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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 13, 2015)
14 Wednesday, May 13, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon CouNCIL: Three councilors sat for interviews Continued from page 3 development as being impor- tant for the city to grow but at the same time, “we need to be environmentally sensitive.” Ryan views Sisters as “a volunteer-based city.” “How do we keep (the citizens) energetic and moti- vated?” he wondered. Ryan believes that the role of a City Councilor is multi- faceted and that the Council acts as a board, “taking input from different sectors, and making informed decisions without bias or special inter- est, for the benefit of the city.” He sees a functioning Council using teamwork, reaching con- sensus, and having credibility. If selected, Ryan would look forward to being an active team member who could serve as a resource and offer unbiased opinions. Relative newcomers to Sisters, Amy Burgstahler, her husband and son, are build- ing a house in Pine Meadow Village. She loves living here, has experienced “amazing warmth” and the sense that “people have your back.” Sisters feels to her like a safe, neighborly place and now that her son is in school she wants to “find ways to give back to the community.” Burgstahler describes her- self as having a good tem- perament and being a good listener. She would use her consensus-building abilities and strong communication skills to get in front of issues. “Through leadership and communication” she thinks it is possible to “win buy-in and make others evangelists for Sisters.” Her background as a cre- ative director, marketing and community-relations coor- dinator and journalist helped when she was asked what the Council can do to maximize community awareness, under- standing, interest and feedback on issues and decisions which must be made. She sees The Nugget as a natural avenue for communicating with the citizens, as well as the radio station and regular public- relations alerts about Sisters. She views the City website as a possible “news center” and a place to “talk vibrancy” and looking forward. Burgstahler believes that trust-building and honoring our heritage are important considerations for the Council when making decisions. When looking at issues she thinks Sisters faces over the next sev- eral years, she mentioned the Barclay/Highway 20 round- about, of which she is in favor. She sees the need to “peel back the emotions and talk logi- cally” about the roundabout. Trade-sector growth and increasing residency are two factors she sees as necessary for the health of the com- munity while ensuring that the economic development is guided by “smart growth.” She thinks making the citizens feel they are heard is key to getting their support. Bill Hall, who has served for the last year as the chair- person of the Community Assets Committee (CAC), said he would like to continue to contribute now that he will have more time, as the work of the CAC winds down. With 40 years in engineer- ing and project management, Hall sees himself as a realist who is able to exercise judg- ment. He describes himself as a persistent hard-worker who “stays in the trenches through a whole project.” He makes his decisions analytically, based on facts, not emotion or supposition. He has a strong background in problem-solv- ing and process improvement. Hall said he would be able to “hit the ground running” as he has read the past minutes of Council meetings to bring himself up to speed on current issues before the Council. Being retired, he has the time to devote to Council duties. When asked how he would handle the stress of being in the public eye, Hall replied, “I enjoy it. It decreases boredom in life. It’s how we mature.” He added, “I learn a lot from people I disagree with.” Council will discuss the candidates and make their selection at the 6 p.m. work- shop on Thursday, May 14. Not just a voice on the phone... We’re right here when you need us... INSURANCE OF SISTERS Serving Sisters for over 20 years CALL FOR A QUOTE TODAY AUTO • HOME • HEALTH • LIFE • BUSINESS 541-549-3172 • 1-800-752-8540 • 704 W. Hood Ave. A member of Fullhart Insurance Agency, Inc. LETTErs Continued from page 2 members who called or emailed us with mes- sages of support and those voters who took the time to contact us for clarification of the issues. And certainly we thank the folks who sent financial contributions to help fund signs and newspaper ads. We could not have done it without you. John Thomas s s s To the Editor: There has been some chatter regarding my intent to serve out my term as a board member at Cloverdale Fire District. I have served as a support volunteer from 1995 to 2001 and as a board member since 2001. My goal was, as well as other board members, to provide the best, safest and most cost-effective way to provide fire and medical protection to our constituents. The 20-year plan that has been approved has been gone over with a fine-tooth comb and submitted to our voters, and was well-accepted by a large majority. It is time now to go forward with this plan with the winning team that has so diligently prepared it and presented it to our district. We have come a long way and have a long way to go to implement the plan, see it through the construction phase and final completion. To change the board members at this point in the overall plan would not be in the best interest of our fire district. To return to the ridiculous insinuation that I intend to step down and resign my position after the election, (it) is not factual. Should I not be able to complete my term because of illness or other reasons, I would certainly notify the board of my intention and make a suggestion regarding the person I feel would be suitable to complete the unfilled por- tion of my term. It’s very sad for me to hear and read about the unfair and unjust accusations that have been made regarding the capability of our cur- rent board to follow through with this plan in the best interest of our district and our faithful constituents Tom Barrier s s s To the Editor: As a volunteer with the fire district I have attended most of the Cloverdale Fire District Board meetings over the last five years. I’ve looked over some of the old minutes of the Board meetings, all of which are public record. I found that as far back as 2011 Director Keith Cyrus has voted along with the rest of the board members present at each meeting on any motion that has come up, with the exception of abstaining from voting on the funding of the purchase of the new pumpers. According to the minutes he has not cast a dissenting vote. In fact, he voted to approve the building plans that he says lacked sufficient review, along with the three other board members that were present. After reviewing the architects’ proposal at the August 13, 2014, special board meeting Director Cyrus seconded a motion to retain the architect for the station remodel/replacement. That proposal specifies the remodel of station 601 with two new bays and a new building with six bays for station 602. I have personally spent over 200 hours working on the specifications of the new pumpers under the fire chief’s supervision. Firefighter Spencer Cashwell and I made a pre- sentation to the board at the February 18, 2015, board meeting about the new engines. This presentation included engineering diagrams, photos, and specifications on the new engines. At that meeting the other four board members voted to accept the specifications and fund the purchase of the engines. I have brought a copy of the 126-page specification sheet to several board meetings. The fire chief has a copy in his office. I am sure that any board member could look at this document at the fire station. If not, I’d be happy to share it with any of them. Clinton Weaver s s s s s s To the Editor: I’m puzzled by Rob Malone’s run for the Cloverdale Fire District Board. He has no fire experience and hasn’t found time to volunteer. He wants to replace Jerry Johnson who was a firefighter for 30 years. This sounds like a really bad idea. I’m voting for Jerry and Alycia (Downs). Bruce Berryhill To the Editor: The recent (Cloverdale Fire District elec- tion campaign) mailer from Alycia Downs and Rob Malone uses the words “Appropriate Oversight, Fiscal Accountability, Transparency in Actions” to define their campaign. As a volunteer firefighter and director of the Friends of Cloverdale Firefighters PAC who campaigned for the overwhelming passage of the fire district bond, I shall provide transpar- ency through the smoke and mirrors. The Rob Malone and Alycia Downs cam- paign is being funded by the Friends of Cloverdale FIRE DISTRICT PAC. The name is coincidentally similar enough to miss the difference, but it’s being supported by Keith Cyrus, who didn’t actively support the bond campaign, and refuses to believe Cloverdale’s primary structure fire engines are substandard and unsafe. Facts are facts whether you believe them or See LeTTeRS on page 16