La Pine swears in new mayor, two new councilors

There are new faces on the La Pine City Council. A new mayor and two new councilors were sworn in at Monday night’s special council meeting.

Mayor Daniel Richer said he wants to be able to foster growth in La Pine without the city losing its identity.

Richer was elected mayor in November after Dennis Scott decided he would not seek re-election.

Richer, who has some previous experience as an elected official in Washington, said he hopes the city can foster economic growth while at the same time keep the small-town feel that makes La Pine appealing.

“One of the things that I plan on doing is making this a destination point, other then a roadside pass-through,” Richer said. “We’ve got some wonderful landscaping that just happened, some great sidewalks, nice stores, but at some point it doesn’t do a city very much economic good if people just drive on through you. So if I can make us a destination point for events, and different reasons that people should come here and visit us, then I think that’s one of our biggest goals.”

Councilors Michael Harper and Mike Shields were both sworn in Monday night as well.

Harper said this is an exciting time for the city, as it continues to grow.

He added that he is excited there are three new members on the council, and hopes that the city can keep moving forward in a positive way, including improving economic growth and housing.

“I do have some things that I have taken to heart, with housing in the area, and trying to find a way that we can get more housing and business in the area, it is kind of a bedroom community from Bend now,” Harper said. “A lot of people go from here to Bend to work, and it would be nice to keep them here in the community, instead of them traveling all the time.”

Richer and Harper said they are very excited to get to work and extremely optimistic about the future of the city.

Both said they hope people living in the city will continue to be involved in City Council matters.