Woodburn Independent Online

City suing Fiesta Mexicana board

Lawsuit stems from over $9,000 still owed to the city of Woodburn for expenses incurred during last year’s Fiesta Mexicana celebration

• By: Rachel Cavanaugh  
• Published: 2/2/2010 11:17:44 AM
• Last Updated: 2/2/2010 11:18:04 AM

Photo By: Rachel CavanaughLawsuit
Woodburn City Attorney Bob Shields (left) and City Administrator Scott Derickson listen to Jim Row, the city's community services director, testify to city council on the inability to collect fees from the Woodburn Latin American Club from last year's Fiesta Mexicana celebration.

WOODBURN — The city of Woodburn is preparing a lawsuit this week against the organizers of the Fiesta Mexicana.
 
The claim, expected to be filed late this week, is against the Woodburn Latin American Club, which runs the Fiesta. According to City Administrator Scott Derickson, the group owes the city $9,173.
 
“We are preparing a suit and we do intend to file it as soon as it’s ready,” Derickson said on Monday.
 
The balance is for police services and other fees associated with the Fiesta Mexicana, which was held last August. In a letter mailed in December, organizers were warned that if they didn’t pay by Jan. 15, the city would take legal action.

Derickson said prior to that, city staff had made numerous attempts to collect, but letters and phone calls received no response.
 
“I’m disappointed that it has come to this,” Derickson said. “Typically, when people go to court it is not because things have been worked out and that there’s goodwill.
 
“The city supports the Fiesta tradition and always has. … It’s really perplexing to me why our goodwill and our effort to support the event has not been reciprocated. … What do you do when people won’t reach back?”
 
Jim Row, community services director, said he has been unable to reach Margarita Garcia, president of the club, since the event.
 
The community services director said he has had several informal talks with other community members who’ve said they are interested in seeing the Fiesta continue. It is possible a new Fiesta will emerge under different leadership, he said.
 
“There’s a lot of concern from people in the community,” Row said.
 
“(From) people that have been involved with the event in the past, some of them many, many years ago, who kind of became uninvolved for one reason or another since then, but are really committed to the event happening.
 
“The event has been taking place in Woodburn for 45 years. We don’t want it to stop happening just because of issues with current leadership within the club. We’re committed to making sure that a Fiesta continues to happen and we believe there are a lot of people in the community that are committed to that also.”
 
He said the city plans to hold a kick-off meeting soon to gather feedback and find out who might be interested in serving on a committee.
 
Derickson said the city is committed to seeing some sort of fiesta event take place.
 
“There is a lot of community support for seeing a fiesta tradition remain,” he said.
 
“The city is interested in working with any groups or individual and seeing that the tradition continues in a successful, sustainable manner.”

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