Bend has been gaining attention recently with highly contested races for mayor and two City Council seats.

But Redmond also has a race for mayor between incumbent George Endicott, who has held the office for 10 years, and challenger Ed Fitch, a former mayor himself. The same election features new faces running for Redmond City Council, including Endicott’s wife, Krisanna Clark-Endicott.

Fitch, 67, Redmond mayor from 1998 until he resigned in 2001 and city attorney from 1979 to 1996, works as an attorney at his law firm, Fitch Law Group.

During his time as mayor and city attorney, Fitch said he successfully worked with local, state and federal officials to lay the groundwork for the rerouting of U.S. Highway 97, the development of the Maple Avenue Bridge and protecting Dry Canyon from development.

“That is what we were able to do before, and I think that experience will help in the future,” Fitch said.

Fitch, who has lived in Redmond for nearly four decades, said he is interested in tackling issues of growth in the city. Specifically, he wants the city to work with the Federal Aviation Administration, which owns the Redmond Airport and surrounding properties. The FAA allows the city to lease the land, but not sell it to interested developers. That could hinder the way that part of the city grows and the Central Oregon Community College campus expands, Fitch said.

“We have been able to develop in the past,” Fitch said. “All that is doable. But there doesn’t seem to be any appetite in this administration.”

Fitch also wants to see the city’s housing expand with traditional neighborhoods, rather than cookie-cutter developments.

“All the houses end up looking like each other, and there is no neighborhood feel to them,” he said.

Fitch said he wants an opportunity to formally debate Endicott on the city’s many issues, similar to the televised Bend mayoral debate earlier this month. A televised debate would reach more voters than any of the candidate forums scheduled this fall, Fitch said.

The 70-year-old Endicott, who has served as mayor since January 2009, said he doesn’t see a need for a debate since the two candidates will be appearing at the upcoming forums.

“There is plenty of opportunity to get the word out and talk about the issues and how we feel about them,” Endicott said.

Endicott, a native of Redmond, said he is seeking another two-year term as mayor to keep working on multiple projects in the city, including a partnership with the Oregon Department of Transportation to develop safety improvement to the U.S. Highway 97 corridor.

In addition, city parks are in need of upgrades, and the Redmond Police Department needs to hire more officers to increase public safety, Endicott said.

Endicott, who is retired from a career as an analyst and computer specialist, mostly with the U.S. Department of Defense, considers himself a full-time mayor who is able to advocate for Redmond at meetings across the state any day of the week, including trips to Salem during the legislative session.

As mayor, Endicott is also focused on continuing to encourage youth involvement in the city. In recent years, each city committee has appointed a local high school student as an honorary member to learn how the city operates.

“It’s really important to get the youth involved in all of the stuff we are working on,” Endicott said. “They have fresh ideas, and we need to hear from them.”

Endicott said he is not worried about the FAA ownership of property around the airport, since developers have been comfortable with long-term leases rather than ownership of the land.

As for any concerns about possibly serving on the city council with his wife, Endicott said he is not worried about it.

Endicott married Krisanna Clark last July after the Oregon Mayors Association summer conference in Lebanon. Clark was mayor of Sherwood at the time.

He is looking forward to potentially serving with his wife, and said she will bring ideas to the city that haven’t been considered. In Sherwood, Clark-Endicott helped launch a community garden, create veteran support activities and develop a dog park.

Clark-Endicott is one of three candidates who filed for three seats on the City Council.

Jon Bullock, executive director of the Redmond Proficiency Academy, and City Councilor Jay Patrick filed for the council positions.

The deadline to file for the Nov. 6 general election is Tuesday.

— Reporter: 541-617-7820, kspurr@bendbulletin.com