23 May 2014
City Manager Search on the Move
An interim City Manager could be on the job in Florence within the next ten days. Mayor Nola Xavier said the man, who she declined to identify, is a retired city manager who works part time “filling in” for communities that need temporary management.
Nola Xavier – “We have made an offer to one and he’s verbally accepted. We don’t have a signed contract yet, but I think that’s probably a mere formality.”
The interim city manager will be on a four month contract, running from June 1st to September 30th… a date by which Xavier says she hopes to have a permanent hire identified.
Nola Xavier – “We hope to just move along at a steady rate with a plan to get this done in four… or a little over four month period of time.”
The current City Manager, Jacque Betz, is leaving June 5th to take a similar position in the City of Newberg.
Machete Swings Lead to School Lockdown
Schools in Florence went on lockdown late Wednesday afternoon. Police requested the move after a screaming, machete wielding man began walking in the direction of schools on Oak Street. Police Lieutenant John Pitcher said 37-year old Jack Edward Schmidt was seen standing near Highway 101 a little after two pm. When he headed west on 26th street towards schools, that’s when police suggested the lock down.
Siuslaw School District officials complied and all four schools locked their doors.
Pitcher said Schmidt did not threaten anyone directly with the blade and he declined to specify what the man had been yelling. Schmidt was taken into custody and charged with disorderly conduct and attempted unlawful use of a weapon. It’s not clear if intoxicants were involved.
Effort to Reduce Child Abuse Gaining Ground
A “leadership team” is coming together to help guide a focused effort on reducing child abuse and neglect by a significant amount over the next decade and a half in Lane County. Rose Wilde (WILL-dee) says the goal is to reduce abuse and neglect by 90 percent before the year 2030.
Rose Wilde – “The last 20-years there’s been a real explosion of research in this area showing that we can make a very big difference if we actually focus our attention and resources specifically onto reducing abuse and neglect.”
It is science based… but also relies heavily on local involvement. It could also eventually serve as a model for other communities.
Rose Wilde – “90-by-30 is intended to be a demonstration project. We want to show what would happen if an entire county specifically and intentionally focused on using the best research and highest level of community involvement to focus all of our attention on child abuse and neglect and reduction of those issues.”
The group held an informational meeting earlier this week in Florence with a local “leadership team” forming out of that. They’ll meet again at the Port of Siuslaw office June 3rd. The effort is backed by the University of Oregon and the Ford Family Foundation.