Klamath commissioners criticized for false accusations 0082409

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County commissioners criticized

Charter proponent Bill Kennedy fires back over what he says were false accusations

by Ty Beaver, Herald and News August 22, 2009

Following are some notes on what’s going on in Klamath County and Klamath Falls government: Bill Kennedy, a Klamath Basin rancher and supporter of a failed attempt to change the county to a charter government system, criticized commissioners this week for falsely accusing him and other charter proponents for a recall effort he said doesn’t exist.

Kennedy said the rumors are based on hearsay and that a recall would be counter to the intended effects of a charter.

“While recall is sometimes necessary, it doesn’t foster new leadership,” he said.

His comments were in response to a commentary by Cheryl Hukill published in the Herald and News earlier this month. Hukill said she and other commissioners were hearing rumors of recall or of a new charter effort because they’d yet to take a stance on the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement, which seeks to resolve water disputes in the region. “I have a message to this group: I will not be threatened, manipulated, or coerced into voting your way, in order to keep my job,” the letter read. “If this is your mode of operation, than you had better be prepared to initiate recalls every month.”

Hukill said after Kennedy’s testimony that she stands by her written comments and says her sources of information about the recall are reputable.