BEND, OR -- After a year of changes for the Bend City Council, Mayor-Elect Melanie Kebler hopes 2023 will bring positive steps forward. Kebler will be sworn in Wednesday and says she’s ready to lead, "I really have already been talking to fellow Councilors, incoming and current, about how I want to build us up as a team so that we work really well together, that everyone feels comfortable and safe to converse and discuss issues, to disagree, to really make the best policy we can, as a team."

When Kebler takes over January fourth, she'll be the third woman in seven months to hold the position. In May 2022, City Council saw the sudden resignation of the Mayor and a Councilor. It brought "Some disappointment, some surprise, some sadness," says Kebler, "But, I think as a team, the Council moved through it very well." Kebler attributes that transition to rules updated earlier in the year, establishing a process for appointing successors mid-term. Councilor Gena Goodman-Campbell was later appointed to replace Sally Russell as Mayor. 

Kebler admits, "I definitely probably have a different leadership style than we’ve seen from Mayors in the past." She says she wants to foster a spirit of collaboration. But Council faced criticism recently, after approving the home energy score program amid complaints from some in real estate that their concerns weren’t considered. Kebler says that’s not true, "That just sort of pre-supposes that it’s very black and white - it’s either yes or no on every question that comes in front of us. And, it’s actually a lot more complicated than that. There’s a lot of different ways we can do policy work that takes into account the concerns on any side of an issue. "

She tells KBND News housing, transportation and long-range planning are top priorities for the year ahead, "And working through what I expect to be the Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities rules that we’re going to be working with, after they move through the legal process. All of that is going to be a huge task for us and for city staff to really just keep thinking about not just taking care of projects short term, but how we plan for Bend’s future in the long term and make sure that we grow in a sustainable way; that we don’t lose the spirit of our city." Kebler adds, "The other thing I want to do as Mayor is really be out in community a lot, maybe more than Mayors have in the past, just showing up in a lot of different places with a lot of different groups that maybe don’t regularly come in front of Council."

With new Mayors also in Redmond, Madras and Culver, Kebler believes Bend will continue to collaborate with cities around the region.