Letters to the Editor 10/27/2010

To the Editor:

This is my personal opinion and may not be the opinions of the Chamber or SBART members.

As out-going president for the chamber of commerce at the end of this year and incoming chairperson for Sisters Business Attraction and Retention Team, a committee under the chamber, I am witnessing the controversy on the hiring process by EDCO to fill the part-time position for Sisters economic development director. 

I understand the hiring board for the position, of which I was not a part of, was comprised of very qualified people that were chosen specifically for their expertise, business sense and decision making. Keeping the anonymity of the hiring board is EDCO's policy, not just in this case, but in all cases within their organization. 

To make accusations against our city officials as being non-transparent in this process is absurd. 

Mayor Lon Kellstrom made a wise decision in keeping the council and city manager out of the process to protect them against exactly what is happening: false accusations.

Per last week's discussion at the council meeting with the city attorney present, it was clear that the council was kept informed. There is no hidden agenda here. The City of Sisters could not directly hire this position as a city employee due to the sensitive nature of discussions and confidentiality required when dealing with businesses. 

Mac Hay, myself and the rest of SBART have been volunteering for the past two years to develop a central point for economic development in our town. It has grown to be a project that requires someone's undivided attention to the details. I don't know who was interviewed during the process, but I can say that Mac Hay is very qualified for the contract position. It would be great to see the citizens of Sisters accept this positive move by the city. 

Let's get to business and move away from the unnecessary accusations.

Patty Vandiver

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To the Editor:

If you are unhappy with our current city council, vote for Wendy Holzman, Jacki Shepardson and Sharlene Weed.

Any other candidate means continuing down the current path. Jerry Bogart is already part of the voting bloc on crucial issues. Virginia Lindsey is now treasurer of their PAC. David Asson is more of the same.

Asson claims to be different, but the facts show that he, Bogart, and Lindsey are peas in a pod. Asson says his views are "similar" to those of the PAC. It's no surprise that Bogart and Lindsay support him. Is this why Asson's signs are usually next to theirs?

Asson was their PAC treasurer until deciding to do his own "marketing" because it would be "more advantageous to me." He has done well, raising over $4,000 - surpassing what the PAC has collected per candidate. When you see more exposure for Asson, Bogart, and Lindsay than for Holzman, Shepardson, and Weed, think of how much name recognition you can buy in a town our size with $10,000.

The Bulletin endorses this triad as a group with shared perspectives. COARPAC (Central Oregon Association of Realtors) agrees, allocating a third of their Sisters political contributions to Asson, two-thirds to the Lindsay-Bogart campaign.

If elected, Asson should fit right in with the current council majority, being a developer still offering lots in the "upscale, private, and secure" Salmon River development advertised on his Web site. As does our current majority, he advocates "budgeted city funding for new industry." Does this mean the taxpayers ought to fund businesses?

David Asson is no doubt a fine person, but electing him will get us the same policies as electing Bogart or Lindsay.

Chart a new path. Vote Holzman, Shepardson, and Weed. All three of them.

Eva Eagle

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To the Editor:

Yes, we are in a very difficult economic time, and while in these tough times we've all had to tighten our belts at a personal level. We need to do the same at all levels of government all across this great state. NOT just in the tough times but at all times. Financial responsibility is paramount today and will be as well when the economy improves.

You have an opportunity on November 2 to help ensure that financial stability by voting for David Asson for city council.

I have known David for many, many years and in those years I have known him to not only be a man of great character and honesty but as a man who is very responsible with a buck. His business background should speak volumes to you but let me put it quite simply - he is a fair man, with vision, full of integrity, financial responsibility and the ability to take on the tough jobs, doing what is right for the community.

You would be doing Sisters a great service by electing David Asson to your city council. Give him the opportunity to serve you and the Sisters community, not only in the good times but in the times like today when we ALL need to be wiser with our money.

Scott Leeding

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To the Editor:

This is in response to the letter from W.A. MacPhee in the October 20 edition of The Nugget.

Every two years when a new city council is seated, city staff work with the council to determine exactly how it would like to receive financial reports so the council gets the information it needs to make policy decisions.

Over the years, councils have tended to favor summary reports that highlight major revenue sources and compare monthly expenditures to budget targets.

