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Bend Chamber
Weekly
January 9, 2009
By Courtney Linville, Communications Coordinator
This Week's
Highlights
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Chamber offers annual
passes for popular events
It’s the start of a new year, so make a resolution
to save money and get your annual pass now for these
great sessions:
New! The
Professional Development Series Annual Flex-Pass
is available for $275 and will confirm your spot in
all 22 breakfast and luncheon sessions. By
registering in advance, you can save up to $220!
The Young Professionals Network yearly
membership is just $50. This fee includes 10 monthly
networking meetings plus the annual social. Instead
of paying $7 in advance or $10 at the door, save
over $60 and buy the yearly membership!
If you are looking at a way to stay in touch with
issues facing our community, sign up for a yearly
membership to the Town Hall Breakfast Forums
for $220. This pass covers 11 breakfast sessions and
offers a savings of $55.
Don’t wait sign-up today by contacting Lindi DeWolf
at lindi@bendchamber.org or call 382-3221.
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New Bend City Councilors
Sworn In
About 100 people watched as Jim Clinton, Kathie
Eckman, Tom Greene, and Jeff Eager were sworn in to
the Bend City Council on Wednesday night. The newest
councilors stated they look forward to the job ahead
over the next four years. Greene said he wants the
citizens of Bend to understand he is reachable. “I
want to listen to what (citizens) think and the
direction (they believe) Bend should go,” he said.
All the councilors kept their comments brief stating
the citizens of Bend would hear from them over the
coming months.
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Final Thoughts from
Abernethy, Johnson, and Gramlich
As the Bend
City Council transitions under new leadership,
several councilors took a moment to express their
final thoughts on their terms as councilors.
Outgoing Mayor Bruce Abernethy and Councilors Linda
Johnson and Peter Gramlich took time to reflect
about their council experiences and provide advice
for the incoming council.
Though he was only on the council for two years,
Gramlich urged the citizens of Bend to get involved
in the community and to stay involved with the
community whether working with a nonprofit, serving
on a board, or serving on a commission. “I have been
involved (in this community) for a decade. I
challenge people to throw their hat in the ring,” he
said. He stated when he arrived in Bend 10 years ago
he felt this was a town where he could get involved.
Gramlich also stressed the new council should keep
focus on the livability of Bend, because the
livability is what has attracted so many people to
the area. He reminded citizens the decisions made by
council, no matter how small, have an impact on the
quality of life in Bend.
An emotional Johnson spoke from the heart stating she
was honored to have served on the City Council for
the past six years and represent the citizens of
Bend. Johnson said she was proud to have worked on
several issues facing the city including ADA
accessibility, Affordable Housing, Juniper Ridge,
the Equal Rights Ordinance, the Bend 2030 Vision,
the hiring of Eric King, and the approval of the
Urban Growth Boundary (UGB). “The UGB process is the
finest example of a thoughtful deliberative process
where the public was deeply involved,” she said.
King thanked Johnson for her years of service and
stated those who worked with her know she is a true
visionary.
Looking back over his eight years on the council,
Abernethy stated the council has heard a lot of
comments about what it has done wrong, but there
were a lot of things the council did right. “I
believe the council has been unfairly criticized for
having pet projects and forsaking services, but that
is not accurate,” he said.
Abernethy stated the council showed strong support for
basic services with new fire stations, an expanded
police department, the expanded wastewater treatment
plant, the accreditation process for Public Works,
improvements to infrastructure, the UGB, and
affordable housing.
A hotly contested topic for the council revolves around
the public transit system. Abernethy said it was
said many people could not get beyond the purchase
of the used buses. “The purchase of the used buses
allowed us to start the public transit system,” he
said. “If we had tried to purchase new buses we
couldn’t have (started the transit system).”
Abernethy also praised staff for showing the need
for the system and creating the transit district out
of current funds.
Like his fellow councilors, Abernethy also dispelled
some words of wisdom for the incoming council. “It’s
important to recognize that there is a difference
between running as a candidate and being an actual
council member,” he said. Abernethy told councilors
to keep an open mind, move beyond campaign rhetoric,
and to listen to all sides of an argument.
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City Council Highlights
Council
approves latest UGB Map: In a 4-2 decision on
Monday night, the Bend City Council approved the
Urban Growth Boundary Expansion Map called
Alternative 4A. “At this stage, we have officially
completed our part of the UGB process,” said
outgoing Mayor Bruce Abernethy. “I do think this is
a good compromise that we think is legally
defensible, and we certainly wish it well as it goes
on to the next stage of the journey.” Abernethy and
Councilors Mark Capell, Linda Johnson, and Jodie Barram voted in support of the map. Councilors Jim
Clinton and Peter Gramlich voted against the map.
Councilor Chris Telfer was not in attendance. The
approved map will now go before the Deschutes County
Commission for approval and then onto the Oregon
Department of Land Conversation and Development.
