Sisters Talk - interview with Christian Mintiens

This episode of Sisters Talk is special for me as host. Having the opportunity to interview one of your children is very special - and difficult at the same time. My son, Christian, is now 27 and living/working in New York City as an audio engineer for News Corporation, Rupert Murdoch's empire best known for the FOX cable TV stations. (News Corporation also has properties in film,

television, cable, magazines, and newspapers to name just a few.)

Having been raised in Sisters Oregon, a product of the Sisters School System, Chris is a good example of how a strong and vibrant arts culture, combined with many mentors and supporters, can guide and motivate young people to pursue their passions in life.

I hope this interview will be heard by both students and their parents.

I also personally believe that Sisters' current state designation as a "severely distressed community" can be turned around by an emphasis on expanding the already thriving arts and culture programs and businesses. It's clear that people who visit Sisters for an event are far more likely to move or start a business here.

So, in reality, I also have an agenda with my son's interview. We all need to remember and thank those mentors in our lives, those folks who took an interest and helped guide us in life - especially in these difficult times.

There are many stories like Chris' here in Sisters. My hope and dream is that, one day, all these talented young people will return to Sisters - bringing with them their talents and skills to collaborate, start new entrepreneurial ventures, and perhaps start families.

I hope you enjoy the interview.

Hiring controversy spills into council meeting

This article was published in the 11/3/10 Nugget Newspaper

By Bill Mintiens City Councilor Sharlene Weed pressed City Manager Eileen Stein for answers regarding the controversial hiring process for Sisters' economic development manager last Thursday evening during the regular Sisters City Council meeting. She didn't get any. And she's not the only one pressing for answers. Weed has been pressing the city council for several months over what she considers the lack of transparency with the hiring of Sisters' new Economic Development Manager Mac Hay. Widely reported, the entire hiring process - position description, solicitation of candidates, interview panel members, and final recommendation - was outsourced to EDCO (Economic Development for Central Oregon) by Mayor Lon Kellstrom. Mayor Kellstrom purposely kept all other city council members entirely out of the process citing a "need to keep the council at arm's length so as not to appear to have hired a friend of the council." During the "other business" portion of the council meeting Weed admonished Stein for not replying promptly to the questions sent to her by Mike Morgan, also present at the meeting Thursday evening. "They were just two simple questions, not public records requests that he was asking for. And you didn't respond to the questions. Not responding is not OK," stated Weed. Morgan, along with Ed Protas, has been a vocal critic of the hiring process at past council meetings. Both men have sent several emails to Stein requesting "public records" information. Stein stated that she felt she had addressed their public records requests. "I was not 'not responding' to the request. I took the tack that these were public records requests; there's a $100 deposit required before we can proceed to figure out the total cost," said Stein. Initially Morgan had indicated he wanted certain public records, subsequently boiling his request down to two yes/no questions for Stein for which he believed no records were required. He received no response to these questions. Pressing Stein, Weed said, "The point is we just need to respond." The two questions were: "Was there a board resolution delegating the council's powers and responsibilities as the contract review board to EDCO per paragraph 2.32.020 of the contracting ordinance?" And "Did the city manager set selection criteria per 2.32.120 of the contracting ordinance?" Morgan read both of the questions aloud during the "visitors communication" portion of the council meeting Thursday evening. Morgan added "Oregon Public Policy requires transparency in government. We seem to have a mayor, supported by two other councilors, that disagrees with that policy and the laws of this state that effect that policy." Councilor Weed asked Stein directly, "Did you receive anything in writing concerning EDCO's recommendation (of Mac Hay)? To which Stein replied "No, just Mac's résumé." Stein deferred answers to other questions to the city's attorney Steve Bryant. The furor over the hiring process does not seem to be diminishing, even though Hay's position as an independent contractor has begun. Councilor Weed's final remarks on the situation were, "I feel like we made a mistake (about the hiring process); we need to tell the truth so that the public doesn't think there are shenanigans going on." No other councilors spoke on the issue. Mayor Kellstrom was out of town.

Forum Highlights Candidate Differences

Photo by Jim Williams

Couldn't make it to the Candidate's Forum? Listen to the Sisters Talk podcast now!

This article was published in the 10/27/10 Nugget Newspaper

Approximately seventy-five residents attended the Sisters City Council Candidate Forum last Thursday evening at the High School auditorium.

Moderator Jim Cornelius, citing a smaller-than-anticipated audience, thanked those in attendance for choosing the forum over the evening’s numerous sports offerings. Cornelius was also quick to thank the candidates for their willingness to serve the community in a volunteer capacity. City councilors receive no salary or benefits.

“It takes a lot of courage and commitment to run for local office,” said Cornelius.

Hosted by the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce, the event gave all six candidates (Wendy Holzman, David Asson, Virginia Lindsey, Sharlene Weed, Jacki Shepardson, and Jerry Bogart) an opportunity to express their views on a variety of issues.

Wendy Holzman was the only candidate not in attendance. A previously scheduled family trip necessitated her absence. Jim Cornelius read Holzman’s opening and closing statements.

The evening started with each candidate giving a two-minute opening statement citing their reasons for seeking a council seat and their qualifications.

Following the opening statements, each candidate had two-minutes apiece to answer five questions. The questions were compiled from those received by email from Sisters Country residents over the past several weeks. The candidates did not see the questions prior to the Forum.

Here is a summary of the questions and responses from each of the candidates present.

Question #1: “Why do you want to be a City Councilor and what business, government, or community involvement qualifies you to be one?”

David Asson cited his years of business experience as a CPA, involvement with the city’s budget committee, his home owner’s association, and friends urging him to get involved now that he was retired. “Meeting these people (in volunteer city government), seeing the dedication and long hours they put in, I was impressed, got the urge to try to help out, so I decided to jump in,” Said Asson.

Virginia Lindsey said “I decided to become a city councilor after working on the (city’s) budget committee for three years. Also, having been around Sisters for so long, I do want to see it recover and getter better and larger.” Lindsey also cited her extensive business experience in both large and small companies as factors that enable her to understand the needs of existing and potential businesses in Sisters.

Sharlene Weed has been a city councilor now for six years. Prior to her council role Weed served on the planning commission for four years. Commenting on why she was running this year Weed said “My Mom reminded me that there are a lot of people out there who don’t have a ‘voice.’ When you have the opportunity to have a voice you need to take it.”

Jacki Shepardson got right to her main concern about the present council. “I decided to run because I feel we lack diversity on the council. I come from the lower level of individuals that comprise 51% of our population, that’s a voice that hasn’t been heard on our council. Many of these people came to me and said ‘Jacki you really need to do this, you could be our voice,” said Shepardson.

