Wednesday, August 3, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Habitat
picnic,
concert set
Sisters Habitat for Human-
ity and the Cascade Horizon
Band will bring recognition
and fine music to the Village
Green on Wednesday, August
10, when the two organiza-
tions share their roles at an
evening get-together.
Habitat will begin the con-
nection with the Annual Vol-
unteer Appreciation Picnic at
5:30 p.m. The Cascade Hori-
zon Band, which played an
evening concert in the Village
Green a year ago, will start its
performance at 6:30 p.m.
The band, with several
musicians from the Sisters
area, is preparing a wide-
ranging selection of pieces
that includes “The King and
I,” “Star Wars,” “Washington
Post March,” “Themes Like
Old Times,” “Armed Forces:
Pride of America,” “Rock,
Roll and Remember,” and
other numbers.
All Cascade Horizon Band
concerts are free to the public,
though donations are encour-
aged and accepted. Donations
at the August 10 performance
will be passed on to Sisters
Habitat for Humanity.
CITY COunCIL:
Three seats are up for
election in November
Continued from page 3
serve and of having choices
from among a pool of quali-
fied candidates.
“It’s paramount to the suc-
cess of Sisters in the short
term and, more importantly,
the long term. The lack of sta-
bility that has been part of the
political landscape over the
last few years has damaged
the community in many ways.
As elected officials come and
go, often they lack the knowl-
edge of exactly what their
role is, and they tend to make
decisions that are based on
knee-jerk reactions to imme-
diate controversy,” Allen said.
From his years of experi-
ence in local government,
Allen knows that it takes a
couple of years to really learn
what the role of a Council
member is and how to use
authority in a way that ben-
efits the community.
“Stability of elected offi-
cials has a calming effect on
business prospects looking
to locate in a community, on
small-business owners look-
ing to expand, modernize
and grow their company, and
offers the general public some
certainty in making plans
for homes, careers, and the
future,” he elaborated.
Sisters relies heavily on
state, Federal, and private
grants to help fund many
of the improvement proj-
ects needed in town, like the
Cascade Avenue project and
the new restrooms at Village
Green and Cliff Clemens
Parks. (See photo, page 4.)
“Groups that give out
grants want to know the com-
munity is stable and that there
is some level of continuity in
policy. That is difficult when
those making decisions are
changing every few months,”
Allen cautioned.
Some people tend to think
that serving on City Council
requires a huge time commit-
ment. At times in the recent
past that may have been true,
but as the City gets back on
a firm footing, the need for
endless meetings is greatly
reduced.
“We plan to reduce the
number of meetings to twice
per month with a work session
prior to the regular Council
meeting. This will allow for
less of a time commitment
and (have Sisters) function
like most of the smaller cities
in the region. Other meetings
will be scheduled as needed,”
confirmed Allen.
Council currently meets
on the second and fourth
Thursday evenings of the
month at 7 p.m., with a
5:30 or 6 p.m. workshop
beforehand. They used to
also meet the first and third
Thursday mornings for work-
shops, but that is no longer
the case, making it more con-
venient for citizens who work
to serve on Council.
To have a strong, healthy
community that citizens can
be proud of and enjoy liv-
ing in, it takes qualified citi-
zen involvement in the local
government as councilors,
commissioners, and task-
force members. A vibrant
community has citizens who
work together for common
goals. Additionally, being of
public service can be a grati-
fying endeavor, as current
Councilor Nancy Connolly
shared.
“It is humbling to know
that people voted for me to
be on Council, showing they
believe in my ability to do
what is best for the commu-
nity, even though at times it
might not appear that way. By
serving on Council, I am able
Cr
a
19
to effect change and shape
the future of the city for years
to come and hopefully leave
future Council members with
clear, fair, well-thought-out
policies,” Connolly offered.
Allen has offered to meet
with anyone who is consider-
ing running for the Council to
discuss the time commitment
and the roles and responsibili-
ties of a Council member.
I would like to hear from
people so that I may ease
the fears of service...
— rick Allen
“I would like to hear from
people so that I may ease the
fears of service and learn what
hesitation they might have in
serving,” said Allen.
He can be reached at 541-
815-4380 or rallen@ci.sisters.
or.us to schedule a meeting.
Comfort
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PATIO, FULL BAR,
BE
BEER & WINE
541-549-EATS (3287)
243 N. Elm St. Sisters
5-9 p.m. Tu-Su • Reservations Recommended