The races for Redmond Mayor and City Council are set as the deadline to file as a candidate in the Nov. 3 general election passed Tuesday afternoon. The field features eight candidates, including three for mayor, and five candidates vying for three City Council seats.
Incumbent Mayor Ed Fitch will have two challengers looking to take his spot: Longtime Councilor Jay Patrick and perennial candidate Charles Webster-Baer.
Fitch was Redmond’s city attorney for two decades before serving one term as mayor from 1999 to 2001. He was elected again in 2022 and reelected in 2024. He announced his plans to run for a final two-year mayoral term during a public address in May.
Patrick, who has spent 25 years on the City Council, will make another bid for mayor after coming up short in 2022 with 31% of the vote.
Webster-Baer will also be on the ballot for the third consecutive mayor’s race. An advocate for policies limiting childbirth, Webster-Baer gained 1.5% of the vote in 2022 and about 5% of the vote in 2024.
City Council
Five people are up for three seats on the Redmond City Council — only one of which is currently serving on the Council.
Redmond City Council elections are different from other jurisdictions in Central Oregon.
Instead of competing in winner-take-all individual races, candidates compete in an open pool for any open seats. In this case, three candidates who get the first, second and third-most votes will win City Council seats.
Kathryn Osborne, the lone incumbent in the field, is seeking a second term in office. Councilors Cat Zwicker and John Nielsen won’t seek another term, with both citing the need to care for family members.
The other candidates are Tobias Colvin, former city councilor and general manager of a downtown Redmond hotel; Raven Hansen, a critical care nursing assistant in the St. Charles Health System; Paul Povey, who runs a land surveying business and Barbara Tate, who ran a catering business in Redmond for 20 years, according to filing paperwork.
Two other candidates filed to run but withdrew. Trevor Johnson, a freelance graphic designer who volunteers for Redmond’s bicycle and pedestrian committee and the Deschutes Democrats, cited “hostility, harassment” and “intimidation” that forced him out of the race. Hank Majetich, a patrol sergeant with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, said he wanted to prioritize family and well-being.
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