Shepardson also cited her government experience as a local labor union president for the department of Motor Vehicles in Salem. “I’ve also been the site coordinator for the Sisters Brown Bag Food Distribution program for the last 8 ½ years,” said Jacki.

Jerry Bogart initially answered sarcastically “That’s a great question. The long hours, the great pay, the personal attacks that happened, those are the three best reasons. Honestly, though, I like Tom McCall’s statement ‘This is your community and it’s your responsibility to help out.”

Bogart has been a councilor for the past two years and also serves as Vice Chairperson with SBART (Sisters Business Acquisition & Retention Team.) Jerry is also the Sisters representative on EDCO’s (Economic Development for Central Oregon) board of directors and a small business owner for the past eleven years.

“I can identify with the problems that small business owners and citizens are facing right now,” said Bogart.

Question #2: “Describe a current council action that you would have handled differently. What would you have done?”

Virginia Lindsey said “Selling our garbage service to HCD (High Country Disposal.) The City enjoyed $85,000 a year profit from this service. HCD immediately raised rates and now we’re at risk of losing our recycling center. I fought against it but it passed anyway.”

Sharlene Weed cited the widely-reported controversy over the recently-hired Economic Development Manager Mac Hay. “To me that’s just poor government, poor process. It’s deceptive, not transparent, very bad process. I would have had a job description and a Council discussion before hiring,” said Weed.

Jacki Shepardson agreed with Weed but added “The contract (independent contractor) was inappropriate. I would have requested a more detailed contract and I would have requested the person be an employee of the city where we could supervise their actions and ask for deliverables,” said Jacki.

Jerry Bogart said “To tell you the truth I’m very satisfied with the way the council is right now. However, I did object to a large pay raise the council gave to one employee recently. I was the only one who voted against it. I didn’t think it was the right time to do this in this economy,” said Bogart.

David Asson also spoke to the hiring of the Economic Development Manager. “I don’t find anything wrong with the contract itself. It (the hiring process) could have been an opportunity to get more information out to the community; we should have gotten the people behind the effort, now we’re going to have to work harder to do that,” said Asson.

Question #3: “What are your views and what, if anything, will you do to help organizations like the Sisters Park & recreation District and the various charitable organizations in Sisters Country?”

Sharlene Weed said “One of the things that we can all do is share resources. We all don’t need to buy pop-up tents for our events, we can share those things. They can also help us (the city) by letting us know what they’re doing so that maybe we can fill-in gaps.”

Jacki Shepardson said “We need to go to those organizations, listen to what they’re needs are, ask them questions, and bring that input back to the council.

Jerry Bogart agreed with Weed and Shepardson, adding “We need to keep in touch with the stakeholders, have more meetings with the school district; right now the city gives $15,000 to charitable organizations and, if times get better, we should look at increasing it.”

David Asson said “I think we should support the organizations any way that we can but, right now, direct dollars for new parks or buying additional land – we’re just not there at this time.”

Virginia Lindsey said “I agree with that. The city has been very successful at raising grants.”

Question #4: Sisters Country residents are affected by decisions made by the city council on such cross-city-line issues as protection of Whychus Creek, traffic, air quality, development, etc. Yet sisters Country people do not get a vote on how the city is run. What say, if any, should sisters Country residents outside the UGB have in city matters? What actions have you or would you take to consider these residents’ views?

Jacki Shepardson said “Having lived in Crossroads for eight years and not having a voice, I would have quarterly town hall meetings, draw those people in, get their ideas and their input.”

Jerry Bogart spoke to the city’s comprehensive plan. “The comp plan is due for an update so we need to involve all the citizens just as we did with the Visioning process (2006). Let them have a say about how we reform the comp plan,” said Jerry.

“A lot of my supporters are non-residents (of the city.) and yet they run businesses and are affected by all of these decisions. I know it’s a (city) charter matter but I’m open to see if that could be broadened to see if they could have a vote of some sort,” said David Asson.

Virginia Lindsey said “I’d like to see representatives from various groups come to us and give us their concerns and their interests.”

Sharlene Weed reminded the audience that the Committee for Citizen Involvement (CCI) was formed about four years ago to garner feedback from both outside and inside the city. “The CCI has not been a priority of the current council, it’s floundered, membership has dwindled. It’s one of the things I hope to revitalize,” said Sharlene.

Question #5: “Sisters received a ‘severely distressed’ designation in March of 2008 from the state’s Economic & Community Development Department. Conditions have not improved. In fact we’ve lost employers and jobs. What do you believe are Sisters ‘economic drivers’ and what specific steps will you take to improve the Sisters economy?”

“The city of Sisters has always been a tourist destination, that’s the backbone. Along with that come construction, real estate, and the service industries. Those are our drivers. We need to support our Chamber of Commerce. The current council is going down the right path. We need to focus a little more on business retention and expansion,” said Jerry Bogart.

David Asson said “Tourism is important but that isn’t the complete answer. We need to develop some of the other assets around here, retired people with lots of information and a lot of contacts, as well as developing a database of people and resources in the community that we can draw on.”

“Tourism has given us our name but we need things that will keep people here. We need year-round living wage jobs, some type of industry whether it’s engineering, manufacturing, or distribution,” said Virginia Lindsey.

Sharlene Weed said “Our biggest asset is our natural environment, our clean air, water, mountains, ponderosa pines. Recreation, arts and culture are our biggest economic drivers. I’ve been encouraged by the ‘economic roundtables’ put on by the Chamber and encourage more of those for the other economic sectors in town. I think the city could take the lead in calling together a larger ‘economic summit’ to report ‘out’ on what’s going on in the various economic sectors.”

“I agree with Sharlene, it’s our environment, people, schools. We need to look at ‘microenterprise,’ look at cities like Maupin, Joseph, and Baker City. They’ve gone from small economically depressed towns to very vibrant towns. We need to look at them and see what they did,” said Jacki Shepardson.

Lightning Round Questions: The candidates were asked to give either a “yes” or “no” response to four questions.

Question #1: “Would you vote in favor of resolutions to write letters of support for destination resorts?” Asson: Yes; Lindsey: Yes; Weed: No; Shepardson: No; Bogart: Yes

Question #2: “Should System Development Charges and/or some city taxes be waived or deferred to attract or retain businesses which bring living wage jobs to Sisters?” Lindsey: Yes; Weed: Passed on question; Shepardson: No; Bogart: Yes; Asson: Yes

Question #3: “Did you/would you vote in favor of the city gas tax?” Weed: No; Shepardson: No; Bogart: Yes; Asson: Yes; Lindsey: Yes

Question #4: “If elected to the Council would you like to be appointed Mayor?” Shepardson: No; Bogart: No; Asson: No; Lindsey: No; Weed: Yes

Following the question sessions each candidate gave a one-minute closing statement.

