Proponent for social justice runs for council

A proponent for social justice, 22-year old Elizabeth Fisher was born and raised in Central Oregon, living first in Redmond and then moving with her family to Sisters, where she spent nine years in Sisters schools.

Fisher received her Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering in 2020 from Oregon State University. She followed the bioengineering track in college and is currently sending out job applications in the biotech and pharmaceutical fields.

For enjoyment she likes spending time with books, both reading and listening on audio. She has worked as an instructor at Sisters Park & Recreation District and as a research assistant while at OSU.

Fisher is the founder of the Sisters group called Fight for Social Justice, which has been seen recently on Saturdays demonstrating against racism on the corner of East Cascade Avenue and North Locust Street. Fisher explained that when she was growing up, she didn’t realize there were societal inequities because everything in her life was fine. With the Black Lives Matter movement and recent publicized killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others, she has felt compelled to stand up and speak up for justice for all.

“This is where I can stand up and so I do,” she told The Nugget.

Fisher sees her potential role as a councilor would be to make sure she gets a full understanding of the issues that are important to the citizens so she could fully represent them.

“It’s not my job to impose my beliefs, but rather to facilitate the community’s wishes,” she said.

She is running to “hopefully amplify the wishes of those citizens under 30, the undocumented, the LBGTQ community, and others who are often overlooked when decisions are being made.” She believes she can offer a fresh perspective. She describes herself as a quick learner who is a determined, hard worker.

Fisher has been listening to the City Council meetings via the internet, has read the City Charter, and looked into the current Comprehensive Plan, which will be updated in 2020-21.

The lack of affordable housing is an issue Fisher believes needs to be more widely addressed.

“I would like the City to make it a possibility for people to afford living in Sisters,” she said.

She feels fortunate to currently be living in a trailer on her parents’ property with her orange tabby cat, Charlie.

Something Fisher would like to have seen done differently by the current Council was the manner in which the new public safety contract was negotiated with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. She thinks citizens should have been involved in the process. She would like to see no Blue Lives Matter symbols on the deputies’ cars and uniforms, saying they shouldn’t be displayed using taxpayer money to do it.

“It is inevitable that Sisters is going to grow. I would like us to develop a sustainable growth plan, being intentional in our planning,” she said. “I would like to see us being more creative in better use of our space.”

She would like to see preservation of green spaces, while giving people places to live.

Fisher said, “My job would be to fight for the under-represented. I vow, if elected, to listen to any thoughts, ideas, or grievances. I will listen more than I talk.”