Abernethy

There’s less than a month to go for Bend residents to file to run in the Bend City Council election.

The council has four positions that will be up for election on the Nov. 8 ballot, currently held by Jim Clinton, Sally Russell, Doug Knight and Victor Chudowsky. Russell and Knight have filed for re-election, while Chudowsky, position 1, has said he will not seek re-election.

Mayor Jim Clinton could not be reached for comment by phone or email Thursday about his re-election plans.

So far, four other Bend residents have filed the papers to allow them to collect signatures for a petition to run for council. Chudowsky’s and Knight’s seats are the only two races that are contested so far.

Candidates need to get 150 signatures, which must be checked over by the Deschutes County Clerk’s Office and submitted to the city by Aug. 30, said City Recorder Robyn Christie.

Christie said people interested in running for council should start the process by Aug. 22 at the latest to allow the county clerk’s office time to verify the signatures.

“As we get close to the deadline, they can get really busy,” Christie said.

People who are elected will begin serving four-year terms in January. The Bend city councilors then choose the mayor among themselves. So even though Clinton is in position 4, that doesn’t mean he or the person who wins his seat would become mayor, Christie said.

Here’s a list of people who have started the process to run for Bend City Council:

Position 1

Ronald “Rondo” Boozell: Boozell is a U.S. Navy veteran, bike commuter and 25-year Bend resident. He identifies himself as a community advocate, who wants to get an 8-cent gas tax on the November ballot. But Boozell said it could be a tight timeline to collect the signatures needed to get it on the Nov. 8 ballot.

His proposal, “FIX IT NOW,” would use the money to chip away at Bend’s $80 million backlog in road repairs and pay for construction to make curb ramps accessible for people with disabilities, Boozell said. It would also give money to make streets more friendly for bike commuters.

Boozell said developing a climate plan for Bend, protecting the Deschutes River and ensuring downtown Bend’s Troy Field is free from development are his main focuses if he’s elected. Planning to accommodate for population growth in the city while protecting the environment is also one of his goals, he said.

“There’s great responsibility in growing the city smartly,” Boozell said.

Justin Livingston: Livingston, 38, works as a real estate broker and partner in a business that rehabilitates homes. He’s a member of the city’s affordable housing committee and served on the committee tasked with advising city councilors on how to fund street maintenance. While serving on the streets committee, he opposed the 5-cent gas tax, which voters rejected nearly 2-to-1 in March. The tax would have paid to repair city streets and was expected to generate approximately $2.5 million a year.

Making the building permit process more efficient and addressing Bend’s affordable housing crisis are among issues that Livingston said he plans to tackle if he’s elected. He also wants to focus on working with other local and state officials to better represent Bend’s interests at the Oregon Legislature, he said.

“Everything that the Legislature does is very Willamette Valley-centric, and we need somebody to advocate for Central Oregon issues,” Livingston said.

Position 2

Douglas Knight: Knight has been living in Bend for about 20 years and was elected to the Bend City Council in November 2012. He’s a building designer and engineer, who has worked on projects ranging from designing three Bend-La Pine District schools to redeveloping downtown Bend’s Deschutes Brewery Pub. Before getting elected to City Council, he served as chairman of the Bend Planning Commission.

Knight is a member of the Bend Metropolitan Planning Organization and wants to solve livability problems for Bend residents.

While the city needs to accommodate growth, it’s equally important to protect the character of Bend’s neighborhoods, Knight said.

Knight was opposed to a city rule change that allowed accessory dwelling units to be built without notifying neighbors. If Knight is elected, he wants to reevaluate regulations on ADUs and rules for noise levels, he said.

“I want a code that actually improves neighbor to neighbor communication, not hurt it, and I want a noise ordinance that works for everyone,” Knight said in a news release.

Bill Moseley: Moseley, founder and CEO of software company GL Solutions, is also a founder and former chairman of the Bend Economic Development Advisory Board, which advises the City Council on business and economic matters. Increasing affordable housing for Bend’s workforce is one of his top priorities, as well as diversifying Bend’s economy with higher paying jobs, he said. Moseley, 47, wants to work to shrink the gap between salaries and housing prices, he said.

Implementing policy changes, rather than just planning to set goals, is one of his main focuses for the council, he said. Moseley said his experience running a company in the high-tech field equips him with valuable leadership skills that the Bend City Council is currently lacking.

“When you have really severe problems and no leadership, how are we really going to get anything done?” Moseley said.

Position 3

Sally Russell: Russell was elected to the City Council in November 2012 and has served as mayor pro tem since January 2015. Russell, 58, said she’s worked to grow the City Council’s relationships with the community to develop more comprehensive policies on issues such as affordable housing. Finding a way to keep up with Bend’s growing population while maintain infrastructure such as streets is one of Russell’s main focuses, she said. Meanwhile, striking a balance between the concerns of residents and the growth of tourism in Bend is another concern, she said.

“We’re in this period of change and growth,” Russell said. “And the question is, how do we move gracefully through this?”

In her free time, Russell said she is an avid outdoor enthusiast and founding member of the Central Oregon Mountain Bike Alliance. She wants to use her role as city councilor to implement policies that will accommodate for economic growth and protect Bend’s natural resources by fighting climate change, she said.

Position 4

Bruce Abernethycq: Abernethy was elected to the council in 2000 and 2004 and served as mayor in the last two years of his second four-year term. He works as the grant writer for Bend-La Pine Schools, and in the 1990s, served as a member of the Bend-La Pine School Board and the board of the Bend Park & Recreation District. He’s on the board of Central Oregon Community College and serves on the boards of organizations such as the Rotary Club of Greater Bend.

Combating homelessness and Bend’s affordable housing crisis are some of his greatest concerns, along with planning for growth and diversifying the region’s economy, he said. He brings a middle-ground approach to policy, which could help ease tensions in the current council, he said.

“I see some issues and sort of divisions on our current council that remind me a lot of the divisions we’re seeing in the state, and certainly nationally,” Abernethy said.

— Reporter: 541-633-2160,

mriker@bendbulletin.com