Holzman makes Second Run for Council Seat

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Wendy Holzman. photo provided This article was published in the 10/20/10 Nugget Newspaper By Bill Mintiens Wendy Holzman, 54, a Sisters resident for the past six years, does not give up easily. She ran unsuccessfully for a city council seat two years ago, losing by only 14 votes. Now she's thrown her hat into the ring again. Born and raised in Palo Alto, California, Holzman spent her initial college years at the University of California, Santa Barbara. "This is where I first became involved in community politics," she said. The unincorporated community of Isla Vista, adjacent to the college, offered many opportunities for Holzman to get involved. "I became involved with the community council and was on the board of directors of the Isla Vista Food Co-Op. I also volunteered at the medical clinic," said Holzman. "I really enjoyed what that felt like to give back to your community and to see the great things that people can do when they pull together and work in their community." After marrying Alan Holzman, also a student at the time, the couple moved to San Francisco to attend San Francisco State University. Alan attained a master's degree, Wendy finished her undergraduate degree. Finishing their college degrees, the couple moved back down to the "peninsula" where Alan began a career in the computer industry. They also started a family. Their daughter was born in 1984, a son followed in 1987. "We were lucky in that we were financially able to have me stay home with the kids during their early years. Those years wound up being about 15. I really loved it because I got involved with the kids' schools as a volunteer," she said. The Holzmans moved to Beaverton, Oregon, in 1989 when Alan joined Sequent Computers. With the children now six and three, Wendy went to work for the Beaverton School District, staying with the district for six years mainly working in library services. It was during this period that the family was spending summer vacations at Black Butte Ranch. Loving the area, Wendy and Alan began wondering if a move to the Sisters area could be possible. "Alan's team was international, and we wondered if it would be possible for him to telecommute if we moved to Sisters," said Wendy. Prior to buying their home, however, Wendy and Alan really checked out the town. "I walked and biked around town, asking people what they thought about Sisters. People told me what a great community it was, all the wonderful things the community does. That sounded really good to me," said Holzman. In 2004, as their son was entering his senior year in high school, the family made the move to Sisters. They live in the Buck Run subdivision. Wendy participated in the 2006 Sisters "visioning" process, a community-wide effort which resulted in the current Sisters Visioning Statement. This process was stimulating for Holzman, motivating her to get more involved with the community. "This process was eye-opening for me. The facilitator indicated that Sisters was on a 'knife's edge,' it could go one way or the other. I knew I loved this community and wanted it to be a good place to live. So I jumped in and got involved," she said. Holzman never regretted getting involved. Since the visioning process, she has been the volunteer chair of the Citizens for Community Involvement (CCI), a committee spun out of the visioning process. CCI's purpose is to help the city council better understand the "pulse" of both city and Sisters Country residents. Wendy also served on a committee that brought two leadership programs to Sisters, The Ford Family Foundation program and a second program geared toward students in the community. "A lack of leadership training in the community was cited in the visioning process. These two programs trained several people who went on to leadership roles in the community. This was very exciting," said Holzman. By 2008 Holzman felt it was time to take on a greater leadership role in the community. Running for city council was another eye-opening experience for her. "It was a different election than Sisters had ever seen. For the first time ever a political action committee (PAC) was formed for a city council race. $12,000 was raised to back their three candidates - Lon Kellstrom, Pat Thompson and Jerry Bogart. It changed how politics was done in the city. Sharlene Weed said she spent $35 four years ago when she ran for city council," said Holzman. "There's nothing wrong with forming a PAC, it's perfectly legal, but it did set a new tone for the way things were done in Sisters. I was afraid it would discourage everyday citizens from feeling like they could run for city council without the backing of a PAC or a lot of money." Holzman feels the influence of the PAC's contributors is hard to avoid. "I would say it's difficult not to be (influenced), especially in the economy right now. My other big concern, beside that, is that I believe a diverse council is a stronger council. Right now we have three councilors who vote, not always, but on major issues have tended to vote as a 'bloc.' Development voices are certainly pieces of the 'pie' and should be represented on the council but I think there are more pieces of the pie that need to be represented," said Holzman. Holzman is concerned about "economic vitality" versus real estate development in Sisters. "Real estate development is certainly a part of a community but, especially in these times, it should not be the major part. I attend all city council workshops and meetings and I've noticed that the first lens that decisions are looked (at) through is 'how will development be affected by the decision?'" she said. Holzman has concerns about the EDCO (Economic Development for Central Oregon) model that has been adopted for the new economic development manager's position recently filled by Mac Hay. Holzman does not believe trying to lure traded-sector companies (goods and services which are traded out of the area) to Sisters will work in these economic times. "EDCO works with all communities in Central Oregon. Some of those communities are much better situated with transportation (highways, rail service) and cheaper for them to move into than we are. This should not be, in these economic times, our main focus," said Holzman. She believes small companies are the key to Sisters' success. "I think if we can bring in individuals who can work from their homes and telecommute; they bring wealth into the community, they buy things in town; to the small two-to-five to 10-person companies," said Holzman. Holzman believes a strong "downtown core" is vital to economic development. "Everything I have read and researched says that a small rural town has to have a vital downtown core to survive. But we don't just want a strong downtown core, we want a strong industrial park too, because they feed off each other," she said. Regarding the current campaign slogans centered on jobs, Holzman said, "I would love to bring more living-wage jobs in but we've got to be realistic. Two years ago they (Kellstrom, Bogart, Thompson) said they were going to bring jobs in. Well, I haven't seen a lot of jobs come in. In fact we've lost jobs." Holzman likes the idea of developing companies and jobs within the community. "I like the idea of working with people to build businesses from the ground level up. I think we can do more of that, as a community, to support businesses and to bring new businesses in," she said. When asked how she felt the present council has performed over the last two years, Holzman preferred to speak about her decision to run again. "A man stopped me on the street and indicated that he wanted me to run again. When I asked him why he said, 'Because we don't feel like we're being listened to.' I think for many citizens this set the tone," said Holzman.

Weed Seeks Another Term

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By Bill Mintiens


Sharlene Weed, 45, has been a Sisters City Councilor now for about six years. She's running again this year to retain her council seat.

Raised in Yreka, California, Weed spent much of her early years in that Northern California community of about 5,000 people. She's also proud of the fact that the nearby town of Weed was named after her great-great-grandfather, who founded the community.

"Having lots of family around was really a 'pioneering' feeling, really grounding for me," said Weed.

Sharlene's first move away from Yreka was attending the University of California, Santa Barbara.

"This was really eye-opening for me, it was the first time I became aware of politics," said Weed.

