Editor,

The Salary Commission has not and will not consider rescinding the unanimous decision to raise the mayor’s salary, and certainly not because of a petition on social media that is ill-conceived, ill-informed and not legally binding. We made a decision based on data and will not be swayed by cowards on social media hiding behind the cloak of anonymity, nor those who do not live in, vote in, participate in, or pay taxes in our community.

There has been a campaign of misinformation being perpetuated against the decision to increase the mayor’s salary and how that decision was made. It is evident that a particular council member is responsible for the bulk of this misinformation and continues to use social media to spout personal agendas contrary to the recommendations and requests of the city attorney. This tactic is not only irresponsible but also dangerous, as it misleads the public into believing they are hearing from legitimate, concerned officials when they are actually being fed a distorted narrative driven by personal vendettas and it leaves the city open to litigation and fills our papers with yellow journalism.

I would like to clarify these misunderstandings and misinformation. The processes and procedures for all Salary Commission work are overseen by the city attorney, who was present for all meetings ensuring that we are always well within the scope of our charter. These meetings, agendas and minutes are recorded and available for viewing at oakharbor.gov/588/Salary-Commission.

The members of the Salary Commission applied to be on the commission, were appointed by the mayor who appoints ALL commissioners for ALL commissions, and then were confirmed by each and every city council member. The mayor has always been listed as a 1 FTE in Oak Harbor, despite the previous mayor(s) working part-time in the position. When Mayor Wright took office, he began working full-time and provided a letter for consideration to the Salary Commission.

The decision to adjust the mayor’s salary was based off data for comparable salaries across the state, focusing on cities with like populations, the same form of government and similar communities. This data showed that the mayor of Oak Harbor was being paid approximately half of the average salary for similar positions.

The motivations of myself, and of the salary commissioners, have been called into question due to personal connections with the mayor. If you do not believe that the bonds of brotherly affection can exist alongside the work of our government, I ask how you shall maintain a community, particularly a community of our size, where the same faces appear again and again to do the hard work of progress. If you look to friendship and you see strings to manipulate outcomes, that says more about you than it does about those who made this decision.

My integrity and my vote are not for sale, and at no point prior to this decision did Mayor Wright and I discuss the work of the Salary Commission. Indeed, each and every one of the city council members apologized to me and to the Salary Commission for the inappropriate reactions of the council when the report and order in question was presented.

This change in rate ensures that those who run for this public office in the future are dedicated, skilled and knowledgeable, and can support their families while focusing on leading our city. This will pave the way for a wider pool of applicants and provide an opportunity for those who previously would have been unable to afford to take the position, providing a pathway for our future.

I stand by the work of the Salary Commission and will not be bullied by anonymous/fake social media profiles, the aggressively ignorant, or city council members who apologize to our faces at city council meetings but continue to spread misinformation online.

Tiffany Scribner

Oak Harbor