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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 2021)
Wednesday, January 13, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon RYAN: Retiring mayor most proud of Sisters9 visioning process Continued from page 1 under City Manager Cory Misley, has a highly quali- fied staff that keeps the City humming, and boards and commissions peopled by qualified citizens selected from the largest pool of can- didates to ever step forward to volunteer. The City is in a strong financial position and able to make plans for the future. The successful completion of the Sisters Country Vision, championed by Ryan, laid the groundwork for the Sisters 2040 Comprehensive Plan update currently underway. In response to questions posed by The Nugget, Ryan offered his assessment of the work done by the City Council under his leadership, and the health of the City as he leaves office. What are you most proud of? Without a doubt, I am most proud of our visioning process for Sisters Country. I have always been a for- ward planner and this pro- cess provides exactly that for our community. All the key organizations of the city and county, along with commu- nity volunteers and consul- tants, came together to make the visioning a serious pro- cess that has already achieved great accomplishments and has the potential for even more significant progress. And the best part of the visioning is that it is a com- munity plan with 20 key strat- egies the community voted for as the most pressing needs for Sisters Country. I look forward to the continuation of this progress and the updated Sisters Comprehensive Plan which will use many of the facets of the visioning in its formation. I am proud of the prog- ress we made in expanding affordable housing in Sisters and partnering with organi- zations like Housing Works, Hayden Homes, and Habitat for Humanity. I have been told many times as mayor that Sisters led the way for Deschutes County in our abil- ity to expand affordable hous- ing in a town that has to con- stantly balance its attractive- ness to people who can afford to live here vs. people who work here but find it unaf- fordable to live here. I am proud of the stability and overall healthy morale of our staff, Council, and sup- porting boards/commissions the last four years. There was definitely some signifi- cant turmoil and prognosti- cators that focused on nega- tive aspects of the City and its management. That cor- ner has clearly been turned, as evidenced recently by the amount of interest from the community to join City Council or other City boards/ commissions. Having a strong city manager and supporting staff, along with an engaged Council, cannot be underesti- mated as the main reason for this progress. I am proud of our newly signed contract with the Deschutes County Sheriff9s Office and our ability to expand and commit to com- munity policing for Sisters. I am proud of the eco- nomic progress and diversi- fication that we have made in Sisters. Our partnership 2012 PORSCHE CAYENNE AWD Bring us your trade-ins and low-mileage consignments! met or not met? In my private life, the saying was always pairing <challenges with opportuni- ties= and again I am so proud of our Council and staff for tackling so many issues, as evidenced by the accomplish- ments I listed above. As I said, there was definitely a bit of a cloud hanging over our City for some time, and every surrounding town and the county knew about it. I could never understand why, given how special this place that we live in is, so I wanted to see if I could help turn that around with my previous private experience. I believe honesty, lack of personal bias, hard work and having the City9s best interests at heart are so important as the key attri- butes for City Council, staff, and the supporting boards/ commissions to have, and that makeup is what drove our turnaround to what is now an admired City for its man- agement and communication style. Your hope for the com- ing year for the City and Council? Simply continue the positive trend we have established. The updated Comprehensive Plan will be the biggest task, as that pro- vides the roadmap for how we grow and how we man- age and balance that growth. The momentum is already there for a successful process, and keeping the community informed and engaged will be paramount. Words of wisdom for the incoming Council and new mayor? This one is easy: First and foremost, hire great city managers and let them hire and maintain great City staff. Quality Truck-mounted CARPET CLEANING Loaded and very fun to drive. Newer tires, 90K miles. Best Price! No Hassles! CARFAX Certifi ed! with EDCO was a bit tenu- ous when I started as mayor, partly due to the amount of turnover in both staff (espe- cially the city manager posi- tion) and Council. Stability and trust have allowed both organizations to thrive and focus on improving our over- all economy. This is highly evidenced by the growth and maturity of the local EDCO Board of Directors that is driving this progress. Finally, I am proud of our many businesses and not-for- profit organizations and their tenacity to adapt and sur- vive through devasting wild- fire seasons and the recent pandemic. What do you wish could have been accomplished but wasn9t? Honestly, I have no regrets. In the four years as mayor, I believe our Council was known for tackling prevailing issues head on. Obviously, the pandemic shifted focus somewhat this last year, but we continued to be proactive. Similar to the EDCO relation- ship progress above, the City is committed to planning the future relationship with the Chamber of Commerce and determining what structure would be best for Sisters and its businesses going forward. Those discussions are under way, but progress was a bit slower due to the pandemic. Finally, I do feel that we need to be more proactive in over- all government in regard to lowering the risk of future catastrophic wildfires. Recent events are foretelling of what will continue to happen unless major change is made at all levels of government. What did you see as the biggest challenges of your tenure and how were they Quality Cleaning 16 years in Reasonable Prices Sisters! — Credit Cards Accepted — $ 20,900 ENVIROTECH 541-771-5048 Sisters Car Connection Licensed • Bonded • Insured • CCB#181062 541-815-7397 192 W. Barclay Dr., Sisters RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL Sisters Dental WE ARE HERE FOR YOU! Trevor Frideres, D . M . D . Greg Everson, D . M . D . 541-549-2011 491 E. Main Ave. • Sisters www.sistersdental.com Hours: Mon., 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Tues.-Thurs., 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Fri., 7 a.m.-3 p.m. THE BLUE ONE QUILT KIT Fabrics by Marcia Derse Pattern by Valori Wells 9 PHOTO PROVIDED Chuck Ryan is retiring after serving four years as Sisters’ mayor. Second, let go of any per- sonal bias or ego in your deci- sion making. Third, assum- ing you9ve done number one right, let staff do their job. Fourth, don9t take on too many tasks that can overload your staff 4 focus on qual- ity vs. quantity. Lastly, have fun. Don9t take yourself too seriously and remember how lucky we are to be part of this community. What9s next for you? I am so grateful for the four years I spent as mayor, but it does limit my ability to travel and do other things so, as the saying goes, <happy wife, happy life.= It is time for me to free up my time some- what to allow us to enjoy our family and explore the country and kick back a bit. LOVE SISTER S? Siste Assoc r i sArts ati .org on
