EDITORIAL: Council appears ready to work with new manager

Published 12:00 pm Wednesday, June 21, 2023

The Baker City Council had a roster of four credible candidates to choose from as councilors sought to hire an interim city manager to replace Jonathan Cannon, who is resigning July 3.

Three of the four are longtime local residents — Loran Joseph, Ryan Chaves and Peter Johnson.

Councilors, though, hired Jon France, who moved to Baker City earlier this year.

France has solid credentials. He worked for 18 years at the Sierra Army Depot in Herlong, California, a remote area in the northeastern part of the state near the Nevada border. He oversaw the Army’s largest retail warehouse, managing more than 500 people and a budget of about $150 million. France said he also worked with public agencies, including public works, fire and police departments, so he has experience in municipal operations.

France, who grew up in the Midwest, moved to Baker City from Susanville, California, a city of about 16,000 that, like Baker City, is in a sparsely populated region where farming and ranching are important industries. Also like Baker City, Susanville was formerly a center for logging and mining.

France acknowledged that he faces a challenging situation at Baker City Hall, where the council this spring had to transfer nearly half a million dollars from its street fund to help bridge a $1 million gap in its general fund, which includes the police and fire departments. Councilors will have to make difficult decisions before the 2024-25 fiscal year starts on July 1, 2024, and the interim city manager will play a vital role in those discussions.

Councilors might ask voters to approve a local gasoline tax this November.

“We clearly have budget challenges heading into our next fiscal year and tough choices will need to be made to close the budget deficit Baker City faces,” France told the Baker City Herald last week. “I look forward to helping find solutions.”

Mayor Matt Diaz noted that councilors had four good candidates, and that choosing an interim manager was not easy.

“All four of the candidates are incredibly qualified and did well in the interview process,” Diaz said.

Joseph has the most experience in Baker City government, having served as a councilor and mayor as recently as 2020.

Chaves is a local business owner and Johnson is president of the Anthony Lakes Outdoor Recreation Association, which operates the ski area as well as the city-owned Quail Ridge Golf Course.

As Diaz said, any of three could have been an effective interim manager.

But Diaz’s contention that France is the best choice due to his “fresh, outside look” at the city’s problems is reasonable.

Councilor Beverly Calder, who along with Jason Spriet voted against the motion to hire France, said she preferred having an interim manager with local ties. Calder, in an unofficial vote prior to the 5-2 vote to hire France, cast her ballot for Johnson.

Calder’s point about the value of familiarity with Baker City is also valid.

Fortunately it appears that the council has set aside the recent turmoil over the question of whether Diaz or Calder is the mayor, and that councilors are committed to working together, with France, to confront the city’s challenges.

Debate is healthy, to be sure. But councilors will need to focus on issues rather that personalities over the next year. Besides the budget problems, councilors will also need to hone their search for a city manager who doesn’t have “interim” as part of the job title.

France’s contract is limited to six months. So long as councilors devote their attention to working with France, there’s no reason that the city’s situation shouldn’t be better at the end of his contract than it was at the start.