Council candidates speak out at forum

There were few sharp divisions between the five city council candidates at Wednesday night's forum held at Sisters fire hall, but the 50-plus audience for the two-hour question-and-answer session did hear some distinct differences of opinion and approach.

The candidates each fielded 11 questions. One recurring theme was the issue of citizen involvement - or the lack thereof - in the city's decision-making process.

A second frequent issue was the city manager's role. One observation was that the city was running "upside down," as candidate Bob Wright put it, with the city manager dictating projects and priorities to the council. Incumbent candidate David Asson, along with candidate Nancy Connolly, indicated some agreement with that assessment.

Incumbents Holzman and Boyd disagreed with that opinion.

All five candidates were in agreement that a primary challenge for the community is bringing family-wage jobs and affordable housing to Sisters. They believe this would solve the school financing challenges (more school-age kids), and go a long way to level out the six months of tourist season and then the "six long months of winter," as candidate Asson put it.

"We don't need more parks, we need more families," Asson said.

Asson, Wright, and Connolly touched repeatedly on the need for more process, procedure, and community outreach from the council. Connolly and Wright referred frequently to the project decision process checklist used by Sunriver as a good example.

When asked to indicate their "dream team" if they were elected, four of the five candidates said that they would defer to the will of the voters, and that they were up for the challenge of learning to work with whoever was elected. Asson said, "McKibben is on the council for two more years as is Mr. Frye. If I happen to be the one that you select, I would prefer to have Bob (Wright) and Nancy (Connolly)."

Speaking to the issue of economic development, Mayor Boyd said, "Our quality of life is our number-one asset. That is made up of strong schools, a safe area to live, public spaces to take your kids in the park, a place to ride your bike in the woods, and amazing fly fishing at the Metolius. That is what is going to drive the economics. We have always got to put the livability of this community ahead of any specific commercial interest that may degrade that."

In general, the other four candidates appeared to be in agreement with this overview of assets and needs. Candidate Asson made the point that Sisters could add 100 traded-sector jobs to this community and no one would even notice - and those additional wages and kids for the schools would improve, not degrade, the quality of life in Sisters.

City Manager Andrew Gorayeb's participation on a variety of high-profile boards, including the school board and the Sisters Park & Recreation District board was directly questioned as a "conflict of interest" by a member of the audience. Asson, Wright, and Connolly indicated a concern with Gorayeb's involvement and focus.

Asson's objection was the strongest. He said, "It is a conflict and it needs to be corrected. It is certainly not the intent of good government."

No one suggested that the city manager was in any way making or influencing decisions for personal gain as is the textbook definition of "conflict of interest." Instead there was a concern expressed that the city manager has too broad a reach, a potential lack of focus, and was working his own agenda rather than listening to the will of his council and the public.

Connolly reported, "A few business owners in town said, 'You can't afford to have an opinion in town because the same players are running every aspect of what is happening in town.' Group-think is a dangerous view."

Incumbents Holzman and Boyd disagreed with that assessment and praised the work ethic, skills, and dedication of the city manager. Boyd believes that Gorayeb's work and the council's is bearing fruit.

Referring to the city staff and city council, Mayor Boyd said, "I've been in town for more than 25 years as a business owner now, and I've seen more accomplished in the last two years. The town looks great!"