Oregon Council President Clint Wasserman resigned from council at a council meeting last Monday.

Wasserman, 29, said he is stepping down to take a job as an assistant prosecutor for Lucas County.

“It’s with regret, but at the same time excitement, that I will be announcing my resignation from Oregon City Council and the office of Oregon City Council president, effective Sept. 12,” said Wasserman at the meeting. “I was offered, and have accepted, a position in the Lucas County prosecutor’s office. It’s bittersweet. I’ve had a brief time serving as councilman for the city. At this time, it’s not only best for my career, but also allows me to continue to serve the Oregon community as a part of Lucas County. I think I can do some real good. I leave the city in your hands, and I hope you continue the progress making Oregon the best city it can be.”

Wasserman was completing his second term on council. He was the top vote getter in the 2007 and 2009 general elections

Some on council praised Wasserman for his service on council.

“I speak for all members of council when I say that we have enjoyed serving with you,” said Councilman Jerry Peach. “Thank you very much. Congratulations.”

Councilman Mike Sheehy agreed.

“I echo those sentiments. We watched you grow as a councilman, and in a leadership position. You’ve done an admirable job, and we are all very proud of you,” said Sheehy.

“I would certainly echo all those comments,” said Mayor Mike Seferian. “We started here together as mayor and on council. I don’t recall any conflicts. We had a good time here.”

“Ditto everyone else’s remarks,” said Councilman Terry Reeves. “We had a great time together. I wish you nothing but the best.”

Wasserman said the city charter explains the process by which his position will be filled.

“I spoke with City Administrator Mike Beazley as well as our law director, Paul Goldberg, about the process of assuring that this post does not remain vacant,” said Wasserman. “They both very diligently reviewed the city charter, there’s a plan in place. I’m sure they will discuss it with council members as a whole as we move forward.”

Beazley said after the meeting that the charter states that the candidate who had the next highest vote in the previous election, will fill the position.

“It’s all happening pretty quick here. We may have a new member tomorrow,” Beazley said on Wednesday.

“The charter was changed a number of years ago to eliminate the system where the council met and selected a replacement. Instead, there’s a process whereby the next highest finisher [in the previous election] is asked if they wish to take the seat,” said Beazley.

Kathy Pollauf, he said, who finished eighth in the 2009 general election, has “made it clear that she does intend to take the seat.”

“She came in, filled out the paperwork today, and will be sworn in tomorrow,” Beazley said on Wednesday. “She will serve until December 1, when the new council will be sworn in.”

After the meeting, Wasserman said he started his new job on Monday. He will be working with prosecutor Julia Bates in the Court of Common Pleas.

“It is something I always wanted to do. It is a great opportunity for me to grow in my legal career, and do some good for the community as a prosecutor. I got onto council because I wanted to help the Oregon community. I think I strived to make every single decision in the best interests of Oregon. This is just a larger extension of that same principle,” he said.

As he exits council, Wasserman said there are few issues facing the city that’s more important than “keeping it stable.”

“There aren’t any major concerns in Oregon right now. We have the benefit of being stable at the moment. To say `stable’ in most other contexts would be a negative connotation. You want to be on the rise, be on the move, experience great things. But in this economy, with neighboring communities struggling, we’re fortunate to be able to say we’re stable. When it really comes down to it, we have to maintain our tight belt on fiscal matters, while still maintaining an excellent level of services our citizenry has known and come to expect. As council members, we can’t be afraid to try new things. We need to keep an open mind about upcoming issues, and really strive to have Oregon’s best interests, first and foremost, in mind when we do our jobs,” he said.

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed