Leavenworth City Councilmember Rhona Baron resigns

City Councilmember Rhona Baron began her term in January before resigning on Oct. 4.

COURTESY OF CITY OF LEAVENWORTH

LEAVENWORTH – Leavenworth City Council is seeking applicants to fill a position left vacant following the resignation of Councilmember #4 Rhona Baron, announced on Oct. 4.

In her letter of resignation, Baron said she had been experiencing serious health challenges for the last ten months, stating that she and her doctors agreed that stepping down from her duties and focusing on her recovery would be the best decision for her health.

“It’s been a tough decision. I was hoping to continue to be a voice of balance on the council on behalf of many in the community,” said Baron in her letter.

Baron told Ward Media that the council’s culture of not listening respectfully to varying points of view was a secondary concern in her decision. In her letter, Baron expressed disappointment in a “pattern of non-compliance to the rule of order” during meetings.

“As I was the brunt of bullying by the mayor (eye rolling, laughing, interrupting, arguing) as well as personal insult by audience members during an out of order exchange last month regarding condos in all neighborhoods, I can assure you it's not a pleasant experience, especially when a person already feels unwell,” said Baron in her letter.

In response to the letter, Mayor Carl Florea said that he took full responsibility for the referenced incident and that the City Council had made changes moving forward, such as requiring community members to stand and address the council as a whole when speaking and not individual councilmembers. However, Florea did not agree that there was a pattern.

“I don't know what to say to [eye rolling, laughing, interrupting, arguing], but I'm certainly not intentionally doing anything like that, because I respect that she's got a different view, and it does represent a certain segment of the community, and she's got a right to voice it,” said Florea. 

In an email to Ward Media, Baron said she thought meetings in general were adequately run, but issues of order and respect emerged during topics of neighborhood density and development. Baron stated that the mayor and other council members are “so pro development that they feel entitled to deviate from respectful process.”

“I’m concerned that the council, in particular the new members, but even the experienced ones like the mayor pro tem, do not understand accepted protocols of respectful listening, parliamentary procedure and identifying out of order and bullying behavior,” said Baron in an email to Ward Media.

Florea refuted the idea of being “pro-development,” stating that his stance was “pro-housing” for a diverse community.  When addressing the council culture, he stated, “there’s always been emotion shown at certain times for certain issues…It comes with the territory.”

“I do think that there's a certain group that have not been successful in their views of what should happen or shouldn't happen, and so I think for some of them, it can feel like they're not being heard…Everybody's getting a chance to be heard. It's just that when the decisions get made, not everybody's going to feel like they came out a winner,” said Florea.

The City Council will attend a retreat at the end of November to review parliamentary procedure and team build, which Baron is hopeful will incite better council culture. 

Despite her challenges on council, Baron expressed gratitude for the opportunities, guidance and support provided by city staff. 

“If I am able to heal within the next year, I may run again in 2025 with hopes of continuing to serve the Leavenworth community,” said Baron in her letter.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media

Editor's Note: This article has been updated twice since its initial publication. The first update included additional comments from Councilmember Rhona Baron regarding council meeting procedures and her concerns about development issues. It also mentioned an upcoming City Council retreat focused on parliamentary procedure and team building. The second update incorporates responses from Mayor Carl Florea addressing Baron's concerns, provides context on recent changes to council meeting procedures, and elaborates on differing perspectives regarding development and council dynamics.