Weed studied communications and political science and served as vice president of the student body one year. During her sophomore year she spent a summer in Washington, D.C. working as a congressional intern for the late Congressman Gene Chappie.

When asked how the experience influenced her perspective on politics, Weed said, "I was responsible for responding to constituent mail. I was discouraged. The issues were big and the packets of information were large and I knew my congressman didn't read them."

Following college Weed traveled for six years, including 14 months in South America.

"It just seemed like the natural thing for me to do at the time," she said.

Weed also spent three years off and on in Japan teaching English. Returning home briefly to California, Sharlene soon moved to Taiwan, again to teach English, but this time with her boyfriend.

"While in Taiwan we had a pleasant surprise; found out I was pregnant! By that time I was tired of traveling and ready to nest," said Weed.

Returning to the states Weed felt that Northern California was no longer the right fit. Her mother was living in Bend and that motivated Sharlene to check out Central Oregon.

"We drove into Sisters one day and I immediately loved it. I said 'OK this is it, let's find a house,'" said Weed.

Weed moved to Sisters in 1995. Later that same year Sharlene's son was born and she started her career with Sisters Habitat for Humanity as a part-time stipend-based volunteer.

"I held that position for two years while I worked on my master's degree in teacher's education through Eastern Oregon University," said Weed.

Weed has worked with Habitat for 15 years and serves now as the Sisters chapter's executive director.

Weed served on city councils with mayors Dave Elliott, Brad Boyd, and now Lon Kellstrom.

"My first council was very reliant on (city) staff and pretty much rubber-stamped things. Things have gotten more transparent as the councils changed," said Sharlene.

However, Weed has found the current council particularly challenging.

"This council has been a huge challenge for me. I see decisions made that are not transparent, not in keeping with the town's vision, and processes that are very sloppy. I hadn't seen that before, even in my first council," said Sharlene.

Weed describes herself as very process-oriented.

"I'm OK with losing the vote as long as the process is done properly," she said.

When asked whether she feels the three councilors elected in 2008 (Lon Kellstrom, Pat Thompson, and Jerry Bogart) have fulfilled their campaign promises about being pro-business, economic development, and job creation, Weed was pointed in her remarks:

"What is pro-business? I'm pro-business; I'm just not pro-giveaway to businesses or being irresponsible with citizens' tax dollars. I want to see businesses thrive and survive. I'm open to spending money to do that but there has to be a plan first. I've seen a lot of spending on this council without a lot of results."

Weed cites as an example of wasteful spending, Sisters' expenditures on economic development over the past two years.

"We were spending $750 on economic development (Economic Development for Central Oregon dues) two years ago. Now we're spending $57,000. That's a huge jump. We increased our dues to EDCO to $7,500 from $750; and we're getting the same support from EDCO that we got when we were spending $750. That huge jump I just couldn't support," said Weed.

Sharlene bristles when discussing the recent hiring process for a part-time economic development manager.

"This is a great example of botched process. From the get-go there were things going on behind the scenes that nobody knew about, actions being taken that should have been approved by council. There weren't transparent discussions about what was best; things seem to have been decided," said Weed.

"It looks like they hired a 'friend' of the council (Mac Hay). And that's what people are saying to me," added Sharlene.

Looking back on the annexation of the McKenzie Meadows Village (MMV) property into the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) in 2006, Weed indicated that, if she could do it all over, she wouldn't vote for the annexation.

"Hell no, are you kidding? In 2006 we were in boom times, things were a lot different then," she said.

Weed believes there is more than enough land now within the UGB to accommodate MMV's proposed development plans. This includes "affordable" senior living apartments, independent and assisted living for seniors, and a school-based medical facility.

"At the candidates forum back in 2008, all three of them (Kellstrom, Bogart, and Thompson) all said that MMV did not need to be annexed into the UGB. Within a few weeks of being elected they started working on it," said Weed.

"We have a surplus of commercial properties, a surplus of light industrial, a surplus of residential and bank-owned properties. We don't need more land. We have an over-30-year supply of land right now," said Weed.

Concerned about the influence of money in campaigns, Weed has decided not to accept campaign money or to form a political action committee (PAC). Weed has asked supporters to make monetary contributions to the Sisters Food Bank in the name of her campaign.

"So far we've been able to raise about $3,000 for the food bank," said Weed.

Although Weed, Holzman, and Shepardson are not running as a slate or financed by a PAC, Sharlene thinks the council would act very differently if all three were elected.

"We'd be very community-focused; very inclusive, making sure all the stakeholders are at the table when we're making decisions. We'll take the time to get all the facts and hear different perspectives to get to the best decision," said Sharlene.

Weed also indicated that, should the three women be elected, she would like to be Mayor: "Yes, absolutely, I'm ready. I think I'm very fair and honest. There wouldn't be any behind-the-scenes things or hidden agendas."

Hay tapped for Economic Development job

This is the Sisters Talk podcast with guest Mac Hay.

