Threatening email sent to City Council warns of ‘personal liability’ if ordinance enacted

The building housing the city of Ashland City Council chamber on East Main Street. Ashland.news photo by Bob Palermini
March 28, 2024

Extra officer will be on hand Tuesday, police chief says, when second and final vote expected on telecommunications regulations

By Morgan Rothborne, Ashland.news

An anonymous individual or individuals sent a threatening email to Ashland City Council and Mayor Tonya Graham Wednesday afternoon with a “demand that you declare a moratorium” on a telecommunication ordinance up for a second and final vote Tuesday. 

In the email, obtained by Ashland.news, the authors identified themselves only as “The People,” and wrote to councilors any action but a moratorium would be “ill-advised.” 

The email reads, in part: “We, the many deeply concerned people of Ashland, demand that you declare a moratorium on the telecommunication ordinance/resolution approval process and delay the April 2 vote … You will hear on April 2 what courses of action some people may currently feel compelled to take should you choose not support us. You were presented with an Advisory at the last meeting that spoke to the core issues for us and what personal liability you may be vulnerable to. We are the people you swore to protect, and who better than we to tell you what that means.” 

The council voted 5 to 1 on Tuesday, March 19, to approve the first reading of the telecommunications ordinance. Councilor Gina DuQuenne voted in opposition while Councilors Jeff Dahle, Dylan Bloom, Paula Hyatt, Eric Hansen and Bob Kaplan voted in favor. The ordinance was expected to be up for a second reading and final vote during the April 2 council business meeting. 

In the Wednesday email, the author or authors told councilors they are “men and women of conscience with free will” who should not repeat statements “that your hands are tied” by federal law in regards to 5G technology and the ordinance. 

Reached by phone Thursday morning, Ashland Police Chief Tighe O’Meara stated that there will be an additional officer at the upcoming meeting Tuesday in reaction to the way this topic has shown itself to be a “volatile subject.” But O’Meara said he believed the threat in the email and the “advisory” it referenced was simply referring to some kind of recall process. 

During the public comment period at the Tuesday, March 19, meeting, one person during public comment stated the ordinance could be a trigger to recall city councilors or fire the city attorney. 

“As long as people obey the rules, they’re free to say whatever they want and engage in any kind of democratic process,” O’Meara said. 

No response was immediately received to an Ashland.news email sent to the email address on the anonymous email sent to councilors. The same email address has been used in at least one public comment on record in connection with a prior application regarding a cell tower proposal in Ashland. 

Email Ashland.news reporter Morgan Rothborne at morganr@ashland.news.

March 29: Day of second and final vote on proposed ordinance corrected to say Tuesday, not Monday.

Picture of Bert Etling

Bert Etling

Bert Etling is the executive editor of Ashland.news. Email him at betling@ashland.news.

Related Posts...

Mystery novelist writes what she knows

Pamela Dehnke (den-key) is a retired California court reporter, who now owns Nightingales Bed and Breakfast in Ashland. She’s mined her career for the Court Reporter Mystery series, which includes “The Court Reporter Always Gets the Last Word,” “Upon Further Examination” and “Wrong Place, Wrong Time.”

Read More »

Curtain Call: Returning to her theater roots

Curtain Call: Amirah David was 8 years old when she landed her first professional gig in “The Magic Stone, the Musical” at Actors’ Theatre in Talent, later rebranded as Camelot Theatre. Thirty years later she’s back on the Camelot stage as Maria in “The Sound of Music.” The iconic musical opens Nov. 20 and will run through Dec. 31.

Read More »

Our Sponsors

Recology Ashland Leaf Composting Event Ashland Oregon
Conscious Design Build Ashland Oregon

Latest posts

Catty Corner: On feeding cats, Part 1

Catty Corner: Kibble or canned? Free feed or schedule? Our next two columns will cover tips on how, what, when and where to feed your feline family members, which depends on many factors in the lives of your furry ones.

Read More >

Mystery novelist writes what she knows

Pamela Dehnke (den-key) is a retired California court reporter, who now owns Nightingales Bed and Breakfast in Ashland. She’s mined her career for the Court Reporter Mystery series, which includes “The Court Reporter Always Gets the Last Word,” “Upon Further Examination” and “Wrong Place, Wrong Time.”

Read More >

Ask Strider: Do dogs dream?

Ask Strider: Our advice columnist has a dream to relate. Other dogs have told him about their top dreams too. And his experiences at the dog park lead him to believe there are a number of ways to handle your attendance (or not) at a holiday party.

Read More >

Our Sponsors

City of Ashland Public Notice Ashland Oregon
Pronto Printing Ashland Medford Oregon
Ashland.news House Ad

Explore More...

Pamela Dehnke (den-key) is a retired California court reporter, who now owns Nightingales Bed and Breakfast in Ashland. She's mined her career for the Court Reporter Mystery series, which includes "The Court Reporter Always Gets the Last Word," "Upon Further Examination" and "Wrong Place, Wrong Time."
In a circle of chairs at the Rogue Valley Metaphysical Library, volunteers for Ashland’s severe weather shelter were gathered for a training in how to offer trauma-informed care to shelter guests. Trauma can make people feel unsafe, not accepted, or lead to challenges in school, work and relationships. 
Carrie Dahle: For first-time buyers who haven’t been able to build home equity elsewhere, coming up with a 10% or more down payment can feel almost insurmountable, especially in competitive markets like Ashland, where prices continue to climb.
Curtain Call: Amirah David was 8 years old when she landed her first professional gig in “The Magic Stone, the Musical” at Actors’ Theatre in Talent, later rebranded as Camelot Theatre. Thirty years later she’s back on the Camelot stage as Maria in “The Sound of Music.” The iconic musical opens Nov. 20 and will run through Dec. 31.
If you happened to stroll through Lithia Park or the Southern Oregon University campus this weekend, you might have caught a glimpse of a short film production in progress in Ashland. Filming continues this weekend on Sunday, Nov. 10, at various locations, and at Calle Guanajuato on Monday, Nov. 11, depending on weather.
ashland.news logo

Subscribe to the newsletter and get local news sent directly to your inbox.

(It’s free)

Don't Miss Our Top Stories

Get our newsletter delivered to your inbox three times a week.
It’s FREE and you can cancel anytime.