acting City Recorder Alissa Kolodzinski.

“This is the first time someone from the Oregon Government Ethics Commission has held a training in our area,” she told Ashland.news in an email. “They held the same training to several other southern Oregon Cities this past week. It is my understanding that there will be training sessions held in the future.”

Reach freelance writer Damian Mann at dmannnews@gmail.com.

Related stories:

Ethics Commission gives Ashland mayor ‘letter of education’ (Sept. 9, 2023)

Ashland Parks & Rec contends with ethics complaint, budget error (Nov. 1, 2023)