PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Former Newberg City Manager Jacque Betz, who resigned last summer amid controversy and allegations of misconduct, has been hired by the City of Gladstone on an interim basis as the assistant city administrator.
Tuesday night, the Gladstone City Council voted 4-3 in favor of giving Betz a 6-month contract.
City administrator Eric Swanson told KOIN 6 News he sees what happened in Newberg as a ‘he said, she said’ situation without corroboration.
Betz, he said, comes highly recommended by many former co-workers and subordinates.
But not everyone wanted her to get the interim job, including Gladstone City Councilor Neal Reisner.
“Decisions were made in Newberg last year which I have a lot of questions about,” he told KOIN 6 News. “I plan on working with her, but there’s that question. The jury is still out. We’ll kind of see how it goes.”
Betz resigned her Newberg position in August 2015 after a settlement agreement gave her nearly $100,000.
Councilors, including Reisner, also wonder wy Betz will be paid at the top of the scael — nearly $7500 per month, including a health insurance stipend.
“In the past, whenever temporary people are hired they come in at the bottom pay,” he said. Asked who put in for Betz to get the top pay, Reisner said, “City Administrator Eric Swanson.”
Swanson said her years of experience and education warrant the salary.
For some, though, it’s about more than the money.
As one person said at the City Council meeting, “My concern is that she’s not a good fit for the City of Gladstone.”