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.

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."

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."

Twelve Apply for Sisters Economic Development Manager Job

(This article appears in the 8/24/10 issue of the Nugget Newspaper)

By Bill Mintiens As of the deadline on Friday, August 6, EDCO (Economic Development for Central Oregon) received 12 applications/résumés from people interested in the position of part-time economic development manager for Sisters, according to Erin Chaiet, EDCO operations manager. The Sisters City Council budgeted and approved $30,000 for the 2010/2011 fiscal year for the position. It will likely be at least the middle of September before a person (or firm) will be chosen to fill the position, an independent contractor's role, which runs through June, 2011. The need for the position, the actual position description, and the reporting structure have been controversial for several months. EDCO, having been asked by Mayor Kellstrom to "take the reins" regarding the position description, hiring process, and interview panel, began posting ads Thursday, July 22. EDCO directed people to a detailed online position description at 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." When asked if all the city councilors had reviewed and agreed to EDCO's advertised position description (including reporting structure, goals, office location, etc.), Mayor Lon Kellstrom said, "No, they haven't. 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. 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." The mayor was referring to Mac Hay, volunteer chair of SBART (Sisters Business Acquisition & Retention Team), one of the 12 candidates for the position. Councilor Sharlene Weed is not happy with Mayor Kellstrom's actions regarding the hiring process for Sisters' part-time economic development manager. "I spoke with Lon (Mayor Kellstrom) and he maintains his position that it was fine to move forward because the council would have an opportunity to ask questions and give final approval (to EDCO's recommendation on a candidate)," she said. "I really don't understand why he has chosen this approach. I don't see what he gains. And... the town loses by not having a rich discussion of the possibilities and arriving at a fully fleshed-out plan for the position. Now it appears that a person will be hired prior to council's approval and we will be asked for a rubber stamp. It's disappointing." When asked about the people comprising the interview panel, Roger Lee, EDCO executive director, said, "Some of people we'd asked to be part of the interview panel have not been all available all on the same day so we've had to change the schedule several times and mix of volunteers. It is a difficult time of year for scheduling." Mayor Kellstrom said recently, "We (the council) purposely stayed out of the choosing of the panel." Councilor Weed is not impressed. "I asked Lon who was on the interview committee... he said he didn't know." EDCO funds and manages economic development director positions in Redmond, Prineville, and Madras. Successful programs in both Prineville (acquisition of the Facebook facility) and Redmond (Altrec, T-Mobile, and several other businesses) give EDCO experience and credibility with hiring and management. When asked about the delays in this hiring process, Roger Lee, in an e-mail dated August 19, wrote, "There are a number of unanswered questions including when the person/contractor will be available, the council's approval, etc. I don't see the timing as a big issue, other than the fact that we would prefer to be at this stage at the very start of the fiscal year (July 1); the schedule will just have to be revised and with it, potentially, the expenditure. If approved, we are hopeful that a start date would be established later in the month of September." Apparently no one's in a big hurry to help Sisters recover from our state-designated "severely distressed community" status. Acknowledging the delay, Mayor Kellstrom said, "It just took a lot longer to formulate the position on EDCO's part and to cover all the legal aspects. The good thing about it, though, is that Mac (Hay) is still doing his SBART stuff." The city council has been on recess this month. Their next scheduled workshop and regular council meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 9. "We are planning on taking this up on September 9 in terms of accepting the agreement (independent contractor agreement) and discussing EDCO's suggested candidate for the position. EDCO will likely make an offer to a candidate on September 10," said Mayor Kellstrom. So the 12 candidates will be interviewed over the next few weeks, a top candidate (or firm) will be chosen, and that person (or firm) will be presented to the council on September. In an e-mail dated August 17 to Mayor Kellstrom, Councilor Weed asked, "Can you please explain to me why EDCO is proceeding with this when the position has never been approved by the city council? I have never seen a plan for this position. I would like to look at different options - including a discussion with the fellow who contacted me a couple weeks ago who said his consulting firm could provide concrete deliverables for our town for less than $30,000. Please stop this process until the council has had a chance to weigh in." Other city councilors had the opportunity to comment on these issues but declined to do so.

