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Nearly nine months after securing a $1 million federal investment, North Plains’ appointed city councilors still have not completed the paperwork needed to put the money to work. Now, a new city manager is asking the council to act quickly or potentially lose this investment.

An embattled majority of city council appointees continues to claim legitimacy from a two-year-old growth referendum. One problem with that: the signature sheets show that 91 percent of signature entries were by people living well outside of North Plains.

Petitioners attempting to recall Mark De Forge are challenging the County’s count. One undercounted signature could change the result. Linda Galas-Merten’s political network has rushed out a verdict on the effort to recall Councilor Mark De Forge. Before the victory lap gets any louder, however, petitioners have a question about signature sheet 15. According to chief petitioner Thomas Hauth’s October 12 filing, Washington County reported 284 signatures submitted, 242 accepted

North Plains does not have a staffing problem, it has an organizational and governance problem that demands serious attention from the public.

The “Smart Growth” slate appears to have discovered an enthusiastic new supporter: the road shoulder. Unfortunately, gravel cannot vote.

In 2025, North Plains Taxpayers Paid $72,000 To Settle A Lawsuit Brought By An Outsider Political Network. Now the Same Political Network Is Back. Let’s look at their mailer landing in North Plains mailboxes: On the front, it promotes a “Candidate Forum for North Plains City Council.” It identifies the event as being sponsored by Strong Towns North Plains. But on the postcard itself, the fine print states: “Postcard paid for by Friends of Smart Growth, PAC ID 23849.” This is

Curiously late-arriving forum rules revive familiar questions about a certain activist-organizer’s overlapping roles and varied claims to authority.

If Anna Warrington thinks North Plains is clamoring for automatic camera ticketing machines, she needs to hear from the rest of us. At the October 5 City Council meeting, Warrington said people on North Street had complained during her reelection campaigning about speeding after local police officers went off duty. She then asked about boxes that could “take pictures and give them a speeding ticket automatically.” Watch the meeting. The idea that those campaign conversations

Two candidate forums, two very different approaches. The North Plains Chamber of Commerce candidate forum took an open and inclusive approach. The event was open to the public. The discussion had an impartial moderator: Lauren Bishop, editor of The Times. Every candidate was invited by the Chamber. In fact, the certified postage was shared with TRFNP confirming each candidate was in fact invited. Hoping to hear from every candidate, the Chamber left seats at the dais with na

North Plains councilors heard demands for accountability Monday: stop stacking unaccountable appointments, explain who authorized consequential decisions, and understand what you’re throwing away before throwing it away. The majority decided to proceed with the appointments and the throwing away anyway. “A council of appointees are appointing more appointees,” resident Cindy Smith told them. She acknowledged that the charter allows appointments, then urged Council to wait unt

North Plains seniors have apparently been getting away with something. Their center has a sign. With the city logo. Fortunately, Linda Galas-Merten is on the case.

On the same day recall signatures were submitted against Mark DeForge, the North Plains City Council considered promoting him to mayor—a move the city attorney said would end the recall. Two councilors refused to let that happen without answers.

Don Weber appeared in Linda Galas-Merten’s CPO 8 action plan. Thirteen months later, the Council put him in office. Before that meeting ended, Weber nominated Mark DeForge. Six weeks later, he nominated Anna Warrington. All four elected members of “The 4” are gone. The appointment chain remains.

Data centers have long been a prominent Smart Growth campaign warning. Nearly two years later, all four originally elected slate members are gone, their appointees remain—and North Plains still has no explicit data-center ban. Meanwhile tech stalwart Hillsboro managed to do it in weeks. The public record does not explain why Smart Growth failed its most basic task.

At 1:21 p.m. on December 2, 2024, CPO 8’s leadership account sent more than 50 people a political action plan for its neighboring City of North Plains. The published public record contains no CPO vote ever authorizing it. The Council record shows that now-City Councilor Don Weber helped carry out the plan.

Washington County would not allow CPO 8 to sponsor the April 2024 UGB forum. The event went forward anyway—and Galas-Merten used it to describe a committee, recruit candidates and lay out a plan for an aligned four-person City Council slate.

New records show Washington County had been confronting the political use of its CPO program long before it finally ordered CPO 8 to remove advocacy posts. A recorded candidate forum shows exactly why County officials were concerned.

Linda Galas-Merten now acknowledges that she was the person captured on a ring camera near Mandy Hagedorn's home, confirming her role in our earlier report.

Rumors began circulating Thursday afternoon that North Plains Council President Mandy Hagedorn had resigned. Her departure was confirmed at the August 20 City Council meeting.

Newly reviewed emails and public comments show former Mayor Teri Lenahan raising questions and obtaining public records about possible behind-the-scenes coordination on a proposal to grant a special interest loading zone waiver. She says she received no response from the Council.