News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
The City of Sisters faces several specific issues that will shape the future of the community: the fate of some 53 acres of the current U.S. Forest Service site; transportation; infrastructure; and housing.
We believe that Bill Merrill, Lon Kellstrom and Dave Elliott are best-equipped to serve the city in facing those issues.
Kellstrom's pragmatism and fiscal conservatism have served the city well throughout his long service on the council. Elliott brings the advantage of a long history of public service that brings valuable historical context to his work. If he is to remain mayor, we would like to see him set clear priorities and provide more decisive leadership.
Merrill, though a newcomer to elective office, has an impressive résumé that includes valuable planning experience. We agree with his insistence on implementing the goals and policies of the comprehensive plan, and we are impressed with his methodical approach to tackling problems.
A thorough, pragmatic and far-sighted approach will be necessary to create an appropriate zoning overlay to shape the development of the Forest Service property in a manner that serves the needs of the community, as well as the needs of the market and of the forest service to meet its fiscal requirements.
We are concerned that the council's indecisiveness in seeking out a transportation solution - recognizing that no solution will be perfect or popular - has pushed any action into the next decade. It is time for decisions to be faced and made. We hope that Merrill's well-thought out approach can be used as a basis for some immediate action.
Sisters needs to improve its infrastructure, especially its sewer plant, and we hope that Elliott and Kellstrom can bring their experience to bear to make the work as smooth and unobtrusive as it can be.
Housing affordability and its corollary - workforce housing - will continue to be a thorny problem for Sisters. We share Kellstrom's skepticism about government's role in "creating" affordable housing. As Merrill's suggests, Sisters might approach the problem through the housing plan included in the comprehensive plan.
Sisters will continue to grow and change through the next four years. We believe Kellstrom, Merrill and Elliott are ready to steer the community through those changes.
Jim Cornelius, News Editor
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.
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