Oregon: Investigation allegations trigger dispute at council meeting

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Allegations by a member of Oregon City Council that Mayor Mike Seferian is under some type of investigation dominated the public comment portion of council’s meeting last Monday.
Addressing city council, Laurie Bahnsen, a resident, said councilmember Beth Ackerman made the allegation during a recent meeting of the Oregon Conservative Club.
Bahnsen said she was at council’s meeting to ask the mayor directly if he was being investigated. The mayor replied he wasn’t aware of any investigation but he would welcome any such probe into his office. If there is an investigation, it likely wouldn’t be divulged to him by those conducting it until it’s close to completion, he said.
Questioned by Bahnsen, Ackerman said she stood behind her comments.
As a member of city council, Ackerman said she feels obligated to be transparent with the public and “share any information I have” about city matters.
“I will speak to any group, anywhere, any time because that’s my job,” she said. “That’s what I got elected to do is answer your questions. Anyone is welcome to call me or use my city email to contact me any time. If you see me out in public feel free to ask me questions. I’m very open to that.”
Bahnsen criticized Ackerman, saying she was “deviating from what I came here for.” Bahnsen claimed Ackerman said at the club meeting she couldn’t provide details about the investigation while it was pending.
“You told 30 plus people the mayor was under investigation,” Bahnsen.”You shouldn’t have brought it up Beth.”
Mayor Seferian said Ackerman has said publicly she will try to prevent him from being re-elected.
Ackerman said there has been a “great deal of animosity” toward her since 2022 when she strongly opposed the administration’s attempt to create an industrial-zoned area in the southeastern part of the city that is primarily farmland.
Ackerman also had an exchange with P.J. Kapfhammer, a local business owner, who challenged her to provide details of any investigation.
Ackerman responded by saying Kapfhammer was also under investigation but she declined to answer when Kapfhammer asked her who was investigating him.
“I don’t have to tell you that,” she said.
She said she had video of Kapfhammer speaking in an intimidating tone to her and Steve Salander, a councilman, in a hallway outside of council’s meeting chambers and bragging about the influence he had because he was friends with the mayor.
Kapfhammer told Ackerman he’s already served her with a cease and desist order.