Sharp split as Bend Councilor Knight, challenger Moseley debate

It’s getting closer to November, and because of that, the pressure is high for Bend City Council candidates, as evident in an intense debate Monday night full of sharp exchanges between incumbent Doug Knight and challenger Bill Moseley.

The Bend Chamber held its second debate in a series of election forums at the Deschutes Brewery Public House, in Bend.

“My opponent worked behind closed doors of special interest groups to try to slip in a gas tax on voters,” Moseley claimed. “He belittled and demeaned city employees to the point that the city had to hire a consultant to work on employee morale issues.”

There were accusations of corruption, and Moseley called the current council unprofessional and said members don’t treat other people with respect.

“Bill do you really want to repeat that again?” Knight said. “I mean, I’m astounded that you can make those kinds of accusations.”

The pair started the debate off in disagreement from their answers to the first question on the recently passed climate action resolution.

“Climate change is something the city could have foreseen far in advance, and chose not to include it on its goals,” Moseley said.

Moseley said any funding of those efforts instead should go toward issues he feels are more pressing, such as improving the city’s streets.

Knight brought a poster listing the council’s goals to drive home his point: “No. 5 is to reduce energy consumption and promote conservation. So in fact it was a goal of city council all along, and I do support the climate action resolution.”

Time after time, there was disagreement on where to take Bend, from who should receive paychecks to how to choose a mayor.

“Its important that councilors be compensated so that we can get a talent on council that currently is not there,” Knight said, adding that he wants to “continue to have an appointed mayor, I don’t want an elected mayor.”

Moseley’s answer: “I don’t believe we should pay councilors. If we can’t afford our streets, I don’t know how we can afford to pay councilors. I am open to an elected mayor.”

On their statement pages for the Bend Chamber, Knight said because the city continues to have infrastructure and planning challenges, it needs someone like him with an engineering and planning background.

Moseley said Bend is at a crossroads, and he worries about the shrinking middle class. He wrote that he wants to stop fighting “growth wars”‘ and to focus on solutions to the cities problems while keeping Bend livable.

Knight defended his record: “My decisions have been courageous in every way, my analysis with, of the issues has been thorough, and my explanations have been nothing less than articulate, which is important. Councilors need to be able to explain their positions and their mindset.”

Moseley claimed that “back in March, the mayor wrote to Bend residents, ‘this city is totally messed up,’ and I’m running to change that.”

The voters will decide in November.

The next Bend Chamber debate is between Deschutes County Sheriff Shane Nelson and challenger Eric Kozowski, on October 4th .