Wednesday, October 14, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 13 Ross seeks diverse mix of housing, managed growth By Sue Stafford Correspondent Gary Ross believes that the concern about growth in Sisters is a legitimate one. He also acknowledges that, due to a lack of affordable housing, service workers in Sisters, of necessity, often have to drive from Bend, Redmond and beyond to work here. He suggests that as Sisters grows, there isn9t so much a need for more monolithic neighborhoods, but rather a diverse mix of housing, with a variety of price points, so workers can afford to live in Sisters. Ross reported he was asked to run for Sisters City Council by a number of Sisters resi- dents after he wrote a Letter to the Editor in The Nugget about safety concerns sur- rounding event traffic around Creekside Park. He also has some creative ideas for mini- mizing conflicts between automobile traffic and bicy- clists along Washington and Jefferson Avenues. His education at University of South Maine led to a professional-tech- nical bachelor9s degree. A Master of Education in Media from Utah State provided the foundation for his years of work as the Professional- Technical Coordinator for the Springfield Oregon School District. Under Ross9 guid- ance, the Springfield district had the first 3D printer west of the Mississippi, while he served as the president of the Northwest Technology Association. Ross also held posi- tions of Media Director and PHOTO PROVIDED Facilities Director with the Lane Education Service District. When district bud- get cuts became necessary, Ross eliminated his position and contracted back to the district so his four employees could keep their positions. Following some surgery, he decided to take early retire- ment and move east of the mountains. Ross and wife, Judy, pur- chased their home in Sisters in 2016 and moved over from the valley in the spring of 2017. He left behind an exten- sive public service career including his eight years of serving as an elected director of the WillamaLane Park and Recreation District. Once here he became involved in Sisters as a member of the City Parks Advisory Board, a member of the SOAR Foundation Board, and on the City Budget Committee. Ross says he understands how to be an elected official and has extensive experi- ence with public budgeting, long-range planning, system development charges review, bonds, and expansion of facil- ities. He has experience with the Trust for Public Lands and has lobbied in Washington, RESERVE A CHECK OUT THIS WEEK’S DATE NOW! NUGGET INSERT! Ray’s Food Place It will soon be time to blow out your irrigation system NEED IT, RENT IT! Clif Bars 4 for $5, 2.4 oz. selected Boneless Pork Chops Value Pack $2.99 per lb. Stouffer’s Signature Classics Frozen Dinners 4 for $10, selected Bigelow Tea $2.99, 18-20 ct. selected 541-549-9631 331 W. Barclay Dr., Sisters Mon-Fri: 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Sat: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. www.sistersrental.com Umpqua or Eberhard’s Egg Nog $2.49 per qt. Large Roma Tomatoes $2.49 per lb. D.C. Ross considers him- self an ethical person who is above reproach. When asked if there is any decision made by the current Council that he would have voted differently upon, he referred to allowing Phase 4 of the ClearPine development to move forward when, in his estimation, the developer had not fully met the conditions he agreed to in 2007 regard- ing 10 affordable housing units.