Shady Cove Matters Formal Statement 3-10-2026

Shady Cove Matters Political Action Committee formal statement regarding March 5th City Council Meeting

We were warned before we started the recall that the entrenched council members and their proxies would come after us. Just like they did for the former City Administrator, and just as they did recently for Councilor Paige Winfrey.  We’ve expected this narrative – it’s a well-worn path at this point.  

So many residents of this town are frustrated. You would think that having almost a hundred people show up at Councilor Winfrey’s recent witch hunt censure hearing, and announcing a recall effort would cause the entrenched Council leadership to stop and think.  We’d hoped for some humility, and possibly for Council to at least offer to have a conversation with us. You don’t always have to agree to be respectful. But instead, we heard the same old things: negativity, blame-shifting, and a prevailing belief that no one except the same old entrenched Council leaders can possibly run the City. 

It doesn’t have to be this way. We only have 3100 people in Shady Cove -- it shouldn't be difficult to have a respectful dialog with Citizens who want to participate in government. Right now, City government feels like a one-way street. The "low information status quo" is by design because when your City government hides everything from you, it makes it extremely difficult to challenge leadership on facts. 

But, facts and context matter, and so we are posting detailed responses to Council’s remarks, challenging inaccuracies and negative statements. We hope the City will take the time to read these materials. 

READ OUR RESPONSE TO MAYOR RICHARDSON

READ OUR RESPONSE TO COUNCILOR NUCKLES

READ OUR RESPONSE TO INACCURATE ALLEGATIONS OF PRIVATE MEETINGS

 A citizen recently claimed that SCM is "wasting money on a recall" which will cost the City anywhere from $7,500 to $10,000 to hold a recall election. We hold Council accountable for that spending -- it was their choice. 

Council could have had a completely free election, if they'd chosen to honor the City Charter and actually hold one.  We confirmed directly with Jackson County that there is no charge for City elections during this year's Primary and General elections.  Click here to read more details about the denied election. 

During public remarks at the March 5th Council meeting, a supporter of Mayor Richardson gave a long, rambling speech about the City's prior efforts to obtain a municipal water system. 

For the record, we are not anti-water, we are pro-transparency.  We believe that Citizens deserve information from the City on what the actual strategy is for water, how it will benefit existing communities vs. new development, how it will enhance our fire resiliency and -- of course -- how much it will cost.  The City, predictably, has released no information, even though it's been two years since the SB1530 water grant was acquired in 2024.  Click here to read more on Shady Cove water.

We hear this comment frequently from people who oppose our efforts.  Please remember, we asked politely and professionally for the City to hold an election and were denied. Prior to that, we and many others advocated for new membership on the City Council, only to be ignored. 

• It is Council who has consistently treated Citizen input as an inconvenience. 
• It is Council who continues to attack their current and former employees.  
• It was the Council, not us, who chose to attack one of their own members (Councilor Paige Winfrey).