Redmond Mayor Endicott, Councilor Fitch differ over City Council rules

(Update: Adding video, comments from Endicott, Fitch)

'It's not between George and me. It's how we go forward as a city.'

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Redmond Mayor George Endicott said in 12 years on the job, he's never seen something like this before.

"I don't know what to say. Ed (Fitch)  ran against me two years ago and lost," Endicott told NewsChannel 21 on Tuesday.

Fitch, a former Redmond mayor and mayoral candidate against Endicott, now sits on the city council. At the last meeting, tensions flared between the two as they debated the roles of committee liaisons during council meetings.

"The system that has been in place really kind of isolates the commissions and committees from the council,” Fitch said. “We have these liaisons that aren't supposed to talk to anyone."

Endicott disagreed and said the liaisons are not muzzled.

"What we're not allowed to do is try to influence the deliberation of a committee or commission," he said.

It's one of a number of concerns Fitch has raised through memos submitted and attached to city council meeting agendas.

Fitch has, for example, said Endicott should seek the council's views on committee appointments, while Endicott has noted, as he put it in a recent email to NewsChannel 21, "In spite of desires by others, we only have one mayor."

"Someone comes to council with a bunch of new ideas and tries to force them through, without going through the process," Endicott said of the situation.

But Fitch said the council has a difficult time communicating, due to the current rules.

"It is very frustrating, not having the opportunity to have open discussion with the council, so my goal is just to get issues out there that I think we should discuss," he said.

Both men said they respect the other's ideas.

"I like George -- it's not between George and me,” Fitch said. “It's how we go forward as a city."

And Endicott said Fitch's ideas can be heard.

"As long as we go through the process to do it," he said.

The committee/commission discussion is ongoing, and is included in Tuesday's council workshop agenda, available here.