Mayor calls on city council to oust Orr
by Kootenai Valley Record
December 24, 2009
Libby Mayor Doug Roll is calling for the city council to begin the process of removing Councilman D.C. Orr for what Roll believes is official misconduct.
Orr recently obtained a temporary restraining order against City Clerk Glena Hook, accusing her of "harassment and intimidation." Orr later asked that the order be dismissed, noting in a letter to Justice of the Peace Jay Sheffield that he had "been advised that there are civil remedies to this situation" and that he had decided "to pursue those avenues of resolution."
In a letter published in this week’s Record, Roll is asking the council to begin special hearings to investigate Orr for official misconduct for the purpose of removing him from office under Montana law. The statute cited by Roll in his letter, regarding city council rules and discipline, reads: "The council may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for improper conduct, and expel any member for the same by a two-thirds vote of the members elected."
Roll called the restraining order taken out by Orr against Hook "bogus" and said Orr’s actions have exposed the city to "serious litigation that could cost tens of thousands of dollars for harassment and a hostile work environment."
Roll continues in his letter that if the council does not remove Orr, he will begin the recall process.
Roll said Orr has attacked a number of city employees as well as other council members and is motivated by his "hatred" for former mayor Tony Berget. He defended Hook, who was recently accused by Orr – in an article that appeared in a Missoula newspaper – of "criminal accounting errors."
"These attacks on Glena have got to cease," Roll said.
A longtime critic of city government and a regular presence at council meetings for the past decade, Orr was appointed to the council last December after a number of unsuccessful bids, both as an applicant to fill vacancies and as a candidate in city elections. He was elected in November to serve the two years remaining on the term to which he was appointed last year.
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Editor’s Note: See the December 21, 2009 edition of the Kootenai Valley Record for the printed version of this story. The Kootenai Valley Record publishes once a week, on Tuesdays, in Libby, Montana. They are a locally owned community newspaper, located at 403 Mineral Avenue in Libby. For in-county and out-of-county subscription information, call 406-293-2424, or e-mail kvrecord@gmail.com.
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