Guest Column: Actions of the candidates speak louder than words Written by Mike Walker (Retired Civil Engineer) - 10/29/2022
”Do you vote for a candidate based on what they say? Does the candidate’s priorities match the community’s priorities? The community’s two top priorities have been consistently the housing crisis and east-west congestion according to the city’s statistically valid surveys.
Market rate housing. Can Bend’s workers afford to live in Bend? Has the current City Council ’21-’23 made any new initiatives to address this category? I reviewed all the council meetings from 2020 through the Oct. 5, 2022. The ’19-’21 council directed staff to amend the development code to include more building types (example: micro units) and remove barriers. The ’21-’23 council’s only new initiative seems to be the creation of the Core Area Advisory Board.
Its remaining actions were to sign off on implementation of initiatives by others — state legislators’ House Bill 2001, past councils’ UGB Implementation Plan, or developers (a k a Stevens Ranch).
Its remaining actions were to sign off on implementation of initiatives by others — state legislators’ House Bill 2001, past councils’ UGB Implementation Plan, or developers (a k a Stevens Ranch).
The third housing category is the hot potato referred to as homelessness. The review of agendas clearly identifies City Council’s discussions were triggered by the approval of HB 4212 in 2020.
This legislation made state funding available and granted shelters an exemption to the normal land use process. This column will not attempt to document the many ongoing trials and tribulations around code for the shelter and unsanctioned camping.
East-west congestion. The 2020 GO Bond campaign promised to address congestion. Is the ’21-’23 council delivering on the promise? Not with the midtown crossings! The increased congestion from the staff-recommended lane reduction on Greenwood Avenue is a broken promise, a bait and switch.
The first 2020 GO Bond project is Wilson Avenue. Please look at the ongoing construction and the design. Instead of just filling the few gaps in sidewalks and bike lanes along with two new roundabouts, the entire street is being rebuilt. The city has failed to learn a lesson from the previous Reed Market Road project. The design was driven by bicyclists. The $19 million budget will be busted and the on-grade rail crossing remains. The number of vehicle lanes remain unchanged. Do you feel this project’s benefits are worth its ultimate budget-busting cost? Don’t be hoodwinked into believing this is just an inflation issue.
How does all this relate to the upcoming election? Voters should look at actions instead of rhetoric. Councilor Melanie Kebler’s priorities or actions do not coincide with the community’s priorities. One of her first actions was to call for elimination of parking mandates. Councilor Barb Campbell is running on her experience, but without any new initiatives to solve community priorities. Candidates Mike Riley and Ariel Méndez have a long history of prioritizing bicycling over traffic congestion. I was present at an Old Farm Neighborhood Association meeting where Riley and Méndez spoke about attempting to shift the adopted funding priorities of the $190 million GO Bond to more bicycling projects. Did you know that the Transportation System Plan estimates only a 0.7% shift from vehicles to biking from the public’s $960 million. Not much bang for a lot of bucks! These four candidates don’t seem to offer any new solutions for community priorities.
This election should be about bringing balance and accountability back to our council. The best solutions are the result of healthy debate of many perspectives instead of appointing like-minded individuals to committees and to open City Council positions. Will your candidates hold city administration accountable to fulfill the city’s promise to the community and be good financial stewards? Staff is advocating for new 2023 funding sources but has not been transparent about its average annual 8.3% increase in revenue over the last eight years. Your priorities should matter. VOTE WISELY.”
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