News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Wendy Holzman.
Wendy Holzman wasn't planning to run again for city council. Like others in the race, she waited till the last minute to file.
"I wasn't going to," she said. "I'd decided I wasn't going to run again."
But, she said, there was a nagging question she kept asking herself: "Are you going to have any regrets?"
Holzman says she wants to continue the work the council has been doing - especially work on parks and infrastructure that she believes has been very positive.
"There's still so much good work we can do," she said.
She noted that she advocated for creating a park where Fir Street Park was dedicated last Saturday.
"I advocated for this park," she said. "(A previous council) thought this should be a parking lot."
She is looking forward to renovation of the Village Green Park, which will provide amenities for travelers, particularly cyclists, who visit Sisters. And she wants to see through plans for a roundabout at the west end of town.
"We need to slow traffic coming into town," she said. "A roundabout slows traffic."
She cites her service as a council representative with the parks advisory board as an example of the value she brings to the city.
"I think I have the ability to listen, to hear what the community wants," she said. "I work well in a group situation."
She says she has become more assertive as a councilor and vows to continue that trend.
"It takes a while to learn to be an effective voice on a city council," she said. "I feel that my voice is getting stronger. Council is something you grow into, and I think I can keep getting better."
Holzman acknowledged that the council made mistakes in rolling out ideas for projects in a way that alarmed and alienated many people in the community - particularly surrounding the proposal for an amphitheater.
"I think mistakes were made in the past, but we're moving forward and getting more community input," she said. "(Regarding the amphitheater) council wanted to put forward a well-formed idea and when the community said "that's not what we want,' we said, "OK'."
She said the council has established mechanisms to avoid a repeat of that misstep.
"I think we've really addressed that - for example with the Community Assets Committee," which is tasked with vetting ideas for major projects.
Holzman also acknowledged a certain level of contention and distrust among some councilors, particularly involving Councilor David Asson, who has been at odds with City leadership on some issues (see story, page 17).
"More communication would certainly help," she said. "It generally does."
If re-elected, Holzman would be a senior member of the council. Asked what she would offer as advice to any newcomers on the council, she said, "Know that you're not always going to get exactly what you want. I think there needs to be an understanding of group process and what it means to be a councilor. You are one of five."
The incumbent acknowledged that serving on the council as a volunteer can consume a lot of time and be stressful. Some decisions have been tough on her. Yet, despite mulling a new run up to the last minute, Holzman asserts that she is committed to serving whatever term voters grant her.
"I still feel very committed to moving forward with positive work for our city," she said. "Positive, good work can be done - we need to focus on that and move forward with that."
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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