Prineville councilor steps down
Bobbi Young is second to resign from the City Council this year
By Rachael Scarborough King / The Bulletin
Published: July 25. 2007 5:00AM PST
PRINEVILLE — Councilor Bobbi Young announced her resignation at the Prineville City Council’s regular meeting Tuesday night.
Young, who has been on the council for about four years, said after the meeting that she is moving out of the city limits because she is getting married. City councilors are required to reside within Prineville’s borders.
Her resignation will be effective Sept. 30, or sooner if a new councilor is appointed, Young said.
“I don’t have exact dates when all of this is going to happen,” she said. “I thought I’d give them as much time as they needed.”
Young is the second Prineville city councilor to resign this year. After Tim Harris resigned in February, only two people filed applications to replace him, and one of them eventually withdrew. The other, Jack Seley, is now filling out the rest of Harris’ term.
According to the city charter, vacancies on the council are filled through appointment by the other City Council members. Interested candidates can contact the city at 447-5627. Councilors are required to be registered voters, at least 18 years old, and must have lived in the city for at least one year.
Young was appointed to fill a vacant position on the council in 2003, and she was elected to the position in 2004. Her term runs through Dec. 31, 2008.
She said she will miss aspects of being on the City Council but added, “This will be my first and last venture into the political world.”
“I’m going to stay involved in the different boards that I sit on, and I will continue that kind of volunteer work,” she said.
“There’s a lot of things that I’ll miss: the decision making; being a part of the growth; being a part of the body that effects change (and) protects citizens; the interaction of the different councilors.”
Young is a vice president at Prineville’s Bank of the Cascades branch. At Tuesday’s meeting, Mayor Mike Wendel said that her banking knowledge often has been useful for the city.
“Since you’ve been on the council, it’s always been a deal for me to every time we get to talking budgets or dollar amounts or we get to talking bonds, I always just look at you, and if you’re making some weird face, I think this must not be working very well, and if you’re happy as a clam then I think it must be working,” Wendel said. “Thank you very much for your service to us … We will miss you greatly.”
Wendel jokingly added that Young should now be responsible for finding her replacement.
“I told Bobbi that it should be a policy that if you decide to resign, you should find somebody to fill your position,” he said.