Jerry Baker, immediate past president of the Umatilla County Board of Realtors, moderates and reads questions at a candidates forum April 9, 2024, at Pendleton Center for the Arts.

PENDLETON — Candidates for Pendleton City Council gave the public a chance to get to know them and their stances during a candidates forum April 9.

The Umatilla County Board of Realtors held the event in Pendleton Center for the Arts, featuring seven of eight city council candidates and the two mayoral candidates. About 50 people attended.

“Basically, it was an opportunity to give the public a chance to meet the candidates for the election,” said Jason VanNice, president of the Umatilla County Board of Realtors. “We have certain core standards that we have to meet and part of that is hosting this type of format. It’s just a good interaction between the community and candidates for us.”

City councilors hold one of four positions, representing either wards 1, 2 or 3, or the whole city as an at-large candidate. Two people hold each position, meaning eight people make up the council, serving in four-year terms. Every two years, half of the seats are up for election, one from each position.

Pendleton voters can cast ballots for the council seats during the primary election on May 21. The final day to register to vote is April 30.

Jerry Baker, immediate past president of the Umatilla County Board of Realtors, moderated the forum and asked candidates questions they had received ahead of time. Audience members also were able to ask questions.

The council candidates

Ward 1

John Thomas and Barbara Wright are running to succeed Kevin Martin in representing Ward 1, which includes the downtown area, from about Southwest 19th Street all the to the east side boundary, north of Interstate 84 and generally south of the Umatilla River, with a few exceptions.

Thomas is a mental health professional who has a master’s degree in social work from Walla Walla University and now works in private practice as well as with the Oregon Youth Authority. He has served on the Umatilla County Special Library District Board of Directors.

Wright is a merchandiser and salesperson with Premium Retail Services. She studied journalism at Blue Mountain Community College and Linfield University, then Linfield College, and graduated in 1976.

Ward 2

Sally Brandsen is running unopposed to represent Ward 2, which spans from the area by Pendleton Airport and covers the Westgate area and most of North Hill, as well as some of the Southwest Court Avenue area.

Ward 3

Brett Mulvihill and Alicia Reynen are running to succeed Dale Primmer and represent Ward 3, which covers everything south of Interstate 84.

Mulvihill holds a degree in business administration and is retired from his career as a small business owner, though he does now own — and recently reopened — Brett’s Books, the bookstore on South Main Street.

Alicia Reynen did not attend the forum due to sickness and instead sent answers to Baker. Reynen is an Uber driver and former senior caregiver who attended BMCC, where she received her General Education Development diploma.

At large

Steve Campbell is running for reelection to his seat, with Kristine Hudson-Bonniot as his opponent.

Campbell retired from his position as vice president and senior relationship manager with Banner Bank in January after about four decades in commercial banking. He studied agriculture and resources economics at Oregon State University and has been on the council since 2020, when he succeeded Paul Chalmers.

Hudson-Bonniot works with the InterMountain Education Service District as an autism specialist. She has a bachelor’s degree in speech communication and a master’s degree in elementary education. She has been involved with the city as a part of the Jump Start Committee.

Addressing homelessness

Baker asked candidates what they think needs to be done to address the growing challenge of homelessness in the city.

They all essentially said there’s no single, clear answer to solve the issues that create and exacerbate homelessness, but some offered specific insight or ideas.

Thomas, as a social worker, said many of the solutions must come from a higher level of government than the city, but he hopes to work with local partners to build a program such as Stepping Stones in Hermiston.

“My first thought is: when I see the houseless I see broken humans who society is leaving behind,” he said. “As a city councilor, I would work with fellow councilor (for Ward 1) Carol Innes and find human solutions to this human problem. … If I’m your city councilor, you’re going to have a social worker on the city council.”

Wright, Thomas’s opponent for Ward 1, suggested reopening a state mental hospital in Pendleton to support people with addictions or mental health and cognitive problems.

“We’ve got to offer treatment beds for those people,” she said, “so if push comes to shove, the courts can say, ‘We’re committing you to a facility so that you can dry out and sober up and so that you can learn a life skill that will be useful to you.’”

Campbell discussed tiny houses or pods as possible options for meeting people’s basic housing needs, at least as a first step for providing support. His opponent, Hudson-Bonniot, said she has been surprised by the amount of homelessness in Pendleton, and that there’s no easy answer to helping them, but the community must work together.

Brandsen said she is not an expert in the field of behavioral health, and so she wants to find and consult with the people who are experts to have them at the table and helping to offer solutions.

Mulvihill said he wants to look at what other cities are doing and see what’s working elsewhere. His opponent, Reynen, via the moderator, said she wants to “offer a hand up instead of a hand out and we need to help them and connect them to resources that they need to get off the streets.”

Prioritizing the city’s goals

The city council has four goals for the city: increasing housing availability, developing sustainable infrastructure, increasing economic development and improving communication between the community and the city. Baker asked the candidates which resonates with them and which they would prioritize if elected.

Mulvihill said economic development, such as developing the core of the downtown and attracting small businesses.

“I think that’s a driver of the other goals,” he said. “Nothing matters unless there’s vibrant economic activity and growth in a town.”

Thomas and Wright said the four goals are intertwined, each affecting the others and serving as an important part of the quality of life.

Brandsen, Hudson-Bonniot and Reynen focused on communication as an important piece of local governance and a stepping stone for working toward the other three goals.

Campbell said he believes housing is the “greatest shortage in this town” and is necessary to address any of the other goals.

“Everything else will drive off of housing,” he said. “It will increase our tax base which then provides the money for infrastructure.”

What about smaller problems?

One audience member asked if the candiates cared about addressing smaller problems.

Each person said they care about what their residents are thinking and what people want to see in the city.

Campbell said it’s simply a matter of coming to city council and making an inquiry, especially if you come with a group of people in support of the idea.

“If it means something to you and it’s about quality of life, then that’s substantial,” Brandsen said. She also suggested bringing it to the council’s attention.

Thomas said he’s sad there’s no longer a senior center and would love to see one again. He mentioned the role of commissions in getting things done for the city.

Wright talked about grant writing and how finding creative ways to get money for a senior center could be critical.

“If we think outside the box and we go after the money,” she said, “it’ll be someplace.”

Mulvihill said he would also support a senior center, especially since neighboring cities do. He added he’s “been shocked by the lack of attendance” at council meetings, and told the public to attend them.

Hudson-Bonniot said she agreed with everyone else and she joined the Jump Start Committee because she wanted to be more involved in what was going on.

“I did not know there wasn’t a senior center, and that’s something if I had gone to city council meetings, I may have learned,” she said. “If I learned nothing in the past three or four years, and we all should think about it, we should be attending city council meetings more.”

Some of the panelists mentioned how many more people were at the forum than almost ever attend city council meetings. The candidates reminded the audience that participating in shaping the future of the city doesn’t just happen at the polls, it happens in the everyday actions of the people who show up.