Bend Mayor Pro Tem Sally Russell is officially running for mayor.

Russell, who has served on the Bend City Council since 2013, was one of the first candidates to pick up paperwork to run for office, but she wouldn’t discuss her campaign until she collected the signatures she needed to make the ballot. Monday morning, Russell turned in nearly 1,000 signatures — far more than the 150 needed to qualify for the citywide ballot. Four other potential candidates have been gathering the needed signatures to run for mayor.

“Serving as mayor was a way I thought to use the leadership skills I’ve developed and lead the community forward,” Russell said.

She said those skills include being able to work with and listen to diverse groups of people to make sure everyone in Bend is represented and served by city government. Russell said one of her top priorities is making sure the people who live in Bend have affordable places to live.

Another priority is developing all methods of transportation, making sure people are able to get around the city easily by foot, bus, bike or car. Bend is in the middle of developing its citywide transportation plan.

Russell said she wants to look at creative ways to serve the city, citing the free Ride Bend shuttle as one example of creativity. The shuttle, which is funded in part through Bend’s lodging tax, runs every 15 minutes during the summer around downtown, the Old Mill District, Oregon State University-Cascades and Galveston Avenue.

Along with Russell, Bend City Councilor Bill Moseley, disability rights advocate Brian Douglass and Bend residents Charles Baer and Timothy Heckler intend to run for mayor. Current Mayor Casey Roats, perennial city council candidate Ron “Rondo” Boozell and Bend resident Andrew Davis intend to run for council seats.

Russell, 60, is a self-employed mother of two daughters who has an MBA and previously ran the Cascade Festival of Music and the Cascade Cycling Classic.

—  Reporter: 541-633-2160; jshumway@bendbulletin.com