A4 THE BULLETIN • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2022
Forum
Continued from A1
Piper focused his comments about
increasing housing affordability on
simplifying local and state regula-
tions and permitting rules, forming
collaboratives between the city and
housing developers to generate more
housing and bringing land into the
city’s urban growth boundary —
which limits where developments
can be built — more quickly.
Kebler responded to the idea of a
boundary expansion by saying the
city could meet its housing needs by
building taller buildings in the Cen-
tral District instead. She also advo-
cated for putting transit options and
a relocated city hall in the area to
spur development.
“We already know that sprawl as a
solution isn’t going to work, and (the
Central District) is one of our best
chances to really create the housing
we need without doing that,” Kebler
said.
Piper called the Central District
Bend’s “lowest-lying investment
fruit,” saying the city should work
more actively with business owners
in the area to encourage develop-
ment. He also said the city should
work to relocate the BottleDrop
center, where many experiencing
homelessness gather while returning
cans to make a living, and define an
exit strategy for the Rainbow Motel,
which currently operates as a transi-
tional shelter.
“First, we need to erase the un-
certainty that the (Central District)
stakeholders are feeling with the city,”
Piper said.
Council candidates outline priorities
Most of the council candidates ex-
pressed similar themes to those from
Kebler or Piper. The most crowded
PAC
Continued from A1
The biggest political
money splash this week was
a $240,000 contribution to
Evergreen Oregon PAC, the
fundraising arm of House Re-
publicans. The source: Bring
Balance to Salem PAC.
Until May, the Salem PAC
almost exclusively took in con-
tributions. Nike founder Phil
Knight, the richest Orego-
nian, gave $1 million. Timber
and construction groups have
given contributions of $50,000
to $250,000 each to the PAC.
Red Emmerson, the nation’s
largest private landholder,
contributed $250,000 from
his Redding, California-based
timberlands and forest prod-
ucts company, Sierra Pacific
Industries.
The Salem PAC raised over
$880,000 while its spend-
ing prior to the May 17 pri-
mary was primarily a $5,000
monthly fee to Walden Con-
sulting, a Hood River firm
run by former U.S. Rep.
Greg Walden, R-Hood River,
and his wife, Mylene Si-
mons-Walden.
Since the primary, the PAC
has actively spent on political
races. It’s contributed $364,111
to candidates and has over
$2.9 million in the bank.
The PAC’s idea of bringing
balance to the state capital has,
so far, meant money for Re-
publicans. That’s despite some
of it’s biggest donors backing
former state Sen. Betsy John-
son’s unaffiliated campaign
over former House Minority
Leader Christine Drazan,
the GOP governor nominee.
Former House Speaker Tina
Kotek is the Democratic Party
candidate for governor.
Knight has given $1.75 mil-
lion to Johnson, and Emmer-
son has given $200,000.
As of Tuesday, Bring Bal-
ance to Salem PAC has stayed
out of the race at the top of the
ballot. It’s giving to Republi-
can PACs, leaders and individ-
ual candidates.
D N
Karen Y. Pitner
formerly of Sunriver
March 25, 1947-
September 16, 2022
Karen Pitner, age 75, passed
in her home in Surprise, Ari-
zona. The Neptune Society is
responsible for arrangements.
OBITUARY DEADLINE
Call to ask about our
deadlines
541-385-5809
Monday - Friday, 10am - 3pm
No death notices or obituaries
are published Mondays.
Email:
obits@bendbulletin.com
Zack Demars/The Bulletin
Moderator Allen Schauffler, left, introduces Bend mayoral candidates Melanie Kebler, left side of stage, and Chris Piper at a can-
didate forum Monday. The nine candidates for Bend City Council, seated in the first row, also made brief speeches about their
plans if elected.
race has four candidates, all vying
to fill the last two years of a term va-
cated in May by Rita Schenkelberg.
Relying most heavily on the exist-
ing council’s record was Barb Camp-
bell, who’s been on the council since
2014. Her reasoning for asking voters
to return her to council chambers a
third time was simple.
