August 30 was the filing deadline for some candidates running in the November election. With that, here's a recap of the races and candidates voters will have on their ballots in the local area.
Oregon's 5th Congressional District
Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the current Republican House representative, is seeking reelection. After serving on the City Council in Happy Valley, Chavez-DeRemer became the first female and Latina mayor in 2010, and was re-elected in 2014.
Democrat Janelle Bynum will be running against Chavez-DeRemer in the general election. Bynum is an engineer, a small business owner and currently serves as a State Representative.
Oregon Senate – 27th District
Bend City Councilor Anthony Broadman is running for the Senate seat, which is currently held by Tim Knopp. Broadman, running as a Democrat, has served on the City Council since 2020, was Mayor Pro Tem in 2022, and is an attorney for tribal government and small businesses. Current Redmond School Board member Michael Summers is running as a Republican. Summers is a longtime Central Oregonian, serves as the Chair for the Redmond School Board and was a drummer for a local band.
Oregon House – 53rd District
Emerson Levy, the current representative, is running for reelection this year. Levy lives in Bend and describes herself as a mom, attorney and educator. Keri Lopez, running as a Republican, serves as director for the Redmond School Board and currently works in the homebuilding industry alongside her husband.
House – 54th District
Jason Kropf, current representative, is running unopposed for reelection. Kropf spent his career as a public defender, served Deschutes County as a Deputy District Attorney and has worked on several local boards.
Deschutes County Sheriff
William (Bill) Bailey, a current Captain in the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, is running for the Sheriff position. Bailey served in the U.S. Coast Guard and has held a number of positions with the DCSO for over 20 years. Kent Vander Kamp, the other candidate for Sheriff, serves on the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team for DCSO. Vander Kamp owned a financial solution business but decided to suspend operations in June.
Bend City Council
Running for position #1 on the City Council are Megan Norris and Jonathan A. Curtis. Norris, a current councilor appointed by fellow councilors, works with Hayden Homes, is a board mmeber for Deschutes Children's Foundation and serves on a number of City committees. Curtis describes himself on Facebook as a "patriot social media influencer." In his social media biography, he said he's an ex-firefighter and an advocate for autism.
Gina Franzosa is running unopposed for position #2 on the Bend City Council. Franzosa works as an affordable housing developer and project manager. She's also a volunteer member on four city committees and has a background in engineering and the environment.
Current City Councilor Megan Perkins and Nick Cerveny are running for position #3 on the Council. Perkins serves as Mayor Pro Tem, co-founded nonprofit Embrace Bend and serves on a number of committees. Cerveny spent 12 years in the U.S. Army, has experience managing a small business and said he has been active in the community to help veterans.
Barb Campbell is seeking reelection for position #4 on the Bend City Council. Two others, Steve Platt and Chet Wamboldt, are challenging Campbell for the seat. Campbell has worked as the director of a daycare center, in construction and hospitality and as a teacher. Platt is a is a military veteran, Bend Budget Committee member and has taught high school physics and climate science for the past six years. Wamboldt currently works as a project manager for a consulting group, has worked in development and volunteers in his church ministry as a mentor to young men.
Redmond City Council
Running for the Mayor's seat in Redmond are current mayor Ed Fitch, Cat Zwicker and Charles Baer. Fitch has lived in Redmond for 40 years, works at a law office and previously served a City Attorney for the City of Redmond. Zwicker is a current city councilor as well as a small business owner, community volunteer and Redmond resident of over 24 years. Baer is a resident, a self-proclaimed depopulationist and has lived in Redmond since 2019.
Current councilors Tobias Colvin, Clifford B Evelyn and Shannon Wedding are running for reelection. Jay Patrick, who served on the city council from 1999 to 2022, will also be running, along with Redmond resident Alan Lawyer. With three openings, the three candidates with the highest number of votes will win.
Colvin has worked in hospitality for over 22 years, serves as general manager of SCP Redmond Hotel and is part of the Redmond Downtown Association. Evelyn is a retired law enforcement officer, the executive board president for nonprofit New Priorities Family Services and a former U.S. Navy Petty Officer.
Patrick currently works with technology in schools and served on the council to give back to the community. Wedding worked as a civil engineer for 16 years and has experience with Emergency Response Planning and Management Plans for large scale natural disasters. Lawyer was a mechanic and served in the U.S. Navy. He started his own water quality business and worked for the City of Redmond wastewater treatment plant.
