Temple, who owns Blue Spruce Bed & Breakfast with his wife, Vaunelle, is also a professional building inspector.

Temple said he applied for the position because he likes living inside the city limits and he thinks he can contribute to keeping the city livable as it develops.

"Town is changing, as we all know," Temple said. "There's going to be growth and the high-density issue is something that is going to have a lot of impact."

The new commissioner said it is important that the city balance the potentially conflicting interests of developers, newcomers and long-time residents.

"My biggest fear, I guess, would be that, because of density, people would flee this core area," he said.

Temple said he hopes to help create a climate in which people of a range of income strata would feel comfortable building and living in the city.

Working with a diverse group of people in an effort to achieve satisfying results is part of the attraction of the position for Temple.

He recalled serving on a design committee for a new city hall in Pendleton and said that helping create lasting, positive impact on a community motivates a person to serve.