“I’m really running on institu-
tional knowledge,” Campbell told
the crowd. Most of the other sitting
councilors have only been in office
for two years, she said, noting her ex-
perience with transportation issues
and urban development would be
lost if she wasn’t reelected.
Challenging her for the seat is
Karon Johnson, a neighborhood as-
The Leadership Fund,
which gives money to Re-
publican candidates for the
Oregon Senate, has received
$50,000.
Evergreen Oregon PAC, the
political arm of House Repub-
licans, has received a total of
$290,000 as of this week.
The campaign funds of
Senate Minority Leader Tim
Knopp, R-Bend, and House
Minority Leader Vikki Bre-
ese Iverson, R-Prineville, have
each received $25,000. Ever-
green Oregon PAC is han-
dled by Bryan Iverson, the
Prineville consultant married
to the House GOP leader.
The contribution to Ever-
green Oregon PAC last week
was a timely transfusion for
the Republicans’ legislative
efforts in the dwindling days
of the campaign. Adding the
new money, the House GOP
has now raised $1.06 million
and spent $360,145. It has
$769,990 in the bank.
There’s no Democratic equiv-
alent to the double-barreled
funding shot from the state
GOP-affiliated PACs and the
Bring Balance to Salem PAC .
The Democrats’ own PAC
has fewer dollars and as the
majority, more candidates to
help.
Future PAC House Build-
ers, the political arm of House
Democrats, has raised $1.5
million and spent $500,000 in
2022. With money rolled over
from last year, it has a total of
$1.01 million in the bank to
spend.
The statewide funding is-
sue is showing up in some key
sociation land use chair who said she
doesn’t feel like the current council
represents her. She said Bend should
follow the path of other cities, like
Boise, Idaho, and Santa Barbara, Cal-
ifornia, to reduce visible homeless-
ness and said, if elected, she would
attempt to overturn the part of the
city’s new shelter regulations that
permits some shelters in certain resi-
dential areas.
Neither Bill Olsen, a veteran who
describes himself as a semi-retired
real estate broker, nor Erlin Taylor,
who owns an Oregon City-based
property company, attended the
event. Taylor’s campaign manager
spoke on her behalf, saying she’s
in the race because she hears from
races Democrats had targeted
for November 2022.
Democrats had flipped a
Republican seat in Bend in
2020 when Rep. Jason Kropf,
D-Bend, defeated then-Rep.
Cheri Helt, R-Bend in House
District 54. The seat had been
held by Republicans for a de-
cade despite an ever-growing
Democratic voter registration.
Growth in Deschutes
County over the past decade
required a major realignment
of legislative districts for the
2022 election.
The new maps drawn by the
Democratic majority in the
Legislature created a strongly
Democratic-leaning House
District 54. Kropf has raised
little money, instead sending
more than $30,000 in his fund
that rolled over from the 2020
election as a contribution to
Future PAC House Builders
The new version of House
District 53 converted a pe-
rennial Republican seat to
one with a Democratic edge.
While once encircling Bend,
the population shift halved the
district area, which now in-
cludes northern Bend, parts of
Redmond and other areas of
northern Deschutes County.
Incumbent Rep. Jack Zika,
R-Redmond, opted not to
seek reelection.
Following redistricting,
Democrats said flipping
House District 53 was a key
part of their strategy to hold
or even expand on their state-
wide 15-seat majority.
But with less than a month
before ballots go out to vot-
ers, the fundraising difference
OBITUARY
Bernadette M. Delany
December 17, 1938 - September 5, 2022
Bernadette was born in
Merced, California to
Gertrude Benson and
passed away in Bend at age
84. Bernadette married
husband of 64 years David
on January 4, 1958. The
couple spent 30 years
in Alaska before retiring
to Bend. She is survived
by her husband David,
her son Sean (Candace)
and grandsons David and Tyler of Richland,
Washington. Her granddaughters Margaret of
Oakridge, North Carolina, Megan of Fulton,
Maryland, Martie and great-grandson Bryson of
Destin, Florida, and her sister Mary Ann Dighton
(Jack) of Riverbank, California. She was preceded
in death by son James of Clermont, Florida.
