Meet your 2025 Bend City Council Members
The Bend City Council convened to swear in its newly elected members.
There was a presentation by the Bend Honor Guard, followed by Jaymi Dickinson on guitar, singing her version of Matt Kearney’s “Coming Home.”
Megan Norris, Gina Franzosa, Megan Perkins and Steve Platt, were sworn in by Municipal Court Judge Pro Tem, Erin Zemper.
Your 2025 city council members include: Megan Norris (Position 1), Gina Franzosa (Position 2)
“I am an engineer by training and I’ve worked as an engineer. I've built affordable housing that's currently what I'm doing, and so these are some of the top issues facing our city. “I really hope to be able to leverage my expertise on behalf of the residents of Bend and our community,” said Franzosa.
Megan Perkins will hold Position 3, with Steve Platt at Position 4. Platt speaks to what he’ll focus on in 2025.
“Between both the housing and the unhoused community… those are really areas that I want to concentrate on. And then, of course, one of the things that you and I have talked about before is, that I teach science. And so, I believe very strongly that our impact on the climate is something that I really want to try to focus on and try to minimize and to build a resilient community here in Bend.”
Ariel Mendez and Mike Riley hold Positions 5 and 6, respectively, who’s terms end in 2026.
The first piece of business handed to the Bend City Council during the special meeting, was selecting a new Mayor Pro Tem.
The council re-elected Megan Perkins for a second term. She talked about what she plans on contributing to the City of Bend.
“Nothing dramatic has changed around the same problems that we've had in the last few years, and the fact that we are going to have for the next couple of years. And mainly, I mean, all really comes down to the cost of living in our community and wanting people that work here to be able to live here to get around our city safely and just make sure that it's a city for everybody and not just for a select few,” said Perkins.
Pushing forward, the council is set to address pressing issues facing Bend, including housing affordability, homelessness, and climate change.
Mayor Melanie Kebler emphasized the city’s resilience and adaptability, stating, “Bend has never been afraid to innovate and adapt.”
Council meetings are scheduled for the first and third Wednesdays of each month, with work sessions at 5PM and regular meetings at 7PM. Meetings are open to the public, and are broadcast live on the city’s website.