This particular council is no different. It has also requested quarterly verbal reports from the finance director, which W.A. MacPhee was present for apparently. In addition to these summaries, councilors receive full line-item budget reports for all city funds on a monthly basis. Further, the income statement, balance sheets and cash flow statements which are referred to are prepared annually by the city's independent auditors.

These are public documents and available for review on the city's Web site at http://www.ci.sisters.or.us.

Eileen Stein, City Manager

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To the Editor:

I am a board member of the child advocacy/screening organization, Healthy Beginnings (HB). As many of you know, HB screens children and provides health education in the realms of vision, hearing, nutrition, dental, general health, behavior, concepts, speech, motor development, safety and more for all children from 0 through 5 years of age. HB performs follow-up assessments after referrals are made on detected childhood problems.

Incidentally, all children 0 to 1 year of age are eligible for a free optometric exam with a cadre of eye doctors in Central Oregon. HB also makes sure that all children receive a referral to Healthy Kids, if they lack health insurance, or third-party payor.

I encourage all parents/guardians/childcare providers to avail appropriate children of a screening at Sisters Park & Recreation District, FREE, on October 29 starting at 9 a.m., by merely calling 541-383-6357. Most pediatricians and family practice doctors do not have the time, energy or facilities to provide such a holistic process.

Peter D. Magnus, MD, MPH

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To The Editor,

I served as a Sisters City Councilor in the mid-'90s when the idea of big-dollar fundraising through PACs in Sisters supporting slates of candidates would have been troubling. Actually, maybe it should be today. Sisters should be electing free thinking, caring people, not PACs.

My hat tips to those who have been knocking on doors, meeting and listening to the tremendous variety of folks from all walks of life who make up this community they will need to represent. These were the folks I worked diligently for and remain friends with today.

A healthy council is not one that is all of a like mind, always seeing eye to eye on all issues before it. A healthy council is one that embraces the ability to agree to disagree while allowing full debate of issues according to the principles of open government. This is a council that the people can trust to benefit by considering all the viewpoints on issues and discussing alternative solutions before making their decisions as a team. The people need to know that they can trust this process to always be fair, open and transparent as the team players change year to year. This is enshrined in the laws of our land.

As I have watched this election campaign unfold I have been struck by how some candidates don't seem bothered by the cloak of secrecy cast over the hiring process of a business advocate and the city's puzzling stonewalling of freedom of information requests to clarify. My hat tips a second time to those candidates who are concerned about open democratic processes slipping off the rail here. I sure am.

Resident voters of Sisters: Your votes are the only votes that count in this community. Please vote and vote well for all of us.

Gary Miller

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To the Editor:

I want to state my support for three candidates, Sharlene Weed, Wendy Holzman, and Jacki Shepardson in the upcoming Sisters City Council election.

I invited these three candidates to meet in my coffee shop for questions and answers with local voters. One question that was asked: Why were these three candidates not waging a more visual and aggressive campaign?

Over the next 40 minutes each candidate spoke to the question on campaigning for city council. Their responses reflect concern for not polarizing people, remaining transparent, supporting small business, creating living-wage jobs, housing for the low income, and supporting the community that is presently presiding in Sisters.

Each candidate brought the focus back to community. Donating their campaign money to the Kiwanis food bank, $3,000 alone speaks of the integrity that these three would bring to the Sisters City Council.

Jim Cummins

Editor's note: The following letters did not appear in theprint edition due to space constraints.

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To the Editor:

I just received word that Dave Asson, a former partner in my CPA firm, is running for a seat on the city council in your fair city. While I do not understand why he would want to take on such a thankless job, I can think of no one more suited for the position.

Dave is not your typical CPA with green eye shade, arm gaiters and steeped in accounting theory that is nothing more than gibberish to the layman. It is unlikely that you will find someone with a more analytical mind coupled with the ability to succinctly articulate thoughts and ideas.

Having known Dave for almost 45 years, I cannot tell you whether he is a Democrat, Republican or independent. I do know that he is open-minded and considers issues on their merits and not on any party.

While I do not understand his choice in footwear, I do know that he would have my vote were I a resident of Sisters.