Bernadette was a dedicated grandmother and
enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren
and traveling. Bernadette will be greatly missed.
No services are planned at this time.
neighbors concerned about the city’s
quality of life and unaffordability.
Voters have two candidates to
choose from for one of the four-year
council seats on the ballot. Ariel
Mendez, an Oregon State Univer-
sity-Cascades instructor and Bend
Park & Recreation District board
member, is facing off against Sean
Sipe, a local real estate broker. Men-
dez told the crowd the city should
encourage development that reduces
the need for a car, congestion and
the cost of transportation. He said
the benchmark for whether the city is
well designed should be whether or
not it is safe and livable for children.
Sipe focused on his skills as a busi-
nessperson and echoed the idea that
between the two House Dis-
trict 53 candidates has grown
larger by the week.
Emerson Levy, the Dem-
ocrat, has raised just under
$55,000 in 2022. The Bend
attorney has received $8,600
from Future PAC House Lead-
ers — the Democrats’ main
fund for House races.
Republican Michael Sipe
has over raised $292,000.
Other than a $50,000 loan
from the company he owns,
Cross Pointe, his largest single
contribution has been $17,000
from Evergreen Oregon PAC.
He’s also received $5,000 di-
rectly from Bring Balance to
Salem PAC.
Andrew Rogers, commu-
nications director for Future
PAC House Builders declined
to discuss any strategy to get
more funds to Levy.
But Rogers pointed to the
new political mix in House
District 53. House districts
are up for election every two
years.
“I will say that that seat is
almost a 3% Democratic edge
and will be held by a Demo-
crat sooner rather than later,”
Rogers said.
█
gwarner@eomediagroup.com
the current council feels partisan. He
said the city should accommodate
growth by building on the land it has
and also expanding the urban growth
boundary.
“Let’s not turn Bend into Portland,
OK?” Sipe told the crowd as he left
the stage.
The final open four-year seat has
three candidates: Julia Brown, a re-
tired IT project manager, downtown
business owner Rick Johns and Mike
Riley, executive director of The Envi-
ronmental Center.
Brown echoed Mendez’s com-
ments that denser housing develop-
ment in the city would reduce the
need for a car, and added that the city
should reduce the cost of permits and
the complexity of city codes to incen-
tivize housing development.
Johns expressed a sentiment,
shared by some, that he felt unrepre-
sented by the current council. He also
said building permits are too hard to
get and the city should focus on re-
ducing congestion for cars instead of
encouraging bikeability.
“I’m tired of being miserable, and
I’m sure you all are too,” Johns told
the crowd. “I want to make this a bet-
ter place, and it was a great place un-
til the last couple of years.”
Riley said the city should prioritize
improving safety for walkers, bicy-
cle riders and transit users on city
streets and should respond to grow-
ing homelessness by piloting man-
aged camps and phasing in regula-
tions that prohibit camping in public.
Candidates had time for just snip-
pets of their platforms Monday, but
The Bulletin is sharing longer-length
interviews with them on its Facebook
page in the lead up to the election.
The deadline to register to vote is
Oct. 18.
█
Reporter: 541-617-7814,
zdemars@bendbulletin.com
OBITUARY
Rachel Alicia Chiddix
September 21, 1962 - September 10, 2022
Rachel Alicia Chiddix,
Mama, Toto and
friend to all, passed
away peacefully in
her sleep at the age of
59 on September 10,
2022. She was born in
Bend on September
21, 1962.
She will be greatly
missed
and
her
memory will be
carried on by all she met.
Rachel is survived by her loving husband of
29 years, Stacey, her son Caleb and his wife
Shaylynn, her grandchildren Evelynn and
Oliver, and her son Jacob and his wife Karley.
Please join the family in a celebration of life
that will take place at the Erickson Aircraft
Museum on Saturday, September 24 from
11:00 am to 2:00 pm.