Eckman to be Bend’s New Mayor: In a 4-3 vote,
Kathie Eckman was named Bend’s new mayor and Mark
Capell was nominated as Mayor Pro-tem on Wednesday
evening. During the election of the mayor, Capell
was nominated by Councilor Jodie Barram. Barram
stated she nominated Capell because of his service
on the city council and he is up to speed on current
issues. “I would like to see (Mark) continue on as
mayor because he is suited to the position,” she
said. “I feel given the big issues coming up before
us Mark would be the better prepared person.
Councilor Jeff Eager nominated Eckman stating she
has a great deal of experience on and off the
council. “Kathy brings a depth and breadth of
experience to the position of mayor and that is
exactly what the city needs right now,” he said.
Eager, Eckman and Councilors Tom Greene and Chris
Telfer voted for Eckman. Barram, Capell, and
Councilor Jim Clinton voted for Capell. Capell was
unanimously voted in as Mayor Pro-tem.
Telfer resigns position, applications being taken:
Councilor Chris Telfer resigned her position on the
Bend City Council Wednesday evening. Though she is
sad to be leaving city government, Telfer said she
is excited to represent the community in Salem. “In
the six years that I’ve served on the city council,
its been wonderful, its been challenging, and its
been fun,” she said. “I’m not saying goodbye, (I’m)
just going on to a different level of service.”
Telfer said she will always have an open ear and an
open door to hear citizens concerns. She will be
sworn into the State Senate on Monday. The council
voted to open the application process for Telfer’s
vacant seat. Applications will be due by Wednesday,
January 14 at 5 p.m. The council will hold
interviews for the top three candidates at its work
session on January 21.
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Bank of the Cascades
named in Oregon’s Top Ten Most Admired Companies
In December,
the Bank of the Cascades was named one of The Business Journal's Most Admired Companies in Oregon
in the financial services category. This was based
on a survey of over 2,000 Oregon CEOs and top level
managers.
Executives were asked to select companies they admired
in eight categories which include the following:
technology, agriculture, healthcare, nonprofits,
traditional manufacturing, financial services,
professional services, and commercial real estate.
Companies were then rated by several aspects
including community service, innovation, quality of
product/service, and quality of management.
In a recent press release, Patricia L. Moss, president
and CEO of Cascade Bancorp and CEO of Bank of the
Cascades, said, "We're delighted to be included in
this list of outstanding Oregon companies. I am
proud and appreciative of the commitment to
excellence demonstrated by our team of bankers on
behalf of customers and the community."
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Unemployment continued to
rise through November 2008
In November, the tri-county area saw an increase in
unemployment rates with Crook County reporting the
highest rates. Deschutes County posted the smallest
change and the lowest unemployment rate.
November saw Deschutes County’s rate increase from 8.0
percent in October to 9.9 percent. The rate is now
4.5 percentage points higher than last year.
According to a press release from the State of
Oregon Employment Department, job losses were
slightly higher than expected with 320 jobs.
Typically, the county sees job losses of around 290
in November.
“Overall, the county’s employment has shown mixed
trends this year, with employment flattening out
during the spring and now declining since the
summer, after rapid growth in the past few years,”
the release stated.
Nationally, unemployment rates reached 6.5 percent in
November, while the state of Oregon increased its
rate to 7.9 percent.
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In the news
Intel’s
Jones Farm campus uses PV Powered Inc inverter:
Intel recently installed solar panels on the roof of
its Jones Farm 4 building located in Hillsboro. PV
Powered Inc. inverters were used for the project.
The inverters handle the conversion of the variable
DC output of the solar panels into a clean current.
According to a press release from Intel, its new
solar electric system will place it amongst the top
10 percent of solar electric facilities in Oregon.
Cyclo-cross National Championships awarded to Bend:
In December, USA Cycling announced Bend will host
the 2009 and 2010 Cyclo-cross National
Championships. “While all of the bids received by
USA Cycling to host this event were very impressive,
Bend’s competition venues, community-wide support
and commitment to producing a world-class event
convinced us that Bend would be a very worthy host
city for the 2009 and 2010 USA Cycling Cyclo-cross
National Championships,” said Tom Vinson, National
Events Manager for USA Cycling, in a press release.
The event is expected to attract over 2,000
competitors and between 3,500 and 4,500 visitors
which include support staff, families, and media.
Time changes announced by Deschutes County Clerk’s
office: As of January 1, the Deschutes County
Clerk’s office has changed the time passport
applications will be accepted and marriage licenses
will be issued. The new hours will be from 8 a.m. to
4 p.m. Monday through Friday. In a recent release,
the Clerk’s office said the time change is taking
place “because of the time it takes to process these
types of requests.” For more information about
applying for passports, marriage licenses, or any
other Clerk Office service, please visit
www.deschutes.org/clerk or call (541) 388-6549.
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