In a “Letter to the Editor” there were some accusations made against a current North Bend City Councilor, Dr. Eric Gleason, which accused him of living outside the city and therefore not eligible to be serving on the council. 

That rumor is not correct, and the Councilor does still reside in North Bend according to him.

He has sold his family’s house and does live in his parents’ house, which makes him eligible to remain in his position as City Councilor of North Bend.

The letter to the editor written by James W. Rose: North Bend Officials Practicing Cronyism and Corruption to the Detriment of City Residents — Rob Taylor Report

Here is the segment of the letter that was in question:

Lastly… another ongoing deception perpetrated on NB voters at the moment involves Councilor Eric Gleason… He and his wife sold their house on Vista Drive earlier this summer and their new house in Winston is now his primary residence – although he apparently continues to claim that his parent’s house at 2958 Sheridan is his address of record. 

The problem is his wife and kids are living in Winston and his center of activity is not North Bend… he should NOT be eligible to remain a City Council member and represent the very citizens he no longer resides with… sure he may still be here during the week living at his parent’s house because he doesn’t want to commute 70 miles twice a day… however he technically is not a resident of this city and should not be eligible to hold onto his office. 

Rumor had it that he was “quitting” the Council and the School Board but there he is… a full court press is going to be mounted to have voters start questioning why he is allowed to sit there at the meetings and vote while a bona-fide resident of the city doesn’t get the chance.  There is something else going on there potentially and it is past time for the rest of this story to be made public… whether he or Jessica Engelke likes it or not…

If Gleason’s resignation comes after the election – there is a good chance that Timm Slater gets appointed to his seat and continues on the Council for 4 years as an “un-elected” Council member… that has to be completely unprecedented and points to a HUGE hole in the city’s charter if that is allowed to stand. If something is done before the election – then the council needs to take in volunteers and the ENTIRE council should decide who is going to take over the remainder of Gleason’s term of office… in any case, he should resign immediately before this becomes a political nightmare for JE.

Here is Dr. Eric Gleason’s response:

Thank you for reaching out to get the accurate information on my current situation. I had read the letter from James Rose, and was shocked to see just how misinformed he was. So, to set the record straight for Mr. Rose, it is public record that we sold our house in October of 2021. He did get part of that correct. However, it sure wasn’t “earlier this summer” as he would have indicated. My wife and children reside in North Bend, with me, seven days a week. We do live at my Parents house, but not WITH my parents. My children go to a local school all five days of the week and my daughter is in a local production of Peter Pan Jr at Liberty Theater. Last three shows are Thu-Sa if anyone you know likes local theater.

Now, the Winston thing. I do own property in Winston. Just like Councilor Susanna Noordhoff, I own property in Douglas County and sit on the North Bend City Council because we reside in North Bend. The “new house” that Mr. Rose suggests my family and I live in is just sticks at this point. Framing is not even complete, so had he asked me, I could show him progress pictures of the construction. That being said, he didn’t and fabricated a story based on the whisper of a rumor. So, if he was so wrong about me, what else in this letter is wildly incorrect?

Thank you for reaching out to me and getting my side of this, Rob. It means more than I can tell you that you gave me the opportunity to give you the correct information regarding this.

Dr. Eric Gleason MS

Deputy Director /

Public Information Officer

Pronouns: He/His

Coos Health & Wellness