(This article was published in the 10/6/2010 Nugget Newspaper) by Bill Mintiens

Mac Hay will be Sisters' part-time Economic Development Manager. EDCO (Economic Development for Central Oregon), after culling down the applicants to four, recommended Hay to the council. The recommendation was passed on before the council's regular workshop last Thursday. Councilors voted 4-1, with Councilor Sharlene Weed dissenting, to accept the recommendation. Hay was a leading candidate for the job, presently serving as the volunteer chair of the SBART (Sisters Business Attraction & Retention Team), a volunteer group of area business people. Hay is looking forward to the challenge. "The energy and creativity of our community is needed to make this effort of economic vitality and stability a success. Together, we have the passion, talent and resources to create an even more vibrant community. I look forward to working with the citizens of Sisters to retain jobs, attract businesses with sustainable jobs and add to an economy that has tremendous potential," said Hay. Although the recommendation of Hay was no surprise to those following the process, the city council has wrangled over the matter for several months. The need for the position, the recruiting process, and the position's scope of work have been controversial since last spring. The economic development manager's statement of work reads: "Contractor shall develop specific performance measures and deadlines for the period of this agreement (in consultation with the Sisters City Manager and as approved by the Sisters City Council) within the first 30 days following the execution of this agreement." During last Thursday's regular council meeting, Councilor Weed aggressively challenged the hiring process, the lack of transparency with the public, and the scope of work for the position. "I've never seen anything like this. I can't imagine, in my job (Sisters Habitat for Humanity Executive Director), hiring someone and then asking them to develop their own performance measures," said Weed. Weed was referring to her repeated requests for the council to discuss and create measurable "deliverables and benchmarks" to be written into the statement of work. Similar positions in Prineville and Redmond have measurable goals and benchmarks. Council candidate David Asson, speaking during the visitors communication portion of Thursday's regular council meeting, said: "I'm troubled that it's taken five months to write an agreement. Here it is September 30 and you're voting on an agreement that is supposed to start tomorrow. I personally think the independent contractor designation won't fly. Pushing it through now does not make sense to me. If there's any way to spend a few more days to address this I think you should." Following the meeting Asson added, "The city is going to spend $30,000 on this program. We need this kind of economic development, but I personally think the program needs a lot more money than that to be successful. If we blow this $30,000 we may not get community support next time around." Budget committee member Gwen Chapman said, "I am a bit confused as to how the city could have recruited for this contractor before the services to be provided and performance expectations were decided on by the council." Back in July EDCO was asked by Mayor Kellstrom to "take the reins" regarding the position description, hiring process, and interview panel. Neither city councilors nor city staff were involved in that decision. "My choice was to keep the council out of it in favor of an arm's-length relationship in the hiring of the economic development director," Mayor Kellstrom said last July. "We need an arm's-length arrangement, through EDCO, to keep the council out of trouble. We don't want to be accused of using public funds to hire a 'friend' of the council." That "friend" was Mac Hay. Concerned that the council and taxpaying residents were not included in the process of choosing Hay, Councilor Weed, last Thursday evening, asked Mayor Kellstrom several direct questions. "Why were councilors excluded from this process, and why do we not know who the candidates were, or who sat on the interviewing panel? Was anyone from Sisters represented on that panel?" asked Weed. Mayor Kellstrom, shrugging his shoulders, indicated as he had before, that he made the choice to "keep the council at arm's length from the process" and "I don't know who was on the interviewing panel." Weed asked Hay, sitting in the audience, who was on his interviewing panel. Hay took a moment and answered, "I don't feel like I'm the one to divulge that information." Stepping into the conversation, City Attorney Steve Bryant said, "Why not have Eileen (Stein, Sisters city manager) e-mail EDCO and ask them? They may tell you or they may not." Weed said she would vote no on EDCO's recommendation because of her concerns with the process. Councilor Pat Thompson defended the statement of work and said he was comfortable with the process. "We have to expect a general statement of work (versus specific deliverables) because we don't know what to expect going forward," he said. "I think this statement of work does a good job and, frankly, we need a man in the trenches right now." Commenting on the entire process of recruiting for the position, Thompson said, "At no time did I not understand what was going on. This (hiring for this position) is the logical next step to keep our city on the right path."

Bogart Seeks Second Term

Sisters Talk Podcast (above link) with Jerry Bogart

(This article was published in the 10/6/2010 issue of the Nugget Newspaper)

Jerry Bogart. photo by Jim Wiliams By Bill Mintiens Jerry Bogart doesn't say much during city council workshops and meetings. "People often say I don't talk a lot. I don't need to talk a lot to hear my own voice. Don't mistake my genuine humility for a lack of confidence," said Bogart. Bogart, 44, is single and has lived in Sisters for about 10 years. He's seeking a second term on the Sisters City Council. A native Oregonian, Jerry grew up in Lakeview. "I grew up in a very agriculturally based community, attended a two-room schoolhouse, and had a very unique rural upbringing," he said. Bogart's family owned the Erickson's chain of department stores, and Jerry was introduced to community service as a youngster. "I learned early on about how to 'give back.' My dad was involved with many civic groups, and he was always dragging us kids along to the events," said Jerry. Bogart spent a year at the University of Oregon before realizing that he was not ready for college. "That was disheartening for me because I had a scholarship (academic) which pretty much was paying for college. I knew I had to grow up some before going back," said Bogart. Joining the Army in 1985, Bogart's basic training was at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and his tour of duty took him to Germany. "My unit's job was to watch the border between East and West Germany; my tour made me realize how fortunate we were (to be Americans)," said Jerry. Leaving the Army in 1988, Jerry returned to Oregon and went back to school at Shasta College in Northern California. Jerry's friends encouraged him to run for student body president, which he won. "I guess that was my first delving into politics," said Bogart. Returning to Oregon from California, Bogart got his first experience in the building trades as a roofer. He also attended Lane Community College and worked a number of jobs, including retail, eventually managing several Foot Locker stores. By July of 1999 Bogart was looking for the next step in his career, something other than retail. His best friend at the time, Scott McGee, suggested they move to Sisters and start a construction business. "Scott was in construction already and his mother-in-law lived in Sisters and said the economy was booming; it just made sense to us," said Jerry. Steelhead Construction Services, with Jerry and Scott as partners, started soon thereafter. "I learned how to do design and AutoCAD on my own through online classes and experience," Bogart said. These days Jerry is the sole owner and employee of Steelhead Construction Services. "Times are tough everywhere in construction these days. Our revenues are way down. The thing that saved me was starting Three Sisters Design. A design project can net anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000 where an actual construction project would net much less," said Bogart. Jerry is also a part-owner and managing member of Three Creeks Brewing Company. "I'm just involved with forward-looking stuff for the pub," said Bogart. Bogart became a Sisters City Councilor two years ago. When asked if the experience is different than what he expected, he said: "Yes, it has (been). It's been enlightening, educational, and time-consuming. Some weeks are 20-hour-plus weeks, especially with some issues which were considered contentious, particularly dealing with economic development." In the 2008 election Bogart, Lon Kellstrom, and Pat Thompson were all elected to the city council on a "pro-business" platform, promising citizens they would work to attract new companies and economic opportunities to Sisters. When asked if he felt they've delivered on their campaign promises, Bogart said, "We've made city government much more business-friendly. It's not city government's job to create jobs, we just provide a business platform to make it easier for the business community to be here. Is it better than when I started? Definitely. Is there room for improvement? You bet. And that's why I'm running again, the job is just not done, the foundation's laid, but we're not done." Bogart lists a number of successes accomplished during his term. These include establishment of the business enterprise zone, streamlining the building codes, the formation of SBART (Sisters Business Attraction & Retention Team), working with EDCO to hire an Economic Development Manager, the annexing and future building of a senior living community at McKenzie Meadows, and the upcoming revamping of Cascade Avenue. Bogart's campaign yard signs, now posted around Sisters, state "Jobs Today." When asked about how he plans to create jobs in a city that has experienced a net loss of employers and jobs, Bogart said: "I wanted the signs to say 'Jobs for Today and Jobs for Tomorrow' but they couldn't fit all those words. Like I said before, city government cannot create jobs. We can only lay the foundation that makes it possible for a company to come here. We've done that with the enterprise zone, hiring the economic development manager, the revised development code and improved zoning. We're much better prepared now than we were two years ago." Bogart bristles when portrayed as only wanting job creation within the industrial zone. "That's not true at all," he said. "We're in the tourism business, there's no doubt about that at all. We need to work closely with the chamber to increase the number of visitors and expand the tourist season." Commenting on the controversy surrounding the hiring of Sisters' new part-time economic development manager, Bogart said, "Paid professional staff is the most important thing to do first, every other community I've looked at has said that's very important. The $30,000 funding is a start, and if we get some successes maybe the chamber can help with funding, and if we can show other businesses that it's successful maybe they'll help as well." Regarding the charge that the position's "statement of work" lacks goals and deliverables, Jerry said, "It would be silly not to have goals and deliverables like 'new jobs created' for the job, but we can't get too specific with an independent contractor's agreement." Criticisms of lack of transparency and communication within the council around the hiring of the position has been widely reported. To this Bogart remarked, "I personally did not see any transparency issues. I think we went out of our way to make sure we did not get involved, especially with the hiring process." Campaign financing was an issue in the 2008 city council campaign. Bogart, Kellstrom, and Thompson's campaign was funded by a political action committee (PAC) called Citizens for Sisters. The PAC raised $11,600 that year allowing the three candidates to promote their joint candidacy, the first time in Sisters that campaign financing reached that level. As of October 1, 2010, the Citizens for Sisters PAC had raised $4,751 for Bogart and Virginia Lindsey's campaigns. Speaking to his opponents' (Sharlene Weed, Wendy Holzman, and Jacki Shepardson) public objections to PAC financing, Bogart said, "We got our name out there, with good supporters that helped a lot. Ideally, in a perfect world, could we just go out and knock on doors? You bet, but that's not the reality of it. Name recognition helped us turn the tide. This is the only way I know how to win this election, it worked last time and I don't see a reason to change it." Bogart feels that the three challengers would be a hindrance to progress made by the Council over the past two years. "Unless they adopt some of our philosophies I definitely think they are going to be a hindrance," he said. "I don't think they will support things like professional staff (economic development manager), tax incentives, and the friendly development code. These are all things important for business, especially right now. I think it would really hurt our chances to come out of this recession with our best foot forward (if the three got elected)." Bogart also feels it's incorrect to say that he has always voted on council issues as a "bloc" in unison with Kellstrom and Bogart. "The McKenzie Meadows affordable housing issue is a good example," he said. "I disagreed with Lon and Pat about the number of 'affordable' apartments available at 80 percent of the AMI (Area Median Income). I agreed with Bill Merrill and Sharlene Weed that more apartments needed to be offered at the 50 percent or less of AMI. This got inserted into the contract language. I'd have to look to see where else I didn't vote with them." It was reported in The Nugget last November that Bogart owed more than $38,000 in unpaid taxes dating back to 1997 and that there were three liens on file with the Deschutes County Recorder's Office. Bogart was asked, given that he helps to determine policy for the city, about his tax situation in 2010. "My tax status hasn't changed. This should be a non-issue; the true issue should be the economy. Having said that, I continue to pay off my debt; that's all I can do. Someone anonymously sent letters to all the media outlets about my tax situation last year. I've never not filed my taxes, I've just not been able to pay them," said Bogart. Looking forward, Bogart says "we don't want to take a step backward" and go back to the old ways of conducting business in the city. He feels that the present council has achieved many successes over the past two years. "We just haven't gotten our message out as well as we should have," said Jerry. Regarding the upcoming vote on raising water rates within the city, Bogart said, "There's no way I will vote to raise water rates in the city given the way the economy is right now." He believes voters will assess the record and vote on the issues. "If people logically look at the issues they'll see the differences between the candidates. It's not about PACs or personal issues that people have, it's about the issues. People will hopefully see the differences," said Bogart. A candidates forum, open to the public, will take place on Thursday evening, October 21, at 7 p.m. at the Sisters High School Auditorium. Sisters Country residents are encouraged to submit questions for the candidates by e-mail to bronco@bendbroadband.com before October 18.

