‘I am simply exhausted’: Bend Mayor Sally Russell announces she’s resigning from city council

Surprise comes a month after announcement she won't seek re-election; council will fill mayor's role, council seat;

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- After nearly a decade on the Bend City Council, the last three years as the first elected mayor in nearly a century, Sally Russell announced Monday that she is resigning after next week's council meeting -- a surprise that comes less than a month after Russell's announcement that she would not seek another term.

Here's her full announcement, released Monday afternoon:

"After serious discussion and deliberation with my family over this past month…I have come to a difficult decision.

"So, as abrupt and unexpected as this may seem, I am resigning from Bend City Council and the seat of Mayor at the conclusion of the Bend City Council meeting on May 18^th, 2022.

"The Council, following the Bend City Charter and Council’s recently updated rules, will move forward with appointing a currently sitting member on the Bend Council to serve as Mayor through the end of the Mayor’s term, December 2022. Appointment of a sitting Councilor creates a vacancy in that councilor’s former seat. Council will have 30 days to fill the vacant Councilors seat through an open public appointment process, as required by the City Charter and rules.

"To the community of Bend, I offer you all a heartfelt "Thank you!” for the honor of serving you," she concluded.

While Councilor Melanie Kebler and former councilor Chris Piper already have declared their candidacies for mayor in recent months, the official filing period for council and mayor positions doesn't open until July 1 and extends until late August.

The Bend City Council recently fleshed out the process for seeking candidates and filling vacancies for the mayor and councilors, to avoid a controversy that arose when Piper was appointed in 2019 to fill Russell's council seat when she was elected mayor.

The revised process to fill council and mayor vacancies can be found here.

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Full Email from Mayor Russell.

Greetings,

After serious discussion and deliberation with my family over this past month, I have come to a difficult decision.

So, as abrupt and unexpected as this may seem, I am resigning from Bend City Council and the seat of Mayor at the conclusion of the Bend City Council meeting on Wednesday, May 18^th, 2022.

The Council, following the Bend City Charter and Council’s recently updated rules, will move forward with appointing a currently sitting member on the Bend Council to serve as Mayor through the end of the Mayor’s term, December 2022. Appointment of a sitting Councilor creates a vacancy in that councilor’s former seat. Council will have 30 days to fill the vacant Councilors seat through an open public appointment process, as required by the City Charter and rules.

I would like to briefly share some thoughts and reflections as I step away…

• My job as Mayor has affected me and my family in numerous ways, as we have - just like you - navigated such huge social, environmental and economic pressures, and the effects of a pandemic. Fires, smoke, heat domes, homelessness…  So many historic changes in such a short time.  I am simply exhausted. It is in my own - and my family’s - best interest to leave at the conclusion of May’s Council meetings.

• My goal has always been to make solid decisions for our community as a whole, and to look for ways to knit our community together. After a break, I will continue to look for meaningful ways to continue to contribute to the well being of our community; I anticipate most of those will be at collaborative tables where people work to listen carefully to understand and accept differing viewpoints, to find and support viable solutions.

• Today, goals, budgets and work plans have been set with this Council for this biennium.  Work has begun in earnest on Wilson Avenue and other parts of town because of the historic Transportation Bond was passed under the last Council.  The Bend Central District/CORE Area is now seeing redevelopment investment.  I am proud of all the thoughtful work that has been done through leadership by the various City Councils I have sat with, together in partnership with City Staff.

• To my fellow councilors, I say, “Good Luck.”  Every person in our community needs your strong leadership more than ever.

• To the incredibly talented and amazingly committed City of Bend employees, I say, “Thank you!” Your work is one of the key reasons Bend is such a state treasure.

• To my colleagues across Oregon and beyond, it’s been an honor to work alongside you, striving to make our communities a better place for all.

• To the community of Bend, I offer you all a heartfelt "Thank you!” for the honor of serving you.  It’s been an absolutely amazing journey…and it’s difficult to express what it means to have earned your trust to help navigate Bend’s path forward during some of the city’s most challenging times. Please, please stay engaged and continue to participate in city governance, it’s the only way Bend will continue to thrive.