Reed at work in city planning department

The new face at Sisters City Hall is that of Darcy Reed, associate planner in the Community Development Department.

The Bakersfield transplant moved north with her fiancé when he received a job offer in Central Oregon, where they also have family. They are living in Redmond with their dogs. Reed's dog, Deuce, a border collie, can occasionally be seen around City Hall when he comes to work with her.

Reed graduated from California State University - Fullerton with a bachelor's degree in sociology. After experiencing difficulty finding a full-time job, and working part-time as an afterschool activity leader, she decided to return to graduate school at California Polytechnic in San Luis Obispo, where she graduated in June 2013 with a master's in city and regional planning. She then worked for a civil engineering/land surveying firm before accepting the position here in Sisters.

Coming from a large metropolitan area of 800,000 residents, Reed loves Sisters; where she can take a nature walk along the creek right in town. She finds Sisters quaint and, although she didn't know what to expect, she is delighted to find it clean, well-kept, and friendly. Reed joked that Sisters being a Western town, she was surprised that no one had a "country accent."

Reed is pleased with the way things are going in the planning department.

"I feel like we are making headway ... attempting to work cooperatively..." with the public, "mending discouragement" they may have previously felt.

She said the department's desire is to work cooperatively with applicants, asking them what they need, how the department can be of assistance, and then providing helpful answers and appropriate direction.

An occasional challenge that faces Reed is "connecting all the dots between old land-use approvals." She sometimes runs into a lack of clarity as to how decisions were made. The department is getting busier, with several new building permit applications a week being submitted.

Reed describes herself as a homebody who enjoys cooking and watching movies. She and her fiancé are still getting acclimated, but this summer they look forward to hikes with their dogs and attending some country music concerts.

Reed can be reached at 541-323-5208 or [email protected]