Write-in candidate in bid for council seat

After seeing there were only three candidates running for three Sisters City Council seats, Kathryn Lindbloom was convinced by friends to start a write-in campaign.

Lindbloom told The Nugget, "My agenda is to keep Sisters Sisters." She said other than that, she has no specific agendas. She loves living in Sisters and wishes to see it continue as a special place to live.

She does think there are several current issues facing the new Council, the first being to conduct a "reasonable search for a city manager.

"We need to find someone who wants to live in the city," and "who holds the same values we do."

The potential sale of the Forest Service property at the west end of town is an issue that Lindbloom thinks requires major input from the citizens. She thinks the Council needs to listen to the ideas and concerns of the residents, without having their own minds already made up.

She sees the Council as advocates for the City regarding the Forest Service property.

"The developers don't decide what our town is going to be - we do," Lindbloom said. "This is the last major area that we have for development and it is very important that it is developed in keeping with the flavor of Sisters."

Lindbloom agrees that Sisters needs more apartments and rental properties, but believes that "we can't provide everything for everybody and we can't have a whole town of affordable housing.

"People want to live here and they come with money," she said. They can afford to pay more for their housing.

Lindbloom thinks that currently the City Council is too involved in issues at the front end. They should use the existing committees and boards to do the initial work and make recommendations to the Council. She thinks it would be easier to recruit people for committees if they thought their work would make an impact.

She sees the Council as an appellate body that hears appeals and can change the laws governing City affairs. She thinks Councilors should be open to encouraging and hearing ideas and then make their decisions.

"I am very open-minded and fair," Lindbloom said.

Once the decisions are made, "Councilors must stand up for what they have to do."

Lindbloom is a Chicago native who graduated from Southern Illinois University and went on to earn an MBA in finance and accounting and a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She worked as a stockbroker for 20 years.

While living in San Carlos, California, Lindbloom served for six years as a member and chair of the planning commission. She also spent four years on her homeowners association board holding several offices. Additionally, she served on a variety of local commissions and committees.

When a new women's prison was slated to take over the grounds of a closed hospital in their community, Lindbloom was part of the effort to block its construction in order to maintain the open space for the community. They were successful.

Lindbloom and her husband, Vern Renner, were first introduced to Sisters while vacationing at Eagle Crest. They eventually purchased a lot in Aspen Lakes which they still own. Ten years ago they moved to Sisters, residing outside the city. Three years ago they moved into town when they purchased a house near the FivePine campus.

Lindbloom has volunteered at the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce for most of those 10 years as well as working at Stitchin' Post for five years. She has volunteered with a number of Sisters nonprofits and served on the City budget committee in 2015 and 2016.