Scott Ramsay to seek second Bend council term

Bend City Councilor Scott Ramsay announced Thursday that he is running for reelection in November.

Ramsay was elected to the Bend City Council in 2010 and is in the fourth year of his first term.

Here’s the rest of his announcement:

Ramsay has been a consistent supporter of small business issues and has a proven track record of fiscal responsibility, often speaking out against fee and tax increases.

As a member of the contract review committee he has brought private business experience to the city’s extensive contract approval process, applying scrutiny to spending issues facing the city and its many infrastructure improvement projects.

“My goal, when running for office the first time, was to bring practical business experience to the budget and spending process in the City of Bend, to ensure that public spending and policymaking was treated with the same caution as private spending and policymaking. I can honestly say that my voice has been heard over the past three and a half years but there is more work to be done over the next four,” Ramsay said.

Ramsay has been a staunch supporter of infrastructure improvement projects, emphasizing the importance of planning for future growth instead of the reactionary policy that has plagued previous councils in Bend.

“We must plan ahead, to ensure future generations have solid infrastructure to work with and reserves to cover emergencies, should they arise, just like private businesses and households do,” he said.

Ramsay believes the most important issues facing the City of Bend are infrastructure planning for the inevitable growth we will face over the next 20 years; development of family wage jobs; expansion of the Urban Growth Boundary, which is necessary for industry to grow and thrive and to ensure that housing is affordable for the average Bend resident; integrating OSU Cascades into the community; and balancing the Bend lifestyle with an expanding population.

Ramsay highlighted the importance of bringing lessons learned to a second term by stating, “Experience matters, and I would like to take what I have learned in my first term and continue to apply it to proactive solutions in a second term.”

Scott Ramsay is a local businessman who serves as President and COO of his family’s local small business, Sun Mountain Fun Center, alongside his wife Gitta and his parents Ed and Cathy. In addition, he and his wife own an antique and design business, called Casarama.

His public service duties include serving on the executive board of EDCO (Economic Development for Central Oregon), as well as serving on BEDAB (the Bend Economic Advisory Board), the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee, the Public Safety Advisory Committee, and acting as liaison to COBAC (the City of Bend Accessibility Advisory Committee).

Previous volunteerism in the community includes six years as Director of Selections and four years as the Vice President of the board of directors for the BendFilm Festival.