Independent Contractor will fill City Position

(Published in the 9/15/2010 issue of the Nugget Newspaper) By Bill Mintiens The Sisters City Council on September 8, in their first regular workshop following a month-long recess, decided that the economic development manager's position will be filled by an independent contractor hired by the city. The manager will not be a direct city employee. The position will also not fall under EDCO's (Economic Development for Central Oregon) banner. Although the printed workshop agenda listed discussion about the "Economic Development Services Agreement," many assumed the workshop would be an "unveiling" of EDCO's recommendation for the economic development manager. It wasn't. EDCO was assigned, earlier this summer, the task of writing the position description and independent contractor agreement, posting the listing, interviewing the twelve candidates that applied, and submitting a recommendation to the council. None of the five councilors were involved in any of those steps, nor were they aware of the candidates or members of the interviewing panel. EDCO directed people to an online position description (www.edcoinfo.com), stating that "the independent contractor will provide staffing of the Sisters Business & Attraction Team (SBART) and coordinate with the City of Sisters and EDCO to provide economic development services for the greater Sisters Country area. This 10-month, $30,000 contract-for-services period begins September 1, 2010, and ends June 30, 2011, and will be paid in equal monthly installments by EDCO with funding from the City of Sisters." The $30,000 will come from the City of Sisters' budget and is intended to cover the independent contractor's wages and all expenses. City Manager Eileen Stein began the workshop with a spreadsheet laying out for councilors the positives and negatives of the position's reporting structure. She wanted councilors to decide if the position status should be "employee" or "independent contractor" and whether the position should report to the City of Sisters or EDCO. A majority of the discussion centered on the risk of legal entanglements. If the manager became a city employee, the city would be responsible for an on-the-job injury or an unemployment claim. The city would also be responsible for payroll and other employment taxes for the position, not to mention supervising a position the city has little experience with. "We're not economic development people," said Mayor Lon Kellstrom. The council clearly wants a cap on the $30,000 budget - and no lawsuit down the road dealing with the basis for employment. At this time there are no other sources of funding for the position. The challenge for the council is how to provide oversight to a position that, at this point, doesn't have a direct reporting structure, measurable goals or receivables. Indicating a reporting structure, measurable benchmarks and goals could look to a court like an employee relationship. City Attorney Steve Bryant advised the councilors to be cautious. "Looking at the EDCO independent contractor agreement, it sure looks like the 'independent contractor' is more of an employee, not an independent contractor. If you really want accountability with the position, make the person an employee," said Bryant. Early in the discussion it appeared that Mayor Kellstrom was in favor of the manager becoming an employee. "Based on Steve's (Bryant) comments, I suggest that the independent contractor route is very difficult," said Kellstrom. Councilor Weed felt there was a simple test for determining whether the person should be an employee or independent contractor. "Seems to me that we need to determine what we want this person to do, then determine whether it's an employee or independent contractor relationship," she said. Councilors Bogart and Thompson both agreed with Council President Bill Merrill that the person should be an independent contractor. "I agree with Bill, we can still have oversight (of the position)," said Bogart. "I'm concerned with how much an employee would cost, what with roll-up costs for employees these days," said Thompson. Mayor Kellstrom, mulling the pros and cons, said, "But if we don't like what's going on and we try to direct the person, that's when we could cross the line (into an employee relationship)." The mayor asked City Attorney Bryant what he could do. "If we tighten-up the independent contractor's agreement to avoid employment claims, can we still do it?" Bryant replied, "Just determine, as a council, the receivables you expect and I'll write them into an independent contractor agreement. I can make the agreement as tight as possible, but I can't provide any guarantees. There's always an inherent risk that the person will claim to be an employee," said Bryant. Nearing the end of the hour-long workshop, Councilor Weed offered a suggested set of deliverables for the position. These included surveying the entire business community, two or three community-wide meetings, and creating a central information location for business grants and loans. "There was really not enough time to hash things out. I plan to draft a message to Lon (Kellstrom) and Eileen (Stein) outlining my concerns and ideas for the position," said Weed following the workshop. Roger Lee, EDCO executive director, attended the meeting. "Our economic development managers (Prineville, Redmond, Madras) have deliverables which include the number of new jobs created, number of new companies, etc., within a given year," he said. Mayor Kellstrom asked attorney Bryant to draft an independent contractor's agreement by September 30, with an effective date of the contract October 1, 2010. He also asked Bryant to look into including language that offers one- and two-year options. The mayor is expecting EDCO to have completed interviews with the 12 applicants before September 30, bringing their recommendation to the council by that time. Kellstrom indicated the goal was to have a person "on board" by October 1.

