Letters to the Editor 10/31/2012

To the Editor:

Many letters have been written to this newspaper about the upcoming city council election. Good points have been raised, but few mention an important quality that differentiates the two experienced council members in this race: Brad Boyd and Lon Kellstrom.

That quality is the willingness to work hard at the people's business, a quality that Brad always brought to his work as a council member. I have attended a number of council meetings and workshops over the past 10 years. The workshops are good forums for illustrating how different council members approach their jobs because workshops show the council in learning mode.

In the sessions that I observed, there was one council member who stood above the crowd in mastering the issues, and that was Brad Boyd. No matter what the topic, Brad had done his homework. He had read the material, talked to staff in advance to resolve questions, and identified issues that needed further discussion.

By contrast, Lon Kellstrom had not read the staff reports and had no questions during those meetings. He did not seem to be engaging in most of the issues that came up. On many topics he had little to say, while on a few topics he seemed to think he already knew enough without reading any of the underlying work. It was clear that Brad approached his office as an obligation that required advance study, whereas Lon seemed to feel that attending the meeting was good enough.

I ask myself, which of these candidates do we want on the council? The candidate who takes his responsibility seriously enough to work at it? Or the candidate who makes no effort to dig into the issues?

Vote Brad Boyd for city council. He will work hard to find the best way forward for Sisters.

Eva Eagle

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To the Editor:

I am the mother of a military son. I love him very much and I am immensely proud of his life and conduct. If it was my son that had been killed in Benghazi, Libya, I would now be insane.

I am outraged beyond words at the unfolding information regarding the recent (9/11) deaths of four Americans. It is becoming increasing clear that our Commander-in-Chief KNEW all about this attack and chose to abandon them and let them die rather than risk sending in resources and thereby upsetting his friends in Libya. The British Consulate withdrew all of their personnel shortly before this attack. Everyone cared about their people except for us! Our Commander-in-Chief sent these people to Libya and didn't have time to give their safety a moment's thought.

I consider this to be a dereliction of duty of the highest order; I also consider it to be a clear case of the Commander-in-Chief murdering four Americans. I consider this to be a criminal act.

Now, weeks later, our Commander-in-Chief cannot admit this grievous mistake, accept responsibility for it or even apologize (hollow though that would be). His hollow comment of finding the people responsible for this and bringing them to justice is offensive beyond words. The person responsible has been making the rounds in Libya, telling everybody of his actions and receiving great praise throughout his country. Everyone knows who is responsible for this event except our President and secretary of state.

Am I the only one that is upset and outraged beyond belief? This has nothing to do with the current election, the color of anyone's skin, religion, or gender. This has to do with someone who has an unbelievable disregard for American citizens. I do not know why our President cannot speak truthfully about the issue; or perhaps he does not understand why the truth is important. I am sure we will never learn the truth from him.

Sharon Thorkildson

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To the Editor:

Alan Unger has done his work as Deschutes County Commissioner, and we will be best served by keeping him in that job. 

Paul Dewey, attorney and founder of Central Oregon LandWatch, said it best: "The commissioners don't always agree with my opinion, but Unger always acts as a professional, not as a personality. We need people like him in government."   

Please re-elect Unger and retain the county commission that is doing good work for our community. 

Bonnie Malone

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To the Editor:

Brad Boyd was one of the first people I met when I moved to Sisters five years ago.  Since he was mayor at the time, I repeatedly subjected him to various ideas I had to help make/keep Sisters a great place to live and work. I noted three recurring themes in Brad's responses to my somewhat naïve suggests and questions.

1. I found that he had already considered the issues I brought up, ranging from transportation to attracting new business to quality of life, and that he had detailed and intelligent opinions about them.

2. Even though Brad had opinions about the ideas I brought up, he listened thoughtfully and patiently to my suggestions and questions.

3. He searched through my ramblings for any nuggets, and tested them against his previous ideas, showing a willingness to modify them if something better was suggested.

These are uncommon traits in modern politicians, to say the least. Coupled with his integrity and leadership skills, they make Brad a very effective public servant.

