Tension Erupts at Yreka City Council Over Mayor Selection Process and City Attorney’s Role

In a heated City Council meeting Tuesday night that laid bare growing tensions within Yreka’s city government, council members engaged in a contentious debate over mayoral selection procedures while questioning the effectiveness and accountability of City Attorney Andrew Jared.

The conflict emerged when differing interpretations of succession rules collided. City Manager Jason Ledbetter explained that if no nominations were received, the current mayor would automatically retain the position for two years. However, Jared immediately contradicted this interpretation, stating he saw “no support” for such a position in law.

“I don’t see where this support is coming from,” Jared said via phone, unable to attend in person due to illness. “I did not write the section dealing with holding over for a two-year term, and I do not support that as the law.”

This contradiction sparked intense scrutiny of Jared’s guidance to the council. Councilman McCoy directly challenged Jared’s effectiveness, pointing to an eight-month delay in developing a requested code of conduct for the council. “You can turn over a procedure to us and just say it’s no big deal, but you’ve had eight months to do a code of conduct and you can’t seem to get it together,” McCoy said.

The discussion revealed broader concerns about Jared’s individual communications with council members. When it emerged that Jared had discussed timing of the code of conduct with Councilwoman Baker without informing other members, McCoy grew more pointed: “You do not work for one of us, you work for the five of us… When you have conversations with one of the councilmen, you are required to let the rest of the council members know. That’s just common courtesy.”

These concerns led McCoy to suggest bringing in different legal counsel: “Perhaps this attorney is not the attorney to do it. Perhaps he continues as our City Attorney but we have somebody else come in from the firm.”

The procedural confusion and mounting frustration resulted in the council voting 3-2 to direct Jared to draft an ordinance that would lower the threshold for closing mayoral nominations from a four-fifths supermajority to a simple majority. However, even this solution sparked debate about whether such changes should be made piecemeal or as part of comprehensive procedural reform.

As temperatures literally and figuratively dropped in the unheated council chambers, Mayor Middleton ultimately moved to table the mayor selection process and related appointments until these fundamental issues could be resolved. The decision leaves Yreka’s leadership structure in limbo while highlighting significant challenges in the council’s operational procedures and professional relationships.

The next regular council meeting will address the proposed ordinance, though several council members expressed skepticism about rushing such significant changes without broader procedural reform.