To the Editor:

Mayor Heather Rookstool sometimes refers to herself in meetings as a teacher. She’s not. She’s an educational assistant.

She introduces herself as John Day’s city manager. She’s not that either.

Wearing her fake title, she demands that city staff meet with her as their “supervisor” and comply with her directives because she is their “boss.” She’s not.

Mayor Rookstool and Councilor Holland’s temporary assignment of management responsibilities by the city council last January was limited in scope. Councilor Holland understands those limitations but the mayor ignores them.

According to the Eagle, Rookstool “insist[s] the city cut off Straw to Gold’s contract due to concerns about costs.” However, she has no authority to cancel a contract issued by the city council and never brought this to them for a decision. If she did cut off their contract, she exceeded her authority as mayor, violating the city charter, which does not give the mayor or city manager authority to cancel agreements approved by the city council.

This abuse of office has become a growing pattern for Rookstool. During the last council meeting, she lied about the city’s greenhouse lease and purchase agreement’s status. Knowing full well she had already invoiced the leaseholder $24,000 in June for rent due per the terms of the prior council’s agreement, she lied to her fellow councilors and the public, claiming there is no agreement, it “was never started,” and the city needed to appraise the building and put it out for bid.

That an agreement still needs to be signed isn’t surprising. She didn’t sign the interim manager contract for Rick Allen until June 27, the day he left office. How did she sign it? “Heather Rookstool, City Manager.”

Declining to answer questions from the public, encouraging other councilors to follow suit, and interrupting them to stop them from answering is not a good look for those campaign promises of honesty and transparency.

Rookstool is not the victim here. She has become a power-hungry, truth-challenged elected official in the process of driving off those qualified and willing to help. The victim is John Day.

Judy Schuette

John Day