News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
McKibben Womack.
Sisters City Council President McKibben Womack is stepping down from his seat effective April 30. The mayor and City Council will appoint a replacement to serve out his term.
Womack told The Nugget that he is resigning to focus on the needs of his young family and his landscape maintenance business. Womack has three children; ages 6, 4 and 2, with another on the way.
"Our new addition is supposed to be born somewhere around the end of April, so it kind of made sense," Womack said. "Also, it gives the council plenty of time to find a replacement."
Womack is leaving his post on the council with mixed feelings. He's happy with the direction City government has taken, feeling that there is "more of a sense of pride" in City operations and across Sisters at large, and that City staff has a high level of morale. He believes that City Manager Andrew Gorayeb has established strong interagency relationships that benefit the City of Sisters.
"We brought the right person in, being Andrew, who knows how to build relationships and get us what we want," he said.
He likes that Gorayeb "wasn't looking to make a name and go someplace (else). He doesn't see the bureaucracy as an excuse not to do things."
He is pleased with the financial well-being of the City, and proud of accomplishments like the creation of Fir Street Park, the completion of the Cascade Avenue Project and the general beautification of Sisters that the public works department works hard to achieve and maintain.
However, Womack is also concerned about the political climate in Sisters. He acknowledges that that political climate creates a high level of stress on volunteers who serve on local boards and committees, and that had an effect on his family life and his decision to step aside.
"Those stresses, they're big," he said.
He says that he hears from many people who offer encouragement in private but are reluctant to step into a sometimes-bruising public discourse.
"There is a very boisterous minority that is having an influence and taking a toll on the City, and that has to be dealt with," he said, noting that he was speaking essentially of "the people associated with (the online circular) Sisters Voice and a political Facebook forum."
He said, "I think the silent majority have to get up and they have to say something. They have to have their voices heard."
Ed Protas is one of the co-authors of "Sisters Voice." Asked to respond to Womack's assertions, he responded, "While the folks within his circle might agree with him, I do not think he is knowledgeable about, nor can he speak to the opinions of a majority of this community. I agree that "they have to have their voices heard.' Getting people involved and speaking up has been one of the primary goals of Sisters Voice, and I will gladly contrast what Mike Morgan and Ed Protas have done in that effort compared to what the City Council of the last two years has done. Actions always speak louder than words."
Womack acknowledged that critics of the City have a right to speak out on issues.
"Absolutely," he said. "But the way they are going about it is not right; it's causing harm to the City... There are people in the City who they do not like, and they want to get rid of them. They're willing to do whatever they can to get rid of those people."
Protas said, "Councilor Womack ... invokes the ghost of Joe McCarthy when he makes allegations about this being some kind of personal vendetta. This is not the first time he has made this claim, and he has no basis for it. No doubt our commentary is often times confrontational, and I can appreciate that McKibben and others take offense, but I will stand by the facts we have presented and the issues we have raised. It's not about the people doing it, it's about what they are doing."
Asked if his stepping down is, in effect, giving in to the negative climate he abhors, Womack said, "I don't know. I think time will tell. In some cases, things have to get bad enough that people say "enough is enough.' If this is really what people want, then I'm in a minority and me stepping down is a good thing."
Womack campaigned on the idea that more young people should get involved in public life, and he expressed some regret on that score.
"Part of me feels I kind of failed at that, because having a younger family is why I'm pulling out," he said. "But you don't know if you don't try."
Womack left the door open to a return to public involvement down the road.
"No more committees, no nothing for a year - then we'll reevaluate it," 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.
Reader Comments(0)