Fruitland councilman resigns amid frustration
Reifsnyder hangs up hat after 6 years

By JESSICA KELLER
ARGUS OBSERVER
Saturday, August 16, 2008 10:23 PM PDT

FRUITLAND — Although he’s sorry to leave before completing his term, a number of reasons contributed to Fruitland City Councilman Bud Reifsnyder resigning from the council.

Reifsnyder presented his letter of resignation to the city Aug. 4, which the council formally accepted at Monday night’s meeting.

Reifsnyder said he leaves the council with a deep sense of disappointment he couldn’t do more on the board, but he feels, after “six and a half years of going nowhere over there,” it’s time for him to get on with his life.

“You like to think you can do some good, but for the longest time, it just wasn’t happening for me,” he said. “I don’t know why”.

Reifsnyder said his frustration culminated at the July 30 City Council meeting. He said he was presenting his thoughts on ordinances for fingerprinting and false alarms, given the fact he worked at the Fruitland Police Department for 25 years, 15 years of that as chief. While he was speaking, however, he said the attention of his fellow council members was distracted, and they broke into their own conversations. He said, at that point, he was annoyed and said if nobody was interested in what he had to say, he would just leave, which he proceeded to do.

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After giving it some thought, Reifsnyder said he thought it would just be best for him to resign. For some time, Reifsnyder said, he felt his opinions were discounted by most of the other council members, although he admits he is not a politician and perhaps was unable to voice his ideas persuasively.

“The main issue is being a viable part of that group,” he said. “Well, I just don’t think I was in terms of what my ideas are.”

In addition, Reifsnyder said, he suffers severe hearing loss, and when the council breaks into their own conversations of two or three during regular meetings, as sometimes occurs, he can’t hear what is being said and does not know what he is missing. He said that frustrates him, and it’s frustrating for the others on the board. Reifsnyder said, while he has asked people to speak at him in council meetings so he can be privy to more of what they are saying, it has not happened on a regular basis, making him feel more out of the loop.

Reifsnyder also takes issue with the direction the council has headed on certain decisions. He said, the council has not consistently made decisions following the intents of city ordinances as they are written, instead granting too many exceptions.

“I know things aren’t black and white, but for heaven’s sakes,” he said.

The latest example, Reifsnyder said, was when the majority of the council voted to allow portable structures to be built on utility easements on their properties, with the understanding the property owners would have to remove them at their own expense if the utility companies needed access.

Reifsnyder said, concurring with City Manager Rick Watkins’ opinion, the city’s ordinance should not be changed to permit that.

Reifsnyder also said, in his opinion, council members in some situations do not give enough thought on subjects before making a decision, and instead rely too much on information and opinions presented to them.

“I think for myself, and that’s what needs to be done over there,” he said.

Still, Reifsnyder said, if his hearing loss wasn’t so bad, he likely would stay to the end of his term because he might not have so much difficulty at meetings “staying in the loop,” but given all the circumstances, he decided it wouldn’t be productive to stay.

Mayor Tom Limbaugh said he was surprised Reifsnyder resigned and Reifsnyder did not indicate to him why he was resigning. Nor, Limbaugh said, did he know Reifsnyder was frustrated and discontent during meetings.

“I wish that he would have shared this with us before he decided to resign because this is the first I’ve heard of that,” Limbaugh said.

He said in all the meetings he has attended while involved with the city of Fruitland, none of the meetings have been run in a formal, parliamentary fashion, adhering strictly to “Roberts Rules of Order,” but instead he said they are “run formally but informal at the same time.” However, Limbaugh said, if Reifsnyder or any other City Council member has had problems because of the way the meetings are conducted, he wishes they would have mentioned it in the past.

“Things can be changed really easily,” Limbaugh said.

Limbaugh, who was called away on family business when Reifsnyder submitted his resignation and remains out of town, said he wishes Reifsnyder would have shared his concerns with himself, Watkins or at least one of the other council members before making his decision.

Reifsnyder said he did not originally intend to explain why he resigned because he does he want to sound like “a whiner,” but he felt he owed the Fruitland residents an explanation as to his sudden departure.

“I’m just really sorry I had to pull the plug at this juncture like this,” he said.

Reifsnyder hopes his successor will be able to contribute more than he feels he did and that person thinks for his or herself and makes his or her own decisions.

Limbaugh said last week, when he returns to Fruitland, he will address filling the vacant council slot.

“And I wish Bud would reconsider his resignation,” he said.

If not, Limbaugh said he will likely take the matter to the City Council for input.