Chuck Ryan named Sisters Mayor

Chuck Ryan has been selected by his fellow councilors to serve as mayor of the City of Sisters.

By charter, voters don't vote directly for their mayor; he or she is elected by councilors to preside over meetings and to act as the direct liaison between the Council and city manager and to represent the City in ceremonial duties.

Three citizens were installed as members of the new Council at the first City Council meeting of 2017. Andrea Blum and Ryan will each serve four-year terms and Richard Esterman two years, based on the number of votes each received in the November election. Ryan will serve as mayor for the next two years and Nancy Connolly will continue as Council President.

Council has decided to change the day and time of their meeting to the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month starting in March. Workshops will take place at 5:30 p.m. and Council meetings at 6:30 p.m. A resolution formalizing the changes will be presented in February.

Councilors have accepted their appointments as representatives of Sisters on a variety of Central Oregon intergovernmental committees. Ryan will serve on the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC) and the Central Oregon Cities Organization (COCO).

Blum will continue her position on the Central Oregon Area Commission on Transportation (COACT). David Asson will continue as the representative to Economic Development of Oregon (EDCO), where he also serves on the executive committee. Nancy Connolly will continue on Sisters Economic Development Advisory Board (the local EDCO program).

Richard Esterman will be available to fill in for other Councilors when they are unable to attend a meeting. He will also attend a variety of the meetings to familiarize himself with their functions and duties. The Councilors commit to attend the meetings and report information back to the full Council and City staff.

The City of Sisters will be holding public forums at City Hall on Wednesday, January 25, 4 to 5 p.m. and again at 6 to 7 p.m. regarding the hiring of a new city manager. Interested citizens will have an opportunity to provide comment and input to the recruiting firm concerning what characteristics and abilities they would like the new city manager to possess. Those unable to attend either session may send comments to [email protected] by 5 p.m. on January 27. For more information about the hearing contact City Recorder Kerry Prosser at 541-323-5213.