This is Talent Council Watch
An introduction to our purpose and rules of engagement
Talent Council Watch is a citizen watchdog group established in 2025 to critically monitor Talent, Oregon’s City Council and hold its members accountable when they do not meet the standards of integrity we expect of City officeholders.
TCW is a non-partisan project and is entirely unconcerned with the political affiliation of Talent’s elected officials or their constituents. We do not advocate for any ideology or platform, but rather for the integrity of our City’s leadership.
As such, we ask that our Mayor and City Councilors:
Serve Talent honestly, ethically and transparently.
Willingly avoid potential conflicts of interest and do not use their position for the improper benefit or monetary gain of themselves, family members, or favored associates.
Ensure that their governing decisions consistently prioritize the needs and concerns of everyday citizens in Talent, rather than being disproportionately influenced by elite and special interests.
Demonstrate a commitment to vital principles of American democracy, specifically the freedoms of speech, expression and association, equality of voice and consideration, fair processes, and a pluralistic system of political parties and organizations.
Accept responsibility and hold themselves accountable for their mistakes and failures and those of their administration, without throwing their subordinates under the bus.
Refuse to engage in political bullying, meaning using one’s influence and reach as a public leader to shame, undermine, or discredit an individual or group in the community, and often a willingness to distort the truth to achieve that goal. Political bullying includes the use of social media for reputation-bashing, rumor-spreading, blame-shifting, threatening, and making bad-faith accusations and insinuations.
Maintain a productive, supportive, non-hostile workplace culture for the City staff who are integral to municipal operations and who we all as residents rely on to be able to successfully do their jobs. We believe that no City of Talent employee should ever feel the need to resign their position because of mistreatment by Council or a toxic work environment.
When our elected officials engage in what appears to be behavior that does not meet these standards, and there is documentation of it, we will bring it to this forum for public scrutiny and discussion. We invite the Mayor and Councilors to defend themselves against any claims they believe to be false, misleading, or lacking important context, although we are aware of limitations to what they can say and where. We ask that they in turn respect our right as citizens to question and criticize them as fundamental to democratic functioning.
This newsletter, the TCW Report, is authored by a private citizen of Talent with input and research support from the small group of smart, civically engaged people who make up the Talent Council Watch, none of whom represent any single entity, individual, political party or campaign. We intend to present hard evidence and analyze its significance with journalistic integrity. However we are not journalists, reporters, politicians, or pundits, just regular people with ordinary lives who want to help bring impactful, positive changes to the way Talent government operates. The content shared and arguments made in this publication will be based on publicly available information and aims to foster transparency, accountability, and informed civic engagement. We will not intentionally spread cruel, personal, or unfounded rumors, and we will not dox, threaten, encourage violence, or violate the boundary between public and private life. Our intent is to expose and discuss questionable decisions made by our elected officials, not cause personal harm or fear for safety. Factual information provided in the TCW Report will be sourced, verified, and documented as much as is feasible and appropriate. Opinion will be presented as such. We will not make unwarranted accusations without evidence of potentially unethical behavior. We will always engage in good faith and avoid ad-hominen attacks based on ideology or identity. We may be proven wrong about something at some point, in which case we will be adults about it and make it clear that we stand corrected. We will ask questions that may be hard to answer, but will not be wrong to ask.
If you’re interested in helping us hold Talent City Council more accountable to its constituents, please subscribe to this Substack publication to receive the latest TCW Reports in your email inbox. If you have an issue in mind you’d like us to investigate, or you’d just like to convey your support of this project and/or give us some advice, you are invited to send us an email us at talentcouncilwatch@gmail.com.