I, Krista Wyatt, have resigned my seat on Lebanon City Council.

While I know many will be

disappointed in my decision, I no longer want to be affiliated with the current Council
membership.

Lebanon is my hometown and after serving the community with the fire department for thirty
years, I ran for council to be able to continue being a public servant. The first two years of my
term were wonderful as I feel we had a group of people who worked collectively and had the
best interests of the overall community. I felt we were truly serving Lebanon.

But the last sixteen months have been a different story. Legislation was passed to allow
concealed weapons to be brought into our meetings. Despite speculation that we could be
sued, the legislation was passed (I did not vote as I was absent due to an accident). We are
now in a lawsuit, over legislation that did not have to happen, and it is costing thousands of
taxpayer dollars to defend.

After a young black man was verbally accosted downtown last year, we had multiple citizens
come to the podium and share stories of how they or their family members have been treated in
this community. Stories of how they fear for their safety due to the color of their skin, some who
moved away from this community due to real or perceived threats. Council member Monroe
and I worked together with a core group to establish a Human Relations Commission in which
residents would work to build a better community. But the other five members felt it would be
best handled by churches and non-profit groups, or would be included in future city plans. They
did nothing to help an immediate need that had been placed right in front of our eyes.

And now we have a Sanctuary City ordinance before us. Brought upon a group of people who
represent a faction of the Republican party. Multiple Republicans have reached out to me to
indicate while they do not support abortion, they do not feel it should be made into local
legislation that conflicts with State and Federal laws. They do not support the actions of a group
who does not represent the entire party.

So a question remains of what’s next? There is a core group of people who have hijacked the
council to force their personal, political and religious views on the entire citizenship of Lebanon.
It is not fair to the citizens and is not the role of a City Council member to be a moral compass.
The Charter clearly states we are to be elected as a non-partisan status but the Council
membership has strayed very far from that.

I am a fair person who wished to have a Council seat to represent all of Lebanon’s citizens.
While they weren’t always happy with the work we did, I was always willing to listen to their
concerns and tried my best to see all viewpoints. I am heartbroken to not fulfill my term and I
know many people will be disappointed with this. But as a respectable, decent human being, I
can no longer allow my name to be associated with the Lebanon City Council.