Deschutes County commissioners appoint five new La Pine Park & Rec board members in wake of mass resignations

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Deschutes County commissioners on Wednesday morning interviewed 15 applicants interested in serving on the La Pine Park & Recreation District Board in the wake of a recent mass resignation, then unanimously chose five to appoint,.

They are:

• Seat #1 appointee, Janilee Carpenter has been a member of the La Pine community for 11 years. She works as an Administrative Support Specialist for Deschutes County Health Services.
• Seat #2 appointee, Joel Brader previously served on the Park & Recreation Board. He owns two businesses in La Pine, the Harvest Depot and Rosland Coffee House.
• Seat #3 appointee, Brandon Tirrill has been a member of the La Pine community for 21 years. He works as the Head Football Coach and Student Success Educational Assistant at La Pine High School.
• Seat #4 appointee, Carlos Soto has been a member of the La Pine community since 2021. He is a general contractor, remodeling residential and commercial properties, and is the owner of C&KS LLC.
• Seat #5 appointee, Shara Bauman has served as a volunteer with the Park & Recreation District sports teams. She works as a Senior Escrow Officer at First American Title in Sunriver.

The La Pine Park & Recreation District Board oversees recreational activities and programs in La Pine and the surrounding unincorporated communities in southern Deschutes County. The district is a separate governmental entity and has no affiliation with the county, but state law (ORS 198.320) required the Board of County Commissioners to promptly fill the positions following the resignation of all five board members on Oct. 9.

During the interviews, Brader told commissioners, "I think it needs to be ran as a business, and I don't think it has been."

Carpenter described herself as "detail-oriented" and said she hopes to help fix problems and bring the community together.

Bauman echoed other applicants in saying she hopes to "see the community come back together." She said she had no board experience but brings passion and enthusisam. "I think I'm good at listening," she said.

After writing down their initial picks and a bit of ranked-choice voting, followed by the unanimous appointments, Commissioner Tony DeBone, a La Pine resident, said, "To new beginnings!"

Colleague Phil Chang joined in thanking all who applied, praising the "incredibly deep bench" of those stepping up to help in the wake of recent turmoil.

He expressed "high hopes they will be able to rise to the challenge and rebuild this organization."

Pursuant to the state law, the La Pine Park & Recreation District Board appointees will serve until the term expires June 30, 2025. All five district board positions will be open for election during the next regular district election in May 2025. If they choose, the new board appointees can run as a candidate to continue serving on the district board.

Applicant interviews and the Commissioners’ deliberation were recorded. The public can view video recordings of each interview by visiting www.deschutes.org/meetings.