The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Troy Rayburn is the new face at City Hall, having arrived about a month ago to assume the duties of project coordinator in the City of Sisters Public Works Department.

A fourth-generation Oregonian, Rayburn grew up in The Dalles and graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in public administration. He went on to do graduate studies in Public Administration at the University of Oregon, during which time he served as a graduate intern with U.S. Senator Bob Packwood in Washington D.C.

His training in public administration has served him well over the years as the director of government affairs for the Clark County, Washington Home Builders Association and a policy senior analyst to the Clark County Board of Commissioners. For seven years he worked at the City of Aspen, Colorado as the project manager for design-build workforce housing and capital construction projects.

Rayburn sees a number of similarities between Aspen and Sisters and believes his work in Aspen will positively inform his duties in Sisters. Once a small mountain town in the Roaring Fork Valley, with a state highway running through it, Aspen was “discovered” and a strong demographic influence soon held sway, with the influx of people from Hollywood, Texas, and the East Coast, which brought an economic boom but proved very different from the “grand old ranching families” and the general population of the town, according to Rayburn.

During his tenure in Aspen, much of Rayburn’s time and energy was spent planning and implementing capital construction projects, including two workforce housing projects and the Rio Grande Trail improvement project.

“I loved Aspen. It was a lot of fun,” Rayburn said.

He is an outdoor enthusiast and spent time hiking, camping, and rafting while in Colorado. The need to be closer to aging parents brought Rayburn back to the Pacific Northwest where he worked as a committee administrator for House Transportation and Economic Development at the Oregon State Legislature in Salem.

Rayburn’s last position before coming to Sisters was three years in the Redmond Community Development Department. He was a program specialist/project manager involved with planning and executing a number of urban renewal projects including the expansion of Centennial Park, redevelopment of the Fifth and Greenwood site, and downtown parking. His variety of duties in Redmond was broad, from drafting budgets and timelines to issuing requests for proposals, building consensus for projects, administering grant and loan programs for small business start-ups, and research and production of memos, briefs, press releases, and PowerPoint presentations.

“The City is thankful to have Troy on board as our newest staff member. He brings extensive experience in local government and a pride for public and customer service. As a key member of our public works team, Troy will be assisting and supporting as a connector between departments, City consultants, government partners, contractors/developers, and the public at large. His experience with project management and capital projects fits right in with what we were looking for in this position at the City serving our growing community,” City Manager Cory Misley told The Nugget.

Rayburn credits his parents and grandparents for his passion for public service. His dad volunteered in youth sports programs and his mom and grandmother were deeply involved with the local arts community. They all stressed the importance of education and reading. They led by example and Rayburn found that he loved reading, learning, and public involvement.

He currently lives in northeast Bend and enjoys the scenery on his drive between Bend and Sisters, but is hopeful of finding a home in Sisters. He will continue to pursue his outdoor activities including cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and hiking.

Rayburn has fond memories of numerous drives through Sisters as a boy and stopping for gas and a hamburger and milkshake. He appreciates the small-town, close-knit feel of Sisters.

When he saw the job description for the position in Sisters, it reminded him of the work he did in Aspen. He views his new job as, “a great opportunity to do wonderful things for the town and its residents.”

Since arriving, he has been impressed with the staff at City Hall.

“The entire team are down-to-earth, smart, committed public servants,” Rayburn concluded. “Cory and Paul (Bertagna, public works director) are both incredibly accessible and approachable.”

Rayburn can be reached at 541-323-5220 or [email protected]