OAKRIDGE, Ore. (AP) — The mayor and three city councilors in the small Oregon timber town of Oakridge have survived a recall election despite a financial crisis that has turned recent council meetings into shouting matches.
The Register-Guard reports (http://bit.ly/pOmART) that final, unofficial returns from Tuesday’s election show Mayor Don Hampton and councilors Rayetta Clark, Amy Kordosky and Glenn Fortune retaining their posts.
The recall effort began weeks before city officials revealed that the town blew through $1.2 million in cash reserves over a two-year period. However, once the budget crisis hit, the idea of booting those councilors who refused to fire City Administrator Gordon Zimmerman became a way for people in the town to vent.
Recall foes organized in recent weeks and attended a recent council meeting wearing “no recall” T-shirts. They warned that a void on the council would do more harm than good.
