> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.sandystandard.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Sandy City Council candidates talk goals, inspiration to serve - URL: https://www.sandystandard.com/sandy-city-council-candidates-talk-goals-inspiration-to-serve/ - Published: 2026-10-12T16:50:47.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-12T17:31:27.000Z - Description: With the general election nearing on Nov. 3, The Standard reached out to everyone running this cycle for Sandy City Council to talk about their background, priorities if elected, and inspiration to run (or run again). - Author: The Sandy Standard - Tags: Government **By Brit Allen, The Sandy Standard** With the general election nearing on Nov. 3, The Standard reached out to everyone running this cycle for Sandy City Council to talk about their background, priorities if elected, and inspiration to run (or run again). Only one race — for position #1 on Council — is contested. The others running are unopposed. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5e/4f/5e4fdc27-68db-4eff-a542-8500f7226e01/content/images/2026/10/Kathleen-Walker.png) ****Kathleen Walker** **Mayor of Sandy: Kathleen Walker (incumbent)** Walker has served as mayor of Sandy now for one term, after serving one term (four years) before that as a member of the Council. “The Sandy Mayor position is a two-year term. It’s taken some time for me to get up to speed. Just when things have started getting done, it is election time again. Therefore, I am running for another two-year term as Sandy mayor,” Walker said. Walker outlined several goals she has for her second term as mayor in an email to The Standard, as she is running unopposed this election. - **Wastewater:** Move forward with our newly adopted wastewater treatment plant construction that builds a membrane treatment plant in Sandy, is the least expensive and most effective local option for our future. I will also seek additional state and federal grant funding to help pay for this costly infrastructure project to help reduce future utility rates. - **Drinking Water:** Finish construction of our drinking water projects in the next 18 months. - **Make Developers Pay Their Share:** Continue to ensure that developers pay for their share of infrastructure so that rate payers are not paying for growth - **Local Road Safety:** Increase road and pedestrian safety, especially downtown, by making a more gradual speed reduction from city limits to downtown, and by emphasizing enforcement of speed limits with both increased patrols and a consideration of traffic and red-light camera enforcement efforts. - **Limit high density in single family zones**: I will continue to advocate against more high-density growth as we have enough, Voters should know that most Salem legislatures are pushing high density in all zones and restricting local control of our town’s decision making - **Fantasy Forest Playground Rebuild:** Complete planning and begin reconstruction of Fantasy Forest, which is more than 30 years old, and lastly. - **Livability:** Improve the livability of our town by enforcement of our city code for things like soliciting, nuisance houses, illegal camping, and the issues that disturb our community. I look forward to working with my fellow Sandy residents and our new and existing city councilors to protect and maintain our awesome community. **Council Position No. 1** With Councilor Chris Mayton resigning early from his seat this summer, position no. 1 is up for election without an incumbent running, and it is the only race this cycle with two candidates running. Both Jil Williamson and David Breames have filed to fill the empty seat in 2027\. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5e/4f/5e4fdc27-68db-4eff-a542-8500f7226e01/content/images/2026/10/Jil-Williamson.jpg) ****Jil Williamson** **Jil Williamson** Williamson has lived in Sandy for 14 years and is retired from a 40-year career in accounting. In the past, she has volunteered as a member of the Centennial School Board for four years. When asked why she chose to run, Williamson admitted that while she is still learning about the city’s processes and ongoing projects, she operates with the nonpartisan ethos that people should “look for what you can do for everyone.” While she said she’d surely like to see representation for her neighborhood, she wants to advocate for what’s best for the city as a whole. “I really want to make sure people are well-informed,” she explained. “I’d like to get more involved and also help spread \[accurate\] information.” If elected, Williamson’s top priorities would be seeing along the ongoing wastewater treatment project; getting more involved with the parks department; and advocating for more local, accessible recycling programs. “I’d like to see the Tickle Creek Trail extended,” Williamson said. “I think it’s an amazing trail and I love how it’s taken care of.” She added that she’d also be interested in seeing Sandy explore more food waste/compost options that are cost effective for residents. In recent years especially, the idea of how “business friendly” the city is has been called into question. When asked her views on this, Williamson said she herself is not “anti-business,” adding that “we have to be careful at the same time.” She explained that this mainly applies to how we work with larger businesses. “I’m a big proponent that developers should pay their own way,” Williamson said. On any topic important to residents, Williamson said she hopes to “foster an open dialogue” if elected. “I’ve been in the world of business; I have a variety of lived experiences,” she explained. “I have experience leading a team and collaborating with others as a team player toward a common cause.