Scott Pillar. photo provided

Scott Pillar of Sisters has jumped into the crowded field seeking the Republican Party nomination for Position # 2 on the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners.

That position is now held by Mike Daly.

Pillar is the only Sisters candidate among the five vying for the nomination in the May 18 primary.

"I think it's really important that Sisters get represented in the county," Pillar said. "I'd like to see us really play a key leadership role with county policy."

The two policy areas Pillar most wants to work on are improving government efficiency and economic development.

As a board member on the High Desert Educational Service District, Pillar has some experience with implementing quality management programs and he wants to bring something similar to county government.

He calls it his Quality in Government Initiative and it involves making county government more forward-looking instead of reacting to situations as the arise and establishing better means to measure performance of all the county departments.

Pillar believes Central Oregon needs to do more to recruit manufacturing, large non-profits and high-tech operations into the region and he thinks elected officials -- without business people's concerns about recruiting competition -- are the people to do the work.

"County government is in a unique position, I think, to do that," he said.

Pillar is ardent about economic development. He said he worries that Central Oregon is too reliant on tourism and development for its economic health.

"We've really been resting on our laurels. If the building market crashes, we're in serious trouble," he said.

In his work as a consultant and as a recruiter, Pillar has seen the effects of under-employment in the region. He believes there is a broad and deep labor pool awaiting good jobs.

"There's a lot of talent in Central Oregon and it's under-utilized," he said.

Pillar has worked as an executive recruiter, serves as Chairman of the board for High Desert Educational Service District and worked part-time last year as executive director of the Sisters Folk Festival.

For more information visit www.scottpillar.org.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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