Brad's years of experience as a resident and business owner coupled with his openness to input make him a valuable asset to the city council and to the general Sisters community. By electing Brad Boyd, we can bring professionalism and respectful functionality back to the city council.

Bruce Mason

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To the Editor;

I'm urging all voters to use your vote and vote for Brad Boyd and McKibben Womack for Sisters City Council. This city needs and deserves strong leadership with vision to guide Sisters from being a good town to a great town!

Brad has the experience, knowledge and the desire to serve the whole city, not just the merchants or just the residents, but the whole city. His business is located in the downtown core area and he understands how decisions that are made at city hall affect the downtown core. Brad is not just focused on the downtown, which is a major draw for Sisters; he also understands the importance of the business parks and the livability quality of Sisters as a resident as well. He has laid out ideas that will help all of Sisters, and he will work hard toward getting those ideas turned into positive actions.

McKibben is a great young leader, and his integrity is top notch! He wants a great Sisters and is working to obtain that vision. His landscape business allows him to see how the decisions made at city hall affect the business community and the residents as well. He understands and promotes "unity" in the city council, something that has been missing for the last four years under it's current leadership.

This brings me to the last point: I confess that I have "buyer's remorse." I voted for Lon Kellstrom and supported him as mayor, only to be very disappointed in his leadership. While Lon is a nice guy, he is not up to the job of leading this "good" town with vision toward Sisters being the "great" town that it is! It is time for a change, and that change is to replace Lon with Brad and McKibben.

Please remember to use your vote!

Gordon A. Wilson

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To the Editor:

I support Brad Boyd for Sisters City Council because he is the candidate who best understands the requirements for economic growth in Sisters. It is not all about attracting light industry or tenants for an industrial park that maybe should not have been built in the first place. Those are valuable, but do not play to the strengths of the Sisters area. Our strengths are our small-mountain-town atmosphere, our parks, our recreational opportunities, our schools, and our beautiful location.

Sisters can never compete with Prineville for a large data center, but we can compete for retirees. Focusing on our strengths to move our economy ahead makes much more sense as an economic development strategy. Retirees and tourists are good examples of how the flow of wealth/income into Sisters can bring economic benefit and growth.

Adding a retiree has almost the same economic benefit to the community as adding a job. When a retiree moves here, that person brings their income/wealth with them whether it is from Social Security, pension, 401(k), or all of those. That retiree income has a similar multiplier effect in the local economy that an additional job has. Retirees buy goods and services in the community, multiplying the effect of their income and generating economic growth.

In terms of the candidates for city council, it is a question of focus and priorities. Brad Boyd is the candidate who will look beyond the obvious and can lead Sisters in the best direction.

Bruce Bowen

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To the Editor:

Even though we cannot vote in the upcoming city elections (we live in Crossroads, just outside of town), the decisions the city council makes directly affect us.

We care about Sisters and want to see the city thrive, but not at the expense of the community atmosphere and many of its citizens. Sisters is a close-knit community that cares about its citizens and their happiness, cares about the local economy and the importance of shopping locally at independent stores, and gives its time in volunteer work unlike any community we've ever seen.

We believe that Brad Boyd and McKibben Womack have those same values in mind and will represent all of Sisters' citizens equally. They are involved in our community, will represent everyone and their needs, and will preserve the fiscal integrity of Sisters.

Mark & Bunny Thompson

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To the Editor:

Recently we have heard a number of false rumors going around town about some of Brad Boyd's positions.

The two we heard this week are that he doesn't support the airport annexation because it is not in the downtown core, and that he is anti-growth. Both of these statements are incorrect. For the record, Brad supports the airport annexation.

As far as being anti-growth, nothing could be further from the truth. Brad wants Sisters to be a thriving, prosperous and vibrant town. That will require growth. If you are undecided and have questions regarding Brad's ideas, stop by Eurosports and talk to him. That is one of the great things about Brad - he is available and willing to listen. Please vote Brad Boyd for Sisters City Council.

Jim Cummins and Janet Brockway