The city of Coos Bay needs a new city manager, after the former officeholder lost his job during a tense special session Wednesday night.

By a 4-3 vote, the city council fired Chuck Freeman. Councilors gave no reason for their decision, fearing a lawsuit. Mayor Jeff McKeown joined with councilors Jon Eck, Gene Melton and Joanie Johnson in voting to fire Freeman. Councilors Mark Daily, Stephanie Kramer and John Pundt voted nay.

The council then unanimously appointed police Chief Rodger Craddock to serve as acting city manager.

The firing came a little more than two years after the council hired Freeman away from Airway Heights, Wash., where he had served as city manager.

The council’s decision will cost the city between $140,000 and $170,000, according to estimates from Pundt. Freeman’s contract provides minimum severance pay of eight months salary, as well as benefits, and accrued sick leave and vacation.

McKeown said the funds could come out of the city’s carryover balance, though the final decision will be up to the council.

While McKeown and those in his voting bloc remained mostly mum, Freeman and his supporters held little back.

Freeman, who said he was with family in Washington state, communicated his displeasure over a speaker phone.

He said it was unfortunate he couldn’t “face my accusers” in person, then criticized McKeown’s conduct as mayor. He accused McKeown of leaking information to the media about souring relations within City Hall.

 He also argued that elected officials in Coos Bay had been overstepping their authority for two decades, and suggested he was being fired because he tried to rein in a mayor who overreached his authority.

“I have demonstrated my loyalty to the city,” he said. “The mayor is the problem.”

Councilor Daily made the next move. He handed an 11-page memo written by Freeman to city attorney Nate McClintock.

McClintock read it, detailing a series of incidents that Freeman claimed demonstrate a pattern of coercion on the part of the mayor and several councilors.

He read that the mayor lost favor with Freeman over a codes dispute Freeman had with one of McKeown’s friends, Leroy Bracelin, and accused him of violating the city charter by restricting Freeman’s access to councilors. The letter suggested the mayor thought Freeman was trying to subvert efforts to work with the chamber of commerce and argued the mayor met with city employees without inviting him.

Leroy Bracelin was at jury duty this morning, but his wife, Joan, said Freeman’s characterization of her husband as a longtime friend of McKeown’s was wrong.

“We are not social at all,” with the McKeowns, she said. “We were just floored” at what Freeman said.

Freeman also criticized Councilor Melton, noting he, Johnson and Pundt had met with South Coast Development Council Executive Director Sandra Messerle, then did not mention it to him.

“Clearly the City Manager is being undermined and his ability to do his job is being compromised,” his memo read.

Freeman also insisted he had no hidden agendas, treated all councilors the same and never lost his temper. That last comment produced some stifled chuckles from the audience, which included former city councilors, business owners and members of the Community Coalition of Empire.

After McClintock finished reading, Pundt suggested postponing the discussion a month, or at least until the city could consult with a facilitator to help it improve communication. He also said it was unfair to hold the meeting without Freeman present.

The motion failed.

Melton then proposed firing Freeman, which Johnson seconded.

Kramer condemned the decision. She said the council had given Freeman a stellar review in early summer.

“What has happened in the last three months?” she said. “I think this is so wrong. I can’t believe it.”

Daily argued Freeman was simply under stress. He argued that McKeown was getting angry over trivial matters and forgetting the council’s decisions, then blaming Freeman for his frustrations.

He also questioned Melton’s voting record, saying his decisions changed once he started getting financial advice from McKeown.

After the meeting, Melton said he saw no conflict in having McKeown, a financial advisor, help him with his savings, which he has done since the start of the year.

“All I am doing is buying stocks. He has no influence in my decisions, nor do I influence his decisions,” he said.

None of the councilors in favor of firing Freeman gave any reason for their decision. The only one who said anything was Johnson.

“I unequivocally support this decision with all my heart and I have thought it through very thoroughly,” she said.

After the meeting, McKeown said the city’s insurance carrier advised councilors not to explain their decision.

“Freeman has threatened us with a lawsuit,” he said.

Kramer suggested the reason the council fired Freeman was because he was too strong.

“He was following the charter and for that he gets canned,” she said.

She joined Freeman in suggesting the problem was the city’s elected officials, who fired the last permanent city manager, Scott McClure, after less than two years on the job.

McKeown disagreed, saying no one was more excited about hiring Freeman than he was, but things changed.

“Is the problem the council? No,” he said.

Melton, Eck and McKeown all said that they expect the city to run well in Freeman’s absence.

“We have a wonderful staff with excellent departments heads and excellent people in those departments,” McKeown said. “This is the right approach.”

comments to City Councilor John Pundt

Chuck Freeman's memo to City Council