Childress reluctantly steps aside

Catherine Childress would like to continue serving on the Sisters City Council.

She and her husband, David, are moving from Sisters to a new home at Aspen Lakes. That's outside the city, and the city charter requires that councilors be residents of the city of Sisters. So, she must step down from her post after one year of service.

"I would love to stay on the council," she told The Nugget. "I hate that we can't have representation outside the city, but that's the way the laws are written."

Childress said she plans to stay involved, perhaps mobilizing interested folks outside the city to take an active role and support the work she believes is vital to the health and sustainability of the community.

"If there's any service I can render on any of the committees that allow outside participation, I'm happy to do that as well," she said.

Childress' replacement will be selected by majority vote of the city council. Council members are already sounding out potential appointees and Mayor Brad Boyd says that those interested in serving are welcome to contact City Hall and throw their hat into the ring.

Childress was elected to the council at a time when relations between and among councilors were tense and city government was widely viewed as troubled and dysfunctional. Shortly into her tenure, a move was made to part ways with long-time city manager Eileen Stein, which itself became controversial. Childress and fellow councilor David Asson expressed strong displeasure with how the matter was handled. Childress and Asson voted against hiring Andrew Gorayeb as a temporary city manager.

Yet despite a rocky start, the council has been able to mend relationships and work together toward common goals. Childress and Asson concurred with their colleagues in naming Gorayeb city manager on a permanent basis last summer.

"We finally got through a smooth transition, and that was a big accomplishment," Childress said.

At a workshop last Thursday, Gorayeb expressed his appreciation for Childress' willingness to move past controversy and work with him and the rest of the council.

"In the six months that I have been city manager, Catherine made what could have been a brutally challenging experience for me very, very smooth, and was very focused on my success and supporting me," he said. "I appreciate it very much. I will miss you."

She attributes the turnaround in council relations to recognition of common goals.

"I think we finally got a council - at least this is my view - that understands that the city is a business," she said.

That means making decisions based on fiscal principles and performance.

"We try to work to consensus," she said of the council's current interaction.

Boyd said that early tension did not overshadow the work, that leadership and a sense of common purpose brought the council together into a smooth working relationship.

"Although we may have different perspectives, we all want the same things for Sisters," he said.

Those things include making the town more economically sustainable and improving the livability of the community.

"If we work together, we'll get a better outcome," said Boyd.

The council has been focused on improving the climate for economic vitality. Childress sees a commitment to focus on traded-sector family-wage jobs as an important step, along with a commitment to seek non-tax revenue sources for the city.

She sees projects like the renovation of the city RV park and the construction of an amphitheater as a way to bring more people to the city, create an atmosphere of vitality and provide revenue to the city that can be applied to making Sisters more attractive.

"I think we all agree that making Sisters as beautiful as it can be is extremely important," she said.

Projects to provide venues and recreational opportunities may appear daunting, but she believes the city has to act.

"You've got to be willing to take risks, but they've got to be very calculated risks," she said.

Going forward, she believes the city will have to work to find its niche in attracting light industry, for example, the support businesses that will underpin the development of drone technology in eastern Oregon.

"Why couldn't some of those come to Sisters?" she said.

And the city must make large endeavors like the amphitheater work.

"That's going to be extremely critical," she said. "The proof's in the pudding."

Success will lend more credibility to the next project and so on, enabling the city to create community assets that will support its vitality. How well the local government works will shape the future course of the community.

"The next five years will be pivotal for Sisters," Childress said.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

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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