As speculation about Gov. John Kitzhaber’s possible resignation reaches fever pitch, with publications and politicians alike calling for his departure, we want to know what you think. Should the governor resign, or hold tight until the investigations against him reach a conclusion? Chime in with our poll and share your thoughts in the comments. Do […]
Politics
Attorney Withdraws Second Lawsuit Challenging Councilor Roats’ Election
Local attorney Charlie Ringo has dropped his most recent lawsuit objecting to the way the City of Bend addressed the questions around Councilor Casey Roats’ qualifications to serve. It was his second suit challenging the election the candidate in the four-way race for Council Seat 6, whose campaign was marked by questions about his residency […]
Independent Party of Oregon achieves major party status
The Independent Party of Oregon has become the first major party in the state, outside of the Democratic and Republican parties, Secretary of State Kate Brown announced today. As of February 2, the state determined that the party had reached the necessary threshold to qualifyโmembership exceeding 5 percent of the state’s population. As a major […]
Are You My Mayor?
In Bend, the mayor is not the boss of the City. He has no more authority than his fellow city councilors and, in many ways, it is the city manager who steers the ship (and receives pay commensurate with that weighty task). And yet, the mayor serves as a figurehead, a symbol of authority, and […]
Tell Us How You Really Feel: Electing Bend’s Mayor
As you may or may not know, Bend’s mayor is not elected by voters, but rather appointed by his or her fellow city councilors. We’ll be exploring the question of how we elect the Mayor in the upcoming issue, but in the meantime, we want to know: What do you think? Are you content with […]
Class is in Session
In preparation for his first term in Salem as the representative for Oregon’s House District 54, Knute Buehler found an apartment to stay in for the six-month legislative session, attended orientation meetings, and has made new friends. “I feel like I’m going to college again,” the freshman representative says over coffee and an ocean roll. […]
Top 5 Lessons from the Campaign Trail
1: Be likeable: Studies show what we all intuitively know—politicians stand a better chance of being elected if they are likeable (having good hair helps). While likeability may seem like a superfluous and irrelevant quality, good people skills play a vital role in political leadership. You can’t bring people to the table if no one […]
Letters 11/4-11/11
IN REPLY TO “RESIDENT FILES LAWSUIT SEEKING TO PREVENT ELECTION OF CASEY ROATS TO BEND CITY COUNCIL“ Good! Living in Bend is the most basic requirement we should have for a city councilor. If you’ve lived outside of the city for a year, it shouldn’t be much to ask, that you wait until you’ve been […]
Election Results
The mood at the downtown lounge Velvet was subdued. The snowboard video had been switched over to PBS and election results from the east coast were scrolling silently across the scene. City council candidate Nathan Boddie stood silently by the TV screen. It was 8:12 pm and the election results were scheduled to post any […]
Letters 10/28-11/4
Editor’s Note: In the October 23 issue, a photograph ran in the Events Calendar along with an announcement about a presentation on the retreat of glaciers in the Three Sisters Wilderness. That photograph ran without appropriate credit. Mary Moynihan is the photographer who took the picture—and, moreover, who made the difficult trek out to the […]