Will Sisters have an Economic Development Director?

(This article originally appeared in the Nugget Newspaper 7/20/2010)

By Bill Mintiens The Sisters City Council budgeted and approved $30,000 for the 2010/2011 fiscal year for a part-time economic development director. The 2010/2011 fiscal year started on July 1. The money is there, the director is not. Back on May 6, Patty Vandiver, chamber of commerce president and SBART (Sisters Business Attraction and Retention Team) project manager, wrote a letter to the Sisters City Council stating, "The Sisters Country Chamber of Commerce would like to request the consideration of $30,000 to be budgeted into the 2010/2011 fiscal year for a part-time, paid position for an economic development director." Having just entered into their yearly budget cycle, the council dutifully discussed the proposal during budget committee meetings and decided to add the part-time position into the city's 2010/2011 budget. But councilors and budget committee members had reservations. Vandiver's proposal stated that the economic director should be "under direction of the Sisters Country Chamber of Commerce Executive Board of Directors." Councilor Sharlene Weed was a vocal opponent. "I'm not in favor of budgeting $30,000 for this position; it seems like an extravagance during these economic times," she said. "And besides, I have a lot of questions about the position, there are too many unknowns for me. And I'm not in favor of the person reporting to a committee." Chris Tosello, a budget committee member, agreed with Weed. "I think there are too many gray areas about the position right now; we need clarification," said Tosello. Council President Bill Merrill saw the proposal differently. "I would not object to leaving the $30,000 in the budget. But I want to be sure we go through a selection process utilizing people like Jason Carr (Prineville's economic development director) and Lee Smith (La Pine's industrial group manager) who are familiar with the process and needs of the position. And I'd like to see the Sisters chamber add some matching funds for the position. There are a lot of questions that need to be answered between the chamber and the city council," said Merrill. The council, clearly wanting clarification on the duties, responsibilities, and reporting structure of the position turned to Roger Lee of EDCO (Economic Development for Central Oregon) for assistance. EDCO helps to fund and manage economic development director positions in Redmond, Prineville, and Madras. Successful programs in both Prineville (acquisition of the Facebook facility) and Redmond (Altrec, T-Mobile, and several other businesses) give EDCO experience and credibility with hiring and management. When asked about EDCO's role in Sisters' hiring process, Roger Lee, in an e-mail dated June 25, wrote, "We are still trying to work out some of the logistical and legal details. Our board has officially not yet decided to proceed, however I don't see any real roadblocks. I expect that we will have a decision at our July 8 board meeting. Assuming that EDCO is involved as discussed, we would look to advertise, conduct interviews and ideally hire by the first week of August. I would expect that EDCO would coordinate the interviews, but that most of the hiring panel would be comprised of leaders in Sisters." EDCO's July 8 annual meeting, held at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, went longer than expected, allowing the EDCO board no time for discussion. Roger Lee briefly mentioned the Sisters issue but tabled the discussion. Eileen Stein, Sisters city manager, thinks she understands what Lee means by "legal details." In an e-mail dated July 13, Stein wrote, "Last week Mayor Kellstrom asked me to give our legal counsel an agreement to review. It was an agreement between the city and EDCO relative to the position. So this is what the 'legal' issues probably are." Three weeks into the 2010/2011 fiscal year, there is no sign that Sisters is close to hiring an economic development director. Councilor Sharlene Weed, still opposed to the position and frustrated by the process, recently commented: "We have not had a proposal. What is the plan? Job description? Reporting structure? Measurable outcomes? I would rather use the funds to reenergize our Community Action Team... pay for a part-time director. That person could help 'stimulate' a number of community projects (leadership, outside voice, public art, etc.) as well as 'economic development.'"