News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Chris Frye is taking on the remainder of Catherine Childress’ council term. photo provided
Chris Frye has been tapped to serve out a two-year term on the Sisters City Council. Frye takes the place of Catherine Childress, who has moved to Aspen Lakes. A councilor must reside inside the city limits of Sisters.
Frye, the owner of the General Store at Black Butte Ranch, has served on the city budget committee.
"I think that gave me a really good foundation," Frye told The Nugget.
He has also served on the board of directors of Sisters Christian Academy and on academic boards, and he believes he is well-qualified to work in a "board" environment.
"You have to know what your job is," Frye told The Nugget. "I'm the employee of the citizens of Sisters. My job is to do what is in the best interests of the public."
Determining what those interests are, Frye believes, requires a lot of getting out and talking to folks and listening to find out what is really important to people - and what they mean by the language they use.
"When you hear terms like 'livability' - what does that mean to you?" he said.
Frye is supportive of the idea of creating "community assets" that will help improve the economic vitality of Sisters. However, he cautions, "you have to build assets that the community wants."
The council's recent experience with public reaction to a proposed municipal amphitheater illustrates that, Frye believes.
"Everything I've heard and seen, the majority of people do not want it," he said.
Frye thinks that "the council's economic summit (now set for Tuesday, February 25, in the commons at Sisters Middle School from 6 to 8 p.m.) is a great idea" because it brings the public into the process of generating ideas. He sees two options for producing ideas to improve Sisters' vitality and viability. "Either the council produces ideas which the public accepts or rejects; or the public produces ideas that the council can vet for viability and try to execute."
In any case, Frye believes there is work to be done in order to ensure a prosperous future for Sisters - and as a young husband and father, the future is important to Frye.
"I'm very invested in the community and its success because my family is here," he said.
He also noted that his family is able to be here in part because people who came before stepped up to serve and get work done.
"We have to recognize that the benefits we enjoy are because of the work that was done yesterday," he said.
Frye believes the work of today will shape Sisters for his children and others, and he wants the City government to be proactive in shaping that future.
"As long as we have that mindset, then I think we'll do alright," he said.
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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