BEND, OR -- Former city councilor Chris Piper and current councilor Melanie Kebler squared off in the final stretch of their campaigns for mayor of Bend in a forum Wednesday night.

There is some disagreement on transportation planning. Piper is concerned about what is happening on East-West connections, “I believe in safe bike routes but to restrict lanes which would then impact our public safety resources such as fire and police; that creates a big issue.”

Kebler says getting public input on projects for bike and pedestrian projects has been important, “Yes it can be scary to think about the way things are now and if those might change; I think that’s something we face a lot as a city. But I also believe in trying things out and piloting projects that we know have worked in other cities to see if they could work for us.”

Another focus is wildfire mitigation. Kebler pointed to council actions like banning fireworks and funding the fire department as ways she’s helped protect and preserve the environment. “We need to be part of this conversation as a community that’s effected by some of these actions that are being taken by the federal government or the county. We need to be advocating and working with folks at all levels to take care of our forests,” she said.

Piper agreed work needs to be collaborative and encourages everyone to educate themselves on defensible space, “Also utilizing our 13 neighborhood associations to work together. This is going to take all of us. And as mayor my goal is to help lead and facilitate the neighborhood associations in this effort.”

 

Questions on childcare, houselessness, and loud concerts were some of the topics taken on by the candidates.

But one chief concern is transparency in affordable housing development.

Kebler is proud of what she has achieved in her position as a current councilor, “We have pushed forward with really strong goals about making sure that we are ourselves investing our own affordable housing into subsidized housing that is for lower- and middle-income people in Bend.”

Piper cited his plan to better communicate with planning partners, “One of the key goals was to have city government to provide services in ways that work for everyone. Build public trust and promote civic engagement.”

The three candidates for city council position 6 Julia Brown, Rick Johns, and Mike Riley also took part in the forum hosted by the League of Women Voters and City Club of Central Oregon.

Ballots are due November 8th.