Wayne F. Hess

CPA, retired

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To the Editor:

After the City Council Candidate Forum Thursday evening, I am more convinced than ever that Sharlene Weed, Jacki Shepherdson and Wendy Holzman are the best choices for Sisters. These are women of vision, commitment and integrity.

Each of these three candidates prioritizes economic revitalization of our downtown core. I was especially impressed with Jacki's ideas about combining the talents of creative entrepreneurs with the support of microenterprise loans to get some of the empty storefronts filled. This is the spirit of optimism and looking "outside of the box" that one hopes will come to define the town.

Sharlene, Jacki and Wendy believe that preserving the natural beauty of Sisters and promoting recreational access to it is essential. Trails have been built and backcountry yurts have been constructed, drawing visitors. Sidewalk improvements, landscaping and other urban renewal projects will enhance the town. More can and would be done if Sharlene, Jacki and Wendy were elected.

These candidates also recognize that Sisters has become a destination for the arts. Our town has put itself on the map with our ever-growing folk festival, quilt show and gallery walks, and our fine artists and musicians are featured on OPB. Their contribution to the town's vitality needs to be acknowledged and amplified.

These three candidates are clearly most qualified to make decisions about the direction of our future economy. City council must do all it can to support and encourage the arts and outdoor recreation for this is where our economic stability lies - more so than attempting to attract larger industries whose wages may or may not be "living" wages. Similar attempts over the years to attract industry have failed repeatedly. Let's build on what we have, be optimistic and think outside of the box. Vote Weed, Shepherdson and Holzman.

Sarah Rahm

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To the Editor:

Like Michael Cooper (letter in October 13 issue), I still remember Jerry Bogart's outburst at that community meeting about destination resorts on the Metolius, partly because the (large) crowd was pretty clearly about 98 percent on the other side and partly because his only argument was a very weak "you can't change the rules."

But what I remember even more painfully is that the city council subsequently took what turned out to be a totally irrelevant stand in favor of the development, without detailing the benefits and costs to Sisters that it would mean long term. I made a mental note at the time not to vote for the "ticket" winners (Lon Kellstrom, Pat Thompson, Jerry Bogart) in subsequent elections. Nothing personal (very nearly the opposite in fact), and not because I'm unilaterally against all development. But that was a pretty clear signal to me that their enthusiasm for development was way more reckless than mine and out of touch with what a lot of us love about this place.

Mike Morgan's recent words about the city council's disregard for transparency have underlined my resolve. And I've broadened my "ticket" awareness to include where the candidates are getting their campaign funding from, so as not to unwittingly elect still others likely to share their attitude. "Follow the money" was good advice when Deep Throat gave it and it's only gotten more pertinent since.

David Grady

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To the Editor:

I am writing to support Sharlene Weed's candidacy for Sisters City Council. In her capacity as Sisters Habitat for Humanity Executive Director she has been extremely effective in support of her constituency; it is without doubt the most successful social program in our community. She has demonstrated leadership and courage as a member of the city council. I admire the fact that she has asked her supporters to donate funds to the Sisters Food Bank in her name rather than carpet the town with glossy advertisements filled with empty slogans (as several other candidates have chosen to do). I am proud that a person of such conviction and commitment is a part of our city government.

Bart Baenziger

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To the Editor:

When is a Sisters resident not a Sisters resident? When it comes time to vote on who will make decisions on how our city is run. My zip code is 97759. I gladly pay local option taxes to support Sisters' schools. I also support SPRD through my taxes. I make it a point to shop, buy gas and purchase groceries from local businesses first. (I pledge to do all my holiday shopping in Sisters!)

Yet, I feel the views of Sisters residents like me on traffic management, growth, protection of Whychus Creek and other matters that extend beyond the city limits has fallen on deaf ears during the current city council administration.

Please, look past the campaign signs and ad copy before you vote for Sisters City Council. Every one of the candidates wants to bring living-wage jobs to Sisters. And every elected body needs people with a broad range of views to reach fair decisions.

So ask yourself which candidates would actually reach out to a broad cross-section of residents before making decisions. Ask yourself which candidates will thoughtfully deliberate on multiple points of view before deciding which way to vote. And please vote for Wendy Holzman, Sharlene Weed and Jacki Shepardson.

Merry Ann Moore