Proponents of a ballot initiative to change the city’s charter regarding mayoral election filed a petition with the City of Sweet Home in an effort to place their proposal on a special May election ballot.
The ballot title would pose the question, “Should the Sweet Home Charter be changed so that the mayor is elected by voters, not by the City Council?”
The Sweet Home Charter, last amended in 2014, is the constitution of the City of Sweet Home. The current charter states that the City Council elects from among itself a chairperson to act as mayor for two years until the next biennial election. According to Interim City Manager Cecily Pretty, this rule has been in place since at least 1986.
The question of amending the charter so that residents vote for their mayor rather than a council of seven has been posed before.
“This question was raised the last time there was a Charter Review Committee back in 2021,” Pretty said. “In addition to the proposal to elect a mayor, there were counter-proposals to require four years of service on council before you can be selected by your peers as mayor, and also to limit a mayor to just two appointed terms. Ultimately, none of these moved forward.”
Dawn Miller, chief petitioner for this ballot title, however, believes the charter hasn’t been reviewed since 2018, and that people have been asking to vote for their mayor for a decade now.
“This is nothing but a quick, simple solution to the people in Sweet Home that had been saying ‘We need to vote for our mayor,’” Miller said. “That’s all it is. It’s a quick, ‘Hey people, do you want to have this power?’”
During a forum of the 12 candidates running for council this past election cycle, every candidate indicated support for a direct-elect system of the city’s mayor. It was candidate Jennifer Victor (who was not able to attend the forum but answered questions during a one-one-one interview) who said a voter-elected system would give residents a chance for their voice to be heard, but also raised questions regarding how effective a different system would be.
“I think the thing that makes me a little bit nervous about that is, with it being opened up, are they going to be voting on the person that truly is going to do the best job, or are they going to be voting on the person that has the most signs out?” Victor asked, adding the idea that ‘he with the most money wins’ might be a problem.
Miller doesn’t see it that way, noting that the same argument could be made for candidates running for a city council seat.
“What I am doing with that petition is merely giving the people their voice,” Miller said. “Do you want to vote for your mayor, or don’t you?”
Sweet Home has a “weak” mayor system, meaning that the mayor has extremely limited administrative authority and largely serves as a figurehead, Pretty explained. The mayor is the chairperson at City Council meetings, and works alongside the city manager to set agendas. He/she may also make direct appointments to boards and committees.
Supporters of the direct-elect system must gather at least 1,153 signatures for the ballot title to be placed on the May ballot. Miller is confident they can reach the mark.
“What we have heard from over 2,000 people is they want to vote their mayor in,” she said.
When the special election in May arrives, 7,686 registered residents will vote on levy renewals for the Sweet Home Police Department and the Sweet Home Public Library, as well as the charter change for a direct election of the mayor (assuming the petition passes requirements).
Voting “yes” for the charter change would allow residents to vote for who would be their mayor. The ballot title clarifies that the current mayor and councilors will continue to serve out their terms. Terms for councilors Chelsea Augsburger, Dylan Richards and Joshua Thorstad, and Mayor Susan Coleman end January 2027, and terms for councilors Ken Bronson, Aaron Hegge and Angelita Sanchez end January 2029. If the measure passes, voters will vote for their next mayor in the 2026 general election for a term to begin in 2027.
To watch the last discussion on the topic among Charter Review Committee members on April 27, 2021, visit https://bit.ly/3WTKARb (or search for it on the city’s YouTube page).
Any elector may petition the Linn County Circuit Court requesting a different ballot title and stating why the ballot title prepared by the city attorney is unsatisfactory by 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 14. A copy of the full ballot title is available at Sweet Home City Hall, 3225 Main St.