Our founders understood that city government needed to be focused on us, on the needs of all of the citizens of Baker City. Our City Charter specifically states that all city offices must be nonpartisan. There is no room for party politics, the protection and safety of the whole community must always be the focus of the city council.

That makes perfect sense to me. If you are willing to serve your neighbor, you should serve all your neighbors. There is no room, nor need, in a small city for anything other than what is best for us all.

That doesn’t mean that everyone gets what they want, but it does create a clear and honorable goal for the council. Working to serve the citizens of Baker City is an admirable quest. We are all in the same small boat and the council and the city administration are the oars and the rudder.

The past two years have been difficult for us all.

In addition to the challenges and chaos that the pandemic put upon us, our council has not served us well. I want to be pragmatic and positive, but at the same time, I feel no need to gloss over the problems. In fact, I think it’s important to talk about all of this and to remind ourselves that we can do better and that we deserve, and should therefore demand, better from our elected leaders.

There is no room for disrespect from any member of our city council, not for other members of council, for citizens, or for other public servants — past or present in their participation. Our city council must be leaders in the community, accessible to the public, not beholden to any party agenda nor hiding behind some perceived privilege.

They must be respectable.

This council has allowed a mayor, who has no greater power than any single member of the council, to bully other council members, demean past public servants, and to severely limit public participation in our city governance. The mayor is chosen by council to chair the meetings and is tasked with preserving order. The mayor has no veto power and should encourage discussion, not dictate opinions, and should demand respectful conduct from other members.

The next council has an obligation to change that course.

We must elect representatives that love this city and want to work to make it better for us all. We do not need anyone looking to launch a political career months after taking a vow to serve. We do not need anyone with an agenda beyond serving this community for the length of the term they are elected to.

We need city councilors who are willing to support all of the work that has been accomplished before, and to build upon that good work. We need city councilors who are willing to study issues, understand process, support volunteer advisory boards and have the time and energy to conduct the business of the city with some level of bootstrap grace and humility.

We need councilors dedicated to resetting the standard, and the tone, of what is expected from a public servant. I believe there are some current members of the council that want this as well and as a candidate for the Baker City Council, I am committed to doing just that.

Beverly Calder

Baker City