Neary joins council

Sisters resident Mike Neary hopes to preserve the livability of the community through his new post on the Sisters City Council.

Neary, the 56-year old owner of Oregon Log Homes, was appointed to the city council by Sisters Mayor Steve Wilson to serve out the remaining 2-1/2 years of the departing Maggie Hughes' term.

In Neary, the council appears to have gained a strong proponent of growth with strong views on other major issues, such as transportation and affordable housing.

Neary said he was originally attracted to the area, like many, for the recreational activities and climate.

However, as his two sons became older, the excellence of the local school system became more important to his family.

"I prefer Sisters now (as opposed to when I came in the early 1980's)," he said. "Business owners now can make a living during the winter. And the quality of the schools and of the people who have moved here are both first class."

His motivation to join the council, Neary explained, is to maintain the livability of the area. He acknowledges that what happens in the near future, as Sisters continues to undergo explosive growth, will challenge the present high quality of life.

"Rapid change is going to happen. I'm for it; you can't fight it. But you can plan for it," he said.

One area that has been negatively impacted by growth, according to Neary, is transportation.

"The main problem I see in Sisters right now is traffic -- the flow through town," he said.

When asked about the idea of turning Cascade Avenue into a pedestrian-only mall he replied, "I love that! I think it (the high volume of traffic) is a deterrent now for people who can't find a place to park on Cascade and who have to fight the trucks and car traffic to cross the street to shop."

He noted that, "Sisters has changed. We have sophisticated shops with some gorgeous stuff. People come here as a destination for shopping. I think it (a pedestrian mall) would help the town."

Affordable housing has joined transportation as one of the most emotion-laden issues in Sisters. Neary describes himself as supportive of affordable housing, and recognizes Sisters property and housing has become expensive.

"I have over 30 employees here and I don't think any of them live in the Sisters area -- they all commute," he said.

While he expressed concern, Neary doubted that building affordable housing in Sisters was a practical solution.

"With the price of real estate having gone way up...if a contractor were to agree to build one in 10 affordable units how would that work? I don't think you realistically could have a $60,000 house sitting next to a $300,000 one."

Neary points to Telluride as a community that built affordable housing within its borders only to see the strategy fail.

"It (Telluride) has found that it works better for people to live in the surrounding area and travel in," he said. "I'd like to see affordable housing happen in Sisters -- but is it feasible? I don't know."

Neary had words of praise for Maggie Hughes, the councilor he has replaced. He pointed out that her contribution was key to the successful outcome of the city sewer project.

"I supported the project because I think it will be good for the town -- and even though I finished putting in an expensive sand-filtration system for my house just a couple of years ago," he said.