SPRD board seats up for election

Last updated 5/15/2019 at Noon

Two positions on the Sisters Park & Recreation (SPRD) Board of Directors are on the ballot in the May 21 election; one of the two is contested.

Heath Foott is standing for reelection to Position 4; incumbent Peggy Tehan and Rosemary Vasquez are contending for Position 5.

Tehan has served SPRD for 10 years and is seeking her third full term on the board. Through most of her tenure, she has held the post of treasurer. Tehan is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in her professional life.

“I think in the position it is really good to have continuity,” she said. “Right now, we have a great board. Everybody on there comes with their own knowledge base and skill base.”

Last year, voters approved a five-year local option levy of 15 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The additional funds provided by the levy have allowed the District to catch up on years of deferred maintenance and equipment upgrades.

Tehan said that the District is now able to look at expanding and refining programing, asking the community, “What are we doing well? What do you think we’re missing? What other offerings could we have?”

She said that she hopes to win reelection in order “to follow through with the commitment to the voters.”

Vasquez, a retired mediator and social worker, is an avid participant in many SPRD programs and fitness classes.

“There‘s something for just about everything I need,” she said.

Vasquez has served on a variety of boards, and she believes her experience as a mediator will be valuable to SPRD.

“I know the heartbeat of SPRD from the standpoint of the instructors, the staff,” she told The Nugget. “I thought I might be a link, a liaison (between staff and the board)… One of the things I would be interested in is having a very close connection with the community.”

Ballots for the May 21 election may be turned in at the new permanent ballot deposit box at Sisters City Hall, 520 E. Cascade Ave.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.