Bend city councilors choose Megan Norris as new colleague, filling vacancy

(Update: Megan Norris chosen for appointment)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Bend city councilors interviewed four finalists to be their new colleague Wednesday afternoon, then quickly and unanimously chose Megan Norris to fill the vacancy left by councilor Melanie Kebler’s recent swearing in as mayor.

Councilors earlier this week narrowed the field of over a dozen applicants to finalists Greg Delgado, Bryan Brown, John Heylin and Norris.

Norris, forward planning manager for Hayden Homes, is a mother of two young girls formerly served as the region’s “child care accelerator” to lead an effort to boost the area’s affordable child care offerings. She told councilors Wednesday that it’s a vital issue for a successful workforce but also went through the list of other council goals, offering “no silver bullet” for the tough issue of homelessness.

Councilors asked each finalist how flexible they’d be to attend the various meetings councilors have, and Norris noted she has “a lot of family support.”

After the first ranked ballot popped on the screen, councilors congratulated Norris, who will be sworn in at next Wednesday’s council meeting.

You can read the background on Norris and the other finalists, linked from Wednesday’s meeting agenda.

City Recorder Robyn Christie said earlier this week that one of the 14 who applied, Sarah Smith, was ineligible, as she lives outside of the city limits. The 13 others as listed on the city's website included:

• William Barron
• Bryan Brown
• Julia Brown
• Wallace Corein
• Greg Delgado
• James Figurski
• Mary Fleischmann
• Paul Frazier
• John Heylin
• Karon Johnson
• Joseph LoCascio
• Megan Norris
• Steve Platt

A council subcommittee narrowed the list to three candidates Monday morning, ahead of a special council meeting later in the day: Brown, Heylin and Norris.

Brown is currently project manager for Rickabaugh Construction, based in Prineville, and previously for WRS Inc. managing projects ranging from Bend's Alpenglow Park and Stevens Ranch to the Dry Canyon development in Redmond.

Heylin is the manager and owner of Unofficial Logging Co., an axe-throwing bar and restaurant in downtown Bend.

Norris since 2021 has been forward planning manager for Hayden Homes and said she is coordinating a statewide pilot project community that will include more than 130 units of new affordable housing in Bend. She previously served as "child care accelerator," leading a steering committee to boost the amount of affordable child care in the region.

Councilors met Monday afternoon to review the list of finalists and finalize the questions to be asked during interviews scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday. New Councilor Ariel Mendez said, "I was pretty blown away by the quality of the applicants."

Councilors all supported the three finalist choices of the subcommittee, but Councilor Barb Campbell suggested they also consider adding two others who applied: Mary Fleischmann and Greg Delgado.

Fleischmann is a community justice officer at the Deschutes County Juvenile Department.

Delgado is a Latino civil rights activist who ran as a Democratic challenger against Republican Sen. Tim Knopp in 2016. He has been, among other roles, a Latino community organizer at Central Oregon Jobs with Justice.

Kebler told Campbell the subcommittee had been open to interviewing four finalists, and asked which of the two she'd mentioned would be her preference. She, and several other councilors, favored adding Delgado, as part of the goal to more diversely represent the community.

The process moves quickly, as the council rules give them 30 days after a vacancy is declared to choose someone to fill a seat, or it goes to the next planned election, in May.

King said the goal was to have the new councilor in place to take part in their goal-setting sessions that begin Jan. 19.