Candidate forum set just before election day

The November 8 election is only two weeks away, and Oregon ballots have already been received in the mail. The candidate forum here in Sisters to meet and hear from the four candidates (three on the ballot and one write-in), who are running for three Sisters City Council seats, is scheduled for Wednesday, November 2 at 6 p.m., in the Sisters-Camp Sherman RFPD Community Hall, 301 S. Elm St.

The four candidates are: current Council member Andrea Blum; event organizer Richard Esterman; financial analyst Chuck Ryan; and write-in candidate Kathryn Lindbloom.

Citizens4Community, sponsors of the forum, are cognizant of the fact that a number of citizens may have already completed their ballots prior to November 2, but are hopeful people will wait to hear from the candidates before voting.

When considering the choices for City Council, as well as other candidates for state and national office, a few general guidelines may help to rationally evaluate the candidates.

In the August 2016 issue of Local Focus, Mike McCauley, executive director of the League of Oregon Cities, penned a thoughtful commentary on what is required of city officials in order to ensure effective leadership and decision-making.

McCauley suggests integrity is the primary factor necessary to be an effective leader.

"Integrity builds trust and teamwork. It puts the community before the individual... Integrity is about doing the right thing, not the expedient or profitable thing... A lack of integrity hurts organizational performance."

McCauley went on to say, "A city cannot reach its potential or solve problems without high-integrity officials."

Presuming a public official is making decisions with integrity, McCauley proposed 11 other attributes that would be helpful in promoting effective leadership in order to help facilitate good decisions, health of the city, and service to the citizens:

1. Integrity.

2. It's about the community.

3. Humility - we not I.

4. There is no formula. You can learn something from different approaches, but no formula is right for all circumstances.

5. Play on the team.

6. Inclusion - a corollary of it's about the community.

7. Be yourself. You can learn from others, but you cannot be them.

8. Own the problem, own the solution - you are in your position to get it done, not to blame.

9. Look beyond today - a city needs vision and foresight.

10. Set goals - without a destination, you will never arrive.

11. Do your homework - you can't make good decisions without knowledge and understanding.

12. Respect roles, people, and different opinions - without respect there is no trust, the foundation of true inclusion.