News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
After defeating long-time incumbent Tammy Baney in the Republican primary last May, Sisters resident Patti Adair is squaring off in the November mid-term election against Democrat James Cook in a contest for Position 3 on the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners.
Adair, who campaigned hard on concerns over the impact of marijuana production in the rural county, told The Nugget that she is pleased with recent efforts to crack down on illegal grows and to enforce code restrictions.
"They have tightened up," she said. "I think they've done a good job of listening to people. I'm happy with what they've done."
Like candidates and officials at every level of government, Adair recognizes that the county - and Sisters Country in particular - is wrestling with tensions between economic growth and quality of life, and that housing costs are having a big impact on people's lives.
She notes that young people who work at Sisters businesses have a hard time finding a place to live on their own.
"They're all living with their parents," she said.
The county is limited in what it can do regarding housing, but Adair said she supports loosening regulations on accessory dwelling units, and believes that the county should use assets to assist Habitat for Humanity.
"I really believe in the Habitat program," she told The Nugget. "The county has a portfolio of assets and sometimes they are gifted to Habitat. I think that's a good use of a county resource."
The county does own land, but not in the Sisters area.
During her primary campaign, Adair criticized the county commissioners for setting staff salaries based on comparisons with western Oregon counties with a higher median income. She thinks those salaries are out of line with the private sector.
"The county employees are definitely making more than the average Deschutes County family," she said.
Adair believes that, because of the region's attractive lifestyle, the county does not need to pay a premium to attract employees.
"I feel like we have a lot of advantages," she said. "I don't feel like our salaries have to be quite so high to attract wonderful people."
She believes that a 3 percent pay raise was "probably more than was necessary."
Asked if she was advocating for cuts, she said she is not.
"I just think we really need to watch it," she said.
Adair wants to see the county review its fee schedule and speed up permitting processes.
She continues to be concerned about upward pressure on property taxes, especially for those on a fixed income, and wants to see the county continue to cut when possible and avoid increases.
Adair told The Nugget that she is very interested in partnering with state and federal agencies to aggressively work on "cleaning up our forest" to prevent or mitigate wildfires which have had a significant impact disrupting the lives and the economy of the entire region - and Sisters in particular.
Adair, 67, is a former certified public accountant and has chaired the Deschutes County Republican Party for the past two years.
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)