THE SPOKESMAN • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2022 A5
Continued from A4
Branegan Dixon
Age:43
Neighborhood of residence: NW Redmond
Time in Redmond: 34 years
Political experience: None
Work experience: Entrepreneur
Education: Associate’s degree in Business Ad-
ministration
Family: Wife and two sons
Why did you choose to run for a
council seat?
I chose to run for the betterment of our com-
munity. I grew up here and have built a family and
a business here. I have seen Redmond change over
the years — some good and others not so desirable.
I want to be a part of devising a plan for our
homeless population, continue to support mental
health wellness, look to the future with infrastruc-
ture design, affordable housing and supporting
small business and our youth. I love our small
town lifestyle and I believe that many that move
here do so for that very reason.
We have a tight knit community with strong
core values, and I want to be a part in sustaining
those values for as long as possible. I plan to focus
on issues that we have and not manifest national
problems that do not exist in Redmond. I love our
little town and I want to love it when it is a big city.
What in your background gives
you the skills to succeed in this
position?
My experience in volunteerism and as a busi-
ness owner give me the skills needed to succeed
in this position. As a member of the Rotary Club
of Redmond and many other nonprofit organiza-
tions, I understand what it takes to spend the time
with the community for specific issues and how to
set individual goals. It is imperative for anyone on
the city council to have some volunteer experience.
As a business owner that bought a failing busi-
ness and made it profitable, I understand the com-
mitment and dedication it takes to be successful.
I have assessed situations and protocols that were
failing and made the proper adjustment and used
the resources that I had to become successful. This
is the same concept in running a city.
Cities are set up as businesses and with my ex-
perience bringing one out from underwater, I will
use the same tactics and mindset in this position.
What is the city of Redmond
doing well and what does it need
to improve?
Redmond does an excellent job in welcoming
all citizens to our wonderful city. We also have a
great community that comes together for each
other and our core values that I have seen on many
occasions.
One instance is when COVID hit, I closed my
doors for a period of time and didn’t charge mem-
bers for a service that they were unable to use. I
had many members reach out and ask me to con-
tinue charging them because they wanted me to
make it through.
Redmond can improve in the approach we are
taking for our homeless community and to pro-
tect those that are out on the streets as well as the
surrounding residential and business community.
We need to stop saying “Sorry, our hands are tied.
Good luck.”
How will you measure the
success of the council during your
term?
I will measure the success of the council by
watching each member take accountability for
their actions. We are in the “pass the buck” era. We
will need to make our decisions wisely and stand
firm on them. And if we mess up, acknowledge the
mistake, find a better solution and fix it.
We can not continue to blame others for bad de-
cisions that we make — it just makes us look weak
and unreliable. I will speak to and listen to the
community. I will be sure to have an “open door”
policy and stay connected with our people. Most
people are not shy to express their opinions if we
are not being efficient and productive.
I will also measure the success of the council by
seeing if we are meeting our goals. I believe that is
a great way to measure the success of anything in
life. What is the issue? What are our best options,
and what are the goals of those options? Set the
goal, meet it and then on to tackle the next issue.
Family homes
destroyed by arson
BY NICK ROSENBERGER
Redmond Spokesman
It was still dark on Thurs-
day, Oct. 20, when Irv Willard
was jerked out of bed by a po-
lice officer. The night air was
cold outside his trailer, but
flames were already engulfing
two homes nearby, which had
belonged to his parents.
The fire obliterated the
homes, located off Harvest Av-
enue. The baby blue paint of
one gradually turned black as
the ceiling collapsed inward.
The other home burned until
all that was left was its founda-
tion, gnarled metal, a bathtub,
kitchen sink and the frame of a
shattered glass door.
“Mom and dad worked hard
all their life to have that,” Wil-
lard said. “And boom.”
Fire investigators confirmed
Oct. 20 that the cause of the
house fire was arson. No one
was in either home at the time,
according to investigators, and
there are no reported injuries.
“My brother said he was go-
ing to burn it down,” Irv Wil-
lard told the Redmond Spokes-
man a few days later. “I didn’t
believe him.”
Sometime after 4 a.m. on
Thursday morning, one of
Willard’s neighbors saw the
flames while leaving for work.
“It seemed like it was taking
them forever to get here,” said
Lina-Mae Steward, one of Wil-
lard’s neighbors. “But it really
wasn’t.”
Nick Rosenberger/Spokesman
Irv Willard points to where he believes the fire that destroyed his
parents’ home started on Oct. 20 outside Redmond.
According to information
provided by Redmond Fire &
Rescue, fire crews were dis-
patched about 4:30 a.m. to
the blaze. They found two
structures on fire and flames
in nearby brush and junipers.
The flames ate through the
buildings and torched the tele-
phone post and electrical box
between the two homes. By
the time the cop woke Willard
up in his trailer, he said every-
thing was already on fire.
Willard had one word for
how he felt when he saw the
flames: “Sad.”
Crews stopped the fire
from spreading through the
brush and trees and con-
tained the structure fire to just
the two homes: a singlewide
and a doublewide. Willard’s
truck and trailer, along with
his brother’s tan RV with a
red stripe down its side, were
spared from the inferno.
Crews remained on the scene
throughout the day on Thurs-
day extinguishing hot spots.
“This was a home at one
time,” Willard said. “Com-
pletely gone, right down to the
foundation.”
Willard, a former landscaper
who lived in Prineville for 16
years, said he moved back to
his parent’s property after his
mom, Ramona, asked him to
help take care of her and one of
his brothers who was disabled.
His dad died, his mom passed
away earlier this year and then
his brother died April 1.
Irv said once he cleans up
the property, he’ll sell the land
and move somewhere else,
possibly to Missouri where he
has some friends.
“I got to clean all this up
and I’m getting out of here,”
he said.
█
Reporter: ttrainor@
redmondspokesman.com