BEND, OR -- The Bend Neighborhood Coalition will host a forum for Bend's Mayoral and City Council candidates, this weekend. Steering Committee chair Bill Bernardy says every available candidate will be there, "This is the only forum that will focus specifically on the topic of livability. In fact the Theme, if you will, of the forum is posed in the form of a question, and that is: Will Bend Stay Livable As It Grows?" He says the City has grown about 20%  in the last dozen years, and is expected to grow by another third in the next dozen, "A lot of the policies in Bend date to a time when there were literally only about 20,000 people in town, and as the city grows, we think it needs to grow up." Bernardy tells KBND News, "Our position has been that growth and livability are not incompatible,"

Running for Mayor are Councilors Bill Moseley and Sally Russell, local activist Brian Douglass, creator of Global Internet Government Charles Baer, photojournalist Joshua Langlais, and attorney and hemp farmer Michael Hughes. City Council Position Five candidates are Andrew Davis, Gena Goodman-Campbell, and Victor Johnson. And, Position Six candidates are lone incumbent Councilor Barb Campbell, Sarah McCormick and Ron Boozell, who won't attend because he's currently incarcerated. Bernardy expects everyone else to attend Sunday's forum, "We're planning to do two panels because there are so many people. The first hour, we'll put questions to the candidates for Mayor; there are six of them. And the second hour, we'll talk with the candidates for City Council." There will also be time before and after the debate for a "meet and greet" with the candidates. The only way to keep Bend Livable as it grows, Bernardy says, is to review the policies that affect how residents interact with one another, "We think if you care about the town and what it's going to be like going forward, voting for City Council is a good opportunity to have a say."

Sunday's forum starts at 3 p.m. at COCC's Wille Hall. It's free and open to the public. Click HERE for more information. For details of each candidate, visit KBND's Elections 2018 page.