Commissioners announce nominees for District Mapping Advisory Committee

On Monday, July 21, members of the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) announced their nominees for the County’s District Mapping Advisory Committee (DMAC). The committee will be tasked with drafting a commissioner district map, which will be considered by the Board and then by Deschutes County voters in 2026. If passed by voters, the new districts would be in place for the 2028 election. This initiative follows the passage of Ballot Measure 9-173, which expands the Board of County Commissioners from three to five members.

Approved by voters last November, the ballot measure laid the groundwork for two new commissioners to be elected at-large in 2026. In response, the BOCC agreed to appoint a citizen advisory committee to propose representative districts for each board member, instead of maintaining five at-large positions. Commissioners will select a total of seven members to serve on the DMAC.

Commissioner Chair Tony DeBone will appoint:

• Ned Dempsey, Bend
• Bernie Brader, La Pine

Commissioner Patti Adair will appoint:

• Matt Cyrus, Sisters
• Phil Henderson, Bend

Commissioner Phil Chang will appoint three of his five nominees:

• Melanie Kebler, Bend
• Andrew Kaza, Redmond
• Carol Loesche, Bend
• Jim Porter, Tumalo
• Bryce Kellogg, Bend

Commissioners will confirm the committee appointments during their regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, July 23, at 9 a.m. in the Barnes Sawyer Room of the Deschutes Services building at 1300 NW Wall St. in Bend. The meeting is open to the public and can be attended in person or virtually. The meeting agenda and virtual login information are available at deschutes.org/meetings.

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Media Contact:

Kim Katchur, Public Information Officer

(541) 322-7441