Shepardson Running for City Council

Published 9/15/2010 in the Nugget Newspaper

Photo by Bill Mintiens By Bill Mintiens Jacki Shepardson, 50, has lived in Sisters about 14 years and says she "plans to spend the rest of my life here." Born in Walla Walla, Washington, and raised in Salem, Oregon, Shepardson got an early start on what would become one of her key strengths - public speaking and debating. "I was a member of our speech and debate team in high school and was awarded the highest honor you can get from the National Forensic League (a non-profit honorary society created to recognize high school students in speech and debate) for my debating skill," said Shepardson. Shepardson's early training in speech and debate proved valuable when she entered the workplace. She went to work for the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) in Salem after high school and worked her way up to clerical specialist. "At age 21 I became the president of the local union for the Salem DMV, the largest state employee local union at the time. I learned a lot about how government works, got involved with collective bargaining and educating our members," said Shepardson. She also got involved in state and national politics during this period in her life. "I testified at senate hearings about workplace safety issues and helped Kulongoski's first campaign run for governor. I also helped campaign for Jimmy Carter's presidential bid," said Jacki. A firm believer in choice, Shepardson added, "I've always been a registered Democrat because I believe you have more choice. But I have both conservative and liberal tendencies, depending on the issue." Following her stint with the DMV, Shepardson decided that it was time for higher education. She entered Merit-Davis College in Salem (which no longer exists), earning a certificate in accounting and business management. At this point in her life, a single mother with two young children, she had to make a choice. Apply for state assistance or find a job to support her family. She chose the latter. "I was a young woman with two young children and, although I could have gone on unemployment, I self-initiated and went after a job," said Shepardson. She went to work at the Fairview Training Center in Salem, a state institution for the mentally challenged which no longer exists, as a recreational and music therapy aide. "I really enjoyed the work because I have a compassionate heart and was directly helping people with the challenges they were facing," she said. By 1996 Shepardson had remarried and moved to Sisters with her four children, never regretting the move for a moment. "As a child my father was always taking us over here for adventures, so I knew I liked it here and that it would be a great place to raise my family," she said. Shepardson has four grown children ages 28, 26, 24, and 22. She also has two children in the Sisters school system, Jessica, 13 and Sam, 10. Jacki's community involvement includes volunteering in her children's schools, as well as becoming, in 2002, the site coordinator for the Sisters Brown Bag Program. Sponsored by Three Sisters Fellowship, this program provides Sisters families with a bag of groceries each month, one bag per person in each household. "I find the Brown Bag Program extremely rewarding. I drive to Trader Joe's each week to pick up their donated items. We also receive food from local retailers like Ray's, Richard's Produce, and Sisters Bakery. The need, over the past two years, has escalated tremendously," said Shepardson. Two years ago the program was averaging about 70 "brown bags" for about 20 families. Now the program averages about 165 bags for 40 families each month. When asked why she wanted to become a city councilor, Shepardson said, "I thought about running two years ago but I didn't really have the time, now I have the time to devote to the office. And friends who wanted me to run two years ago really pushed me to run this year, saying that the city really needed my voice. "I'm honest, I know my own mind and I'm compassionate, caring, and intelligent. My friends knew I wouldn't be swayed by anybody for any reason - except for the right reasons. And I'm a very good listener, I will listen to people, ask their opinions, I guess it's the debater in me." Commenting on the performance of the present city council, Shepardson was very direct: "I don't think there's enough diversity on the council right now. I see a 'block of voting' and it closes down any and all ideas that might come up. When you have a block of people voting a certain way they make their minds up and they close down wanting to listen to other ideas that might be out there. "You need to have good intelligent debate on a subject, be kind to one another, and come out of it with a cohesive decision. I don't see consensus happening on the council right now. And I don't think the council has been transparent with themselves, much less the public," added Shepardson. The candidate has very strong opinions on economic development in the city. "I believe the three gentlemen on the council (Mayor Kellstrom, Councilors Thompson & Bogart) see economic development as 'building more' and adding more land. I don't believe that's the right thing to do. We have a lot of open storefronts, a lot of empty lots that were developed with nothing on them now and a lot of vacant homes. Before you start annexing land into a city that appears distressed, you should use what's already there. I was against the annexing of land for Metolius Meadows. We should wait and turn everything else around first. I see this (Metolius Meadows) becoming just another home subdivision with a lot of empty lots," said Shepardson. "I believe economic development means adding living-wage jobs that are sustainable. Construction jobs are not sustainable jobs. We need to research other small cities that have turned themselves around, we need to ask them 'what did you do, how did you attract businesses?'" said Jacki. Regarding major challenges facing Sisters now, Shepardson is also very clear. "There are not enough living-wage jobs to keep people here. On top of that we also have an awful lot of second homes that rent at high prices. I've seen my children move away from Sisters because of the employment situation and lack of affordable housing. Frankly, I'm worried that Sisters could become a ghost town, especially right now. If the powers in charge aren't careful it could happen," said Shepardson. She also spoke on the issue of hiring an economic development manager and SBART's (Sisters Business Attraction & Retention Team) volunteer work. "$30,000 is a lot of money to lay out there and not set up some sort of accountability (in the position description). Everything should have been laid out with the position before you say 'alright now go out and hire someone' (see related story, page 3). Any smart business manager would have done this first. Our city isn't set up where the mayor can just go ahead and make decisions on his own; this is what happened with this position," Shepardson said. "Regarding SBART, I really don't know what they do, they aren't accountable to anyone and that's a no-win situation. An organization that's working toward attracting businesses needs to be accountable to somebody. The members should be appointed, hired, or at least elected, not be volunteers." On the influence of PAC's (Political Action Committees) on the Sisters City Council election, Jacki has strong feelings. "These days elections are bought nationally - and I hate to see that happening in our small town. I've contributed my time to campaigns but I've never contributed money to them. It's taking away from what America's supposed to be, a country where a little guy can step up and become president. I think people in America are starting to wake up and say 'no more,' we're going to take America back to what it's supposed to be," said Shepardson. On the subject of "block voting," Jacki was quick to say, "Wendy, Sharlene, and I don't agree on every issue; we wouldn't be voting as a block." The election for Sisters City Councilors takes place on November 2. On October 21 at 7 p.m. at Sisters High School Auditorium, there will be a candidates' forum at which the public can listen to the six candidates' views.

