News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sisters Mayor Lon Kellstrom has appointed three new members to the seven-member Sisters Urban Area Planning Commission.
Steve Auerbach will hold the in-city position, while Doug Roberts and Darren Layne will serve in the at-large (outside the city limits) positions.
"We had nine applicants (for the at-large positions) and I had to disappoint seven people somehow, no matter what we did," Kellstrom told The Nugget.
In appointing Layne and Roberts, Kellstrom passed over incumbents Dominic Debari and Chuck Humphreys, each of whom had applied to serve another four years.
"I thought we should have a couple of new people," Kellstrom said, noting that he told both Debari and Humphreys of his decision before it was announced. "I wanted to encourage that kind of involvement from out-of-city."
Kellstrom noted that Layne and Roberts "are probably more prone to economic development opportunities when and if they present themselves."
Several applicants reported extensive planning commission or other urban planning experience, but Kellstrom said he did not believe that was a particularly vital qualification, since the commission's role has been increasingly policy oriented as staff takes on more of the nuts-and-bolts decision making.
"The planning background is not as critical a deal," Kellstrom said. "They both have extensive business experience. They both have a vision of what Sisters is and what it could be. They're just great guys."
Layne, a certified public accountant, has served on the Sisters Schools Foundation and is currently on the board of the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce.
He had some difficult firsthand experience with Sisters' planning department when he was building a commercial building in town several years ago.
A code that was often contradictory and difficult to follow, and inconsistent application of that code made the building experience frustrating and expensive.
"I spent a lot of time in the code and I didn't think that should go to waste," Layne said.
His experience makes Layne acutely sensitive to "making sure (planning) is a rational process" and to "make sure every applicant is being treated fairly."
He thinks the city has come a long way in recent years, thoroughly revising the development code and strengthening the planning staff.
"I think the city's done a great job - and (former planning director) Eric Porter, too - in going from where we were," Layne said. "It'll be fun to be part of a functional process instead of a dysfunctional process."
Roberts, a longtime Realtor in Sisters, developed an interest in planning through monthly meetings Porter conducted with the local real estate community.
He thinks he can bring a valuable perspective to the process.
"We all understand that growth isn't something you can get away from," he said. "It's going to happen. The question is how do you do it that makes sense for the people that live in the community."
Roberts has strong standards for the conduct of public business.
"I'm a firm believer that transparency is the name of the game," he said. "I don't have any special axe to grind.... It's something where I can give back to the community."
Steve Auerbach was the sole applicant for the open in-city position. A newcomer to Sisters, Auerbach moved here nine months ago from Southern Oregon after falling in love with the community during visits with friends. Before moving to Oregon, Aeurbach lived and worked in northern and central California.
He brings extensive education and experience in business, finance and high-tech to the position.
He also hopes that his newcomer status will be a plus.
"I hope to bring a new perspective and not have any preconceived ideas," he said.
Auerbach threw his hat in the ring with encouragement from Kellstrom.
"I'm not a political person at all, but he thought that I'd bring a good business background to the planning commission," he said. "I thought it would be a good learning experience for me as well.
"I've got a lot to learn," he acknowledged, "but I'm jumping in with both feet."
Auerbach also serves on the board for Sisters Rotary.
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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