File photo Bend City Councilor Mark Capell

Bend Councilor Mark Capell announced Wednesday he will be running for re-election to a third, four-year term this fall.

Capell, 54, is a fourth-generation Bend resident who was first elected to the council in 2006. He said if re-elected, his key issues over the next four years will be infrastructure, public safety and economic development.

The city has more significant infrastructure projects underway than at any time in its history, Capell said. He said the council and city staff will have to closely manage these projects to ensure the efficient spending of public dollars, but the work won’t end when construction is complete. Failing to adequately plan for the future has created the circumstances of the past few years, he said, when the council has adopted increases in water and sewer rates to replace aging and failing systems.

“I think we’ve stepped in the right direction on that already with the sewer rate change we just put in place,” he said. “Not only are we going to be paying for the imminent projects — we’re starting to put a little money away for future infrastructure upgrades, because you have to plan for some of this equipment is going to need to be replaced.”

The levy recently approved by voters will make it easier for the Bend Fire Department to provide rapid response times, Capell said, but councilors are continuing to work to improve the effectiveness of the city’s police department.

Shifting more general fund dollars to police services — police and fire now consume 85 percent of the general fund budget — is allowing the department to recruit new patrol officers, Capell said, while the electronic reporting of citations and other in-car technology upgrades are allowing officers to make better use of their time.

The owner with his wife, Jeanni, of a small computer services company since 2002, Capell said the council has been making great strides to make it easier for businesses to work with the city. The cost of sign permits has been sliced in recent years, he said, and the council has created the “business advocate” position to help businesses navigate city regulations.

“As (the) council has made decisions, I think it’s been a pretty common approach to say, ‘How does that affect the businesses and labor force in our community?’”

Capell said he’s enjoyed his eight years on the council so far but only recently decided to run for re-election.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a long time,” he said. “I really enjoy being on the council. It’s very mentally stimulating; you meet a lot of nice people, and there’s a lot going on right now that I want to stay involved in.”

Capell is the first candidate to announce plans to run for his seat, one of three positions on the council that will be filled in the Nov. 4 election.

— Reporter: 541-383-0387, shammers@bendbulletin.com