BEND, OR -- Bend City Councilor Barb Campbell is the only incumbent Councilor running for re-election, this season. Councilors Sally Russell and Bill Moseley are vying for the newly created Mayoral position and Casey Roats announced in August he would not run for re-election, citing health reasons. 

Campbell says her biggest achievement on Council, so far, is helping create more housing opportunities, "It was like the City was hemorrhaging when I got there four years ago. We had not had apartments built, there had not been a new apartment complex built in years." She tells KBND News it was important to get Urban Growth Boundary issues under control, and start building up, as well as out, "We started changing code, and policy, in order to put incentives in place, and you can see the results on the ground." She owns Wabi Sabi in Downtown Bend, and says being friendly to small businesses is key to keeping Bend vibrant. Campbell was first elected to Bend's City Council in 2014.

She has lived in Bend a long time and knows she's earned a bit of a reputation, "I'm afraid that I come off as impulsive. And I, just frankly, no I'm not. I know I sound like that, and it does have to do with my speaking style. I very seldom use notes; I really do talk off the top of my head. I do tell people what I'm thinking quite frankly." She admits her style makes campaigning difficult, especially at public forums and debates, when answers are limited to two minutes. "When it's a topic like affordable housing and transportation- these are huge subjects. And it really is, it's hard to communicate in nice little bites that people can absorb and understand."

Sarah McCormick and Ron Boozel are challenging Campbell for Position Six on Council. For more on the candidates, visit our Elections Page.