What began as a fight to restore Rockaway Beach citizens’ voting rights transformed into a more profound challenge when the city covertly entrenched its current election procedures into law, bypassing transparency. While our legal battle did not yield a favorable outcome, it was far from futile. The journey exposed critical truths and highlighted a grave injustice against our community. This struggle, though arduous, has only reinforced our determination to continue advocating for our community’s rights.
During a recent city council meeting on August 14th, Mayor McNeilly and Councilwomen Cheeks and McGinnis publicly criticized three Rockaway Beach citizens, myself included, for pursuing legal action against the city regarding its election practices. They made three false allegations in their statements, which were subsequently echoed in local media and social circles. First, they labeled our lawsuit frivolous. Second, they claimed that Daniel Howlett, Councilwoman Kristine Hayes, and I filed the lawsuit to manipulate upcoming elections. Third, and most insidiously, they accused us of attempting to deprive citizens of their voice in the electoral process—a claim particularly ironic given the context.
Entering the courtroom, we anticipated the challenges of prevailing against entrenched legal precedents. Initially, the city sought to dismiss our case, arguing we had alternative legal avenues for redress. However, Judge Hill swiftly rejected this motion, acknowledging the merit in our arguments. Later in the trial, the defense attempted to shift responsibility onto the Tillamook County Elections Office, a move also dismissed by Judge Hill. Despite Judge Hill ruling against us, he explicitly acknowledged the reasonableness of our case, refuting the city’s contention of its frivolity.
The allegations of election manipulation were baseless, as Daniel was not running, Kristine is already and office, leaving myself as the sole possible beneficiary. Moreover, our efforts were rooted in restoring a fair electoral process, contrary to the city’s mischaracterizations.
The most damning accusation was that our lawsuit undermined citizen rights. Ironically, evidence presented during the trial indicated that Mayor McNeilly had previously supported restoring the pre-2014 election process—aligning with our objectives. However, in court, the mayor reversed his stance, endorsing an ordinance ostensibly intended solely for nominating procedures but covertly entrenching the entire illegal election process into law. What’s most concerning is that video from January’s council workshop confirms the mayor’s hypocrisy when compared with his court testimony. This revelation shocked courtroom observers, underscoring the city’s hypocrisy in accusing us of disenfranchisement.
Judge Hill’s verdict, constrained by existing legal frameworks, upheld the city’s questionable ordinances despite acknowledging their contentious nature. This decision cemented an illegal process into Rockaway Beach’s governance structure, eroding public trust and fostering division.
Despite this setback, hope remains in the democratic process. Rockaway Beach citizens have the power to elect new leadership committed to transparency and community consensus, thereby rectifying the injustices we have faced. Together, we can restore integrity to our local government and uphold the rights of every citizen.
Justin McMahan
Rockaway Beach
Local News
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