Mike Riley

This election will create significant turnover on the Bend City Council. Of the seven positions including mayor, four of those seats are up for election.

Incumbents are only running in two. How you vote in this election could reshape the direction of the council. For the three council positions on the ballot, we endorse Karon Johnson, Ariel Méndez and Mike Riley.

Position 4

Johnson is a former federal prosecutor and prosecutor in Multnomah County. She sounds like one when she talks about what she would like to do as a councilor. She brings a case backed up by arguments and ideas. We may not agree with all of them, but we need councilors like her to challenge and push the city.

She wants Oregon and Bend to consider getting more aggressive on creating affordable housing, even mandating certain percentages within developments. That may not be an answer everyone would agree with — or even we would. It forces the conversation. Bend and Oregon are not on track to have the right mix of housing. And that is not the end of her ideas.

Johnson is also passionate that Bend needs to do more to protect trees – for the environment and for the beauty that they add. She has the valuable experience of being on the Bend Planning Commission and has been active in the Old Farm Neighborhood Association.

Of the other candidates in the four-way race for the seat, Barb Campbell is a sitting councilor. She has more time on the council than anyone on the council. She has been a passionate voice in council meetings.

Erlin Taylor owns an Oregon City-based property company. Her knowledge of housing issues would be a beneficial asset to the council.

Bill Olsen has served admirably on a variety of state and local boards. In our interview with him, he did not illustrate the same familiarity with what the council has been doing as other candidates.

The other three candidates would likely serve well on the council. Johnson earns our endorsement. We believe she would bring more value added.

Position 5

Ariel Méndez, an instructor at Oregon State University, has a proven track record on the Bend Park & Recreation District board. He was on the city’s transportation advisory committee that helped develop the city’s recent transportation bond. That immediately relevant government experience clearly outweighs that of his opponent Sean Sipe.

If you want a strong advocate making Bend more walkable and bikeable, who does know biking isn’t the solution for everyone, vote for Méndez.

If you want a councilor fully committed to the idea that Bend needs a range of housing options and with the energy to see that the city will do more, vote for Méndez.

We could go on. Vote for Méndez. He is the right hybrid of policy wonk and thoughtful leader.

Sipe, a real estate broker, told us he would strive to be a voice for the people of Bend. Of course, people in Bend don’t always agree. Sipe would likely be a good councilor. We believe Méndez has demonstrated he has more to offer.

Position 6

Mike Riley impressed us as one of the pilots leading the city’s transportation committee and the community toward consensus on the Bend transportation bond. It was not an easy task when so many wanted to seize the wheel.

Riley is the executive director of the Bend Environmental Center. Some people may read into that he only sees the world through that lens. That would be a mistake. If you watched the way he led the transportation committee, you would know that. Another example: The Environmental Center has been located right next to what became a homeless camp. He understands the challenges that can create and wants solutions that work for people struggling to find a place to live and their neighbors.

He feels Bend is stressed by its growth. He wants the city to remove barriers to new childcare facilities. He wants to build a better transit system.

Julia Brown, a retired IT project manager, and Rick Johns, a downtown business owner, don’t necessarily identify different challenges for the city than Riley. Their candidacies seem born of frustration with the direction of the city and the council. In fact, Sipe, Brown and Johns all brought up a theme when we interviewed them. Some people do not feel represented by the current Bend City Council. They don’t feel heard.

We can’t promise that the candidates we endorsed will change that feeling. No matter who is in office, people may feel that way when they don’t like the decisions that are made. We do believe Johnson, Méndez and Riley will truly take the time to listen to concerns and aren’t out only to create their vision of Bend.

Whatever you decide, please vote.