Elliott takes seat on council

Dave Elliott has assumed the seat on the Sisters City Council left vacant by the recall of Gordon Petrie.

Elliott was one of four Sisters citizens who submitted letters of interest in the position. He was elected by a 2-1 vote of the incumbent council, with Tim Clasen voting against. Elliott was in his second term on Sisters Urban Area Planning Commission; he left that position to take his council seat.

Elliott said he brings a "fair, unbiased" approach to his role on the council, as Sisters faces major changes.

"There's a lot of important and interesting events that are going to happen in theCity of Sisters in the near future," Elliott said. "I'll listen to all and make my decisions on truthful and factual information."

Implementing the sewer system and annexing the urban area outside the city limits are among Elliott's priorities.

"We're seeing lots of growth in the areas around the city which are in county jurisdiction and we're not getting input on those things," Elliott said. "We need to take control of that growth for benefit of the citizens of Sisters and the surrounding area."

Elliott is the owner of Ali's sandwich shop. His appointment means that every member of the incoming city council is a business owner.

"The city's diversifying now," Elliott said. "I think the decisions are going to be looked at a little differently. Politics is a business and you have a lot of business people (on the council) now."

Elliott acknowledged that there has long been a perception that the interests of Sisters' business community and those of city residents are divergent. But he believes that the well-being of both are interconnected.

"They're separate entities, but they have to work together to create a prosperous city," he said.

Elliott will continue to balance his roles as a citizen and as a business owner - and now as a public servant. He acknowledged that it can be a bit distracting to wear all three hats, especially when city business comes up at work.

"When I'm at work, I'm at work," he said.

This is the second time Elliott has served on the city council; he was mayor briefly about 14 years ago, he said.