Lindsey runs for City Council Seat

(This article was published in the 9/8/10 issue of the Nugget Newspaper)

Virginia Lindsey photo by Bill Mintiens By Bill Mintiens Virginia Lindsey has thrown her hat into the ring for a shot at a city council seat in the November 2 election. Six people have officially declared their candidacy. Lindsey, David Asson (profiled in the September 1 Nugget), Sharlene Weed, Wendy Holzman, Jerry Bogart and Jacki Shepardson are each seeking one of the three open seats this fall. Lindsey, 72, has lived in Sisters for five years, moving here with husband Fred after retiring from a long career in purchasing with several electronics firms around the U.S. "Fred and I had been coming to the Metolius River to fish since 1985 and, when it came time to retire, we knew we loved it here and decided to make it our home," said Lindsey. Originally from Milan, Indiana, Lindsey grew up in a musical family. Her father was a musician, taking the family to Florida during the winters to play with various bands. Virginia initially followed in his footsteps, attending Butler University in Indianapolis for two years as a music education student. "I ran out of money and had to leave the university," said Lindsey. Making it through difficult times and working hard are lessons Lindsey learned early in life. "When I was very young we were pretty poor, so I empathize with people going through tough times these days," she said. Virginia joined the Navy in 1959 and scored so well on electronics-related tests that she earned an Electronics Technician certificate after completing the required training. She realized then that music education was not her real passion; electronics was the path for her post-military career. "Oh yes, I'm a real 'techie' and so is my husband Fred; that's how we met," said Lindsey. Following her Navy service, Lindsey spent more than 40 years working for various high-tech electronics companies. She worked hard and progressed from purchasing agent to director of materials with companies like General Dynamics to Digital Systems. Knowing that her electronics experience might not be enough in a competitive job market, Lindsey went back to college in the mid-'80s, earning an AA degree in Business Administration and Management from Saddleback College in California. Lindsey believes these experiences will serve her well as a Sisters City Councilor. "Most of my working life involved negotiating contracts with companies and vendors all over the U.S. Negotiation is not an easy thing to learn, but it's very effective. I believe the present council needs more of that, less squabbling over petty issues," said Lindsey. When asked what qualifies her to be a Sisters City Councilor, Lindsey pointed to her political involvement since moving to Sisters five years ago: "I served on the city's budget committee for three years (2007-2009) and I've been pretty active politically in this community, writing letters, and addressing the council when I felt it was necessary." Virginia also points to her financial expertise and attention to detail. "I believe that attention to detail and lack of planning could be better with the council now. Frankly, I'd like for both of us (David Asson and I) to be on the council; I think we complement each other well," added Lindsey. Lindsey believes that Sisters' major challenge right now is attracting and retaining employers that can offer year-round family-wage jobs for Sisters Country residents. "I'm a firm believer that we need industry and manufacturing here. The industrial revolution is what brought this country the wealth we've enjoyed. The advantage with manufacturing is that an employee has the opportunity to move up within the company, just like I did in my career," said Lindsey. "There's such a variance of opinion about what would make Sisters better. Sharlene (Weed) has stated that she believes Sisters needs to concentrate on the 'downtown core' in Sisters. The downtown core is retail - gift shops, art galleries, and restaurants; no jobs in the winter, low-paying jobs in the summer. We need to have a base of employment where people can work year-round," said Lindsey. Lindsey is pleased the city has taken the first steps in trying to attract new companies. "The words 'economic development' are not bad. Some people believe it means taking away the heart of Sisters," she said. "I don't believe that at all. I'm all for EDCO (Economic Development for Central Oregon) because they've been very successful in other towns." Addressing the current search for a part-time economic development manager for Sisters, Lindsey said, "We've finally taken the first step getting EDCO involved with finding someone who has experience and success finding and placing companies. SBART (Sisters Business Attraction & Retention Team) has been trying very hard as well. We need professionals that don't do anything else but go after businesses. The main-street businesses of Sisters are doing what they're supposed to do - attracting people as they drive through town. But we need more; we need to balance tourism with industry and manufacturing companies." Lindsey joined the Citizens for Sisters PAC (Political Action Committee) this past July. Citizens for Sisters was formed during the 2008 campaign and raised more than $11,000 to support the slate of Lon Kellstrom, Jerry Bogart, and Pat Thompson. All three were elected. (See related story, "Council candidates forego campaign funding," The Nugget, September 1, page 1.) This past July the Citizens for Sisters PAC was reactivated, this time backing the candidacy of Jerry Bogart, David Asson, and Virginia Lindsey. Asson has since left the PAC, preferring to run his own campaign. Lindsey explained her involvement in the PAC. "I don't have the money myself to spend on a campaign, and they were willing to assist me in collecting money so I can get the word out about my candidacy," she said. "I found that the PAC has the same interests and goals that I have, and I respect them all. 'Developers' is also not a bad word, these are the people who take risks, build buildings and have to find someone to fill it, they keep people on their payroll even when times are tough." Emphasizing her independence, Lindsey said, "I've never been for sale. Having been a director of purchasing for very large companies, and offered European cruises - which I turned down of course - I made it very clear to the PAC organizers that my vote cannot be purchased."