Randy Schiewe appointed to Baker City Council, fills vacant seat

Randy Schiewe is the newest member of the Baker City Council after councilors voted 3-2 Tuesday evening, Feb. 10, to fill the lone vacancy created when Stephen Carr resigned in early October. Mayor Randy Daugherty and councilors Roger Coles and Helen Loennig cast the three votes for Schiewe; councilors Doni Bruland and Gratton Miller voted for Deanna Johnson. Councilor Loran Joseph recused himself, “saying he knows both candidates personally.”

The narrow vote restores a council roster that had an empty seat for months, and it places a former councilor back in the chamber at a time when Baker City faces routine budget, infrastructure and commission appointments. City council membership remains a seven-person body; council members are paid $10 per meeting, to a maximum of $150 per year.

Schiewe returns to a role he has occupied before. He was appointed to fill a vacancy in July 2018 and was elected that November to a two-year term that ran through the end of 2020. City Council minutes from July 28, 2020 show Schiewe actively participating in council business. Those minutes record that “Councilor Schiewe asked why applicants do not come to Council meetings to speak with Council before getting appointed to various Boards and Commissions.” The same minutes note procedural leadership: “Moved by Councilor Schiewe to allow the City Manager to sign the FAA Grant Agreement, seconded by Councilor Morrison and with unanimous approval the MOTION CARRIED,” and “Moved by Councilor Schiewe to approve the Consent Agenda, seconded by Councilor Bruland and with unanimous approval the MOTION CARRIED.”

Deanna Johnson was the other finalist for the appointment; the public record provided no further background or comment from either candidate at the time of the vote. A separate social media excerpt offered a conflicting moment of council business, saying, “Council, with two members missing, decides to wait to appoint either Randy Schiewe or Deanna Johnson to fill the one vacancy on the seven-member”, the post is truncated and lacks date or author, so its context could not be confirmed.

For Baker City residents, the appointment matters because it affects the balance of votes on council decisions that touch property taxes, public works projects, appointments to boards and commissions, and local permitting. Schiewe’s prior service gives him institutional knowledge on items such as FAA grant agreements and commission appointments; his return may speed deliberations that require experienced hands.

Several details remain to be clarified publicly: the exact date and year of Stephen Carr’s resignation, the length of time Schiewe will serve under this appointment, and direct statements from Randy Schiewe and Deanna Johnson about their priorities. Official minutes or a meeting video from Feb. 10 will provide the full record of the discussion and any public comment. For now, residents can expect Schiewe to take his seat and participate in upcoming council agendas as Baker City moves into its spring calendar of city business.