Bend City Councilors selected Megan Norris to fill the seat on the Bend City Council that was vacated when Melanie Kebler won the November election for Mayor. Norris will fill the seat for the remaining two years of Kebler’s term.
Norris is a planning manager at Hayden Homes and a board member of the Deschutes Children’s Foundation, according to her application materials, which also said her volunteerism includes: “working closely with local governments on a variety of issues – from housing to childcare to clean energy,” and “… as the Childcare Accelerator for Central Oregon, I often met and presented at Bend Economic Development Advisory Board.”
“I’m excited for Megan to join our Council team,” said Mayor Melanie Kebler. “I appreciate that her viewpoint is rooted in her experiences as a Latina woman and her commitment to public service. She also has a strong personal history of working on issues that are top concerns for the Bend community, such as affordable housing, child care, and protecting our environment.”
Fourteen people applied for the vacancy and four finalists were interviewed. Norris will be sworn in on January 18.
The Council aimed to have the vacancy filled before beginning its goal setting process. Councilors take a number of inputs from the community and use them to help establish two-year goals which influence City operations and the General Fund budget. Inputs include results from a Community Survey which Councilors will receive on January 18 and listening sessions and roundtables on January 19. Goal setting meetings will occur January 23 and 24.