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5e/4f/5e4fdc27-68db-4eff-a542-8500f7226e01/content/images/2026/10/David-Breames.png) ****David Breames** **David Breames** Breames is a Sandy native. And though his family spent several years on the coast in his youth, he chose to return to Sandy as an adult to raise his children. Professionally, Breames has worked in the security industry for more than 20 years, and now owns his own company. Breames has served on the Sandy Parks Advisory Board for four years, and also has a history of helping out with youth sports in town, especially when his two children (now 16 and 18) were playing. He also went for the appointment to council when former Councilor Carl Exner resigned midterm in 2024, but Councilor Lindy Hanley was chosen. “I like the idea of being able to make changes within Sandy,” Breames said of his initial decision to serve on the Parks Board. In that time, he’s learned that many of the initial decisions looked at by the advisory entity are made by Council, and now hopes to get involved earlier in the process. “I want to do more for Sandy. I like to give back — to help. And I want to be familiar with the process.” In the past, Breames has both advocated to Council on certain issues — like getting a sign up at the intersection of Meinig Avenue and Proctor Boulevard to inform drivers they can turn left on red — and he has also lobbied to the state legislature on industry issues for those working in security. While Breames is an advocate for the city being more business friendly to the smaller businesses, he also is a proponent of finding balance between growth and maintaining Sandy’s small-town feel. “As a Sandy resident, it’s not my responsibility to pay for new development, especially when it requires new streets and has effects on local systems,” Breames explained. Some of Breames’ top priorities if elected are better communication and transparency with the public, improving public parking in town, and providing more accessible sports fields to the public, not owned and controlled by the Oregon Trail School District. Though he has served on a city advisory board, Breames said he knows he still has more to learn and is ready to do that work. “I want to give back to the community that I love,” Breames added. “I want to see this town grow, but I want to see it grow in the right direction.” **Council Position No. 2** Since 2018, Councilor Laurie Smallwood has served in seat no. 2, making one unsuccessful run for mayor in 2024\. Smallwood is a career firefighter and paramedic and has lived in Sandy since 1985\. Over the years, she’s worked for Sandy Fire, now Clackamas Fire, and also coached softball at Sandy High for eight years. While on council, she has served as council president as well as the liaison to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. As a councilor, Smallwood has promoted more transparency from the city, and she has advocated against increasing utility fees for Sandy residents when the city has worked to update their wastewater treatment system. This election cycle, Smallwood has chosen to not run to retain her seat. The Standard reached out to Smallwood for comment on her choice and did not respond before publication of this article. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5e/4f/5e4fdc27-68db-4eff-a542-8500f7226e01/content/images/2026/10/Darren-Wegener--1-.png) Darren Wegener For the upcoming election, local travel agent Darren Wegener has filed to fill Smallwood’s seat. Wegener has owned Wegener Travel and Cruise with his wife since 2023\. And he also works as a professional development trainer with the City of Portland’s Bureau of Human Resources. Previously he worked for the City of Portland’s Bureau of Emergency Management, serving in several different roles over time. Wegener has also served on the City of Sandy’s Planning Commission since 2022, acting as chairperson for two years, as well as on the City of Sandy's Economic Development Advisory Board and the city’s budget committee. When asked why he chose to run for council, Wegener said: “It comes down to community.” “As a father and small business owner here in Sandy, I've had a front-row seat to what makes this town special, and I'm proud of it,” he explained. “There's nothing quite like standing along the parade route at the Sandy Mountain Festival with my young children, watching their faces light up when a giant handful of candy is thrown. Or walking through the park during Winterfest, my kids pointing out their favorite fun characters made of lights, getting to stop every so often to say hi to someone we know. Those moments are what makes us a community. It's not just where we live, it’s about the people. I didn't want to just watch from the sidelines and hope our town stays the way it is. I wanted to be part of protecting and building on it, so my kids get to grow up with the same feeling I have at these events.” “I also saw real opportunities in front of us: growth that could ease the pressure on residents' wallets, small businesses that could use a stronger voice at City Hall, and decisions being made that I felt more people in our community deserved a real say in,” he added. “I kept thinking about the kind of Sandy I want my kids to grow up in: a city they can actually afford to live in someday, one where neighbors still know each other, where small businesses thrive, and where people trust that their voice matters to City Council. That's what pushed me to stop thinking about it and actually file. It’s about community.” Wegener outlined his top three priorities if elected — and he is running unopposed — as “building community with fiscal responsibility and transparency, pursuing smart economic development, and strengthening emergency preparedness.” “There are many big issues (and small and medium issues too) facing our community, and I want more community education and input before those decisions are made,” he said. “That means I would advocate for hosting more informative open houses where people can get their questions answered before a decision is being made, being clearer about how specific Council agenda items will affect residents' day-to-day lives and their wallets, and making a genuine effort to meet people where they are, whether that's at a community event, a local business, or online, instead of expecting everyone to show up to a Council meeting to be heard.” “Fiscal responsibility must go hand in hand with that transparency,” Wegener added. “As a small business owner, I know what it's like to plan carefully and think through the long-term impact of every dollar spent, and I want to bring that same mindset to City Council.” On the topic of economic development, Wegener said he hopes to advocate for the city’s active pursuit of “the kind of commercial growth that creates good jobs, expands our tax base, and funds the infrastructure we need, which in turn eases the financial pressure on residents and keeps utility rates in check.” Wegener also advocated for Sandy to be more proactive rather than reactive when it comes to emergency preparedness. “Sandy has time and time again shown what it's made of when times get tough, whether that's a wildfire in the area, an ice storm, or another emergency. But resilience shouldn't be something we rely on after the fact; we need to build it ahead of time,” he explained. “That means working closely with surrounding agencies and directly with our community members to build proactive plans for how we communicate during emergencies, how we strengthen essential services so they hold up under pressure, and what infrastructure improvements we need to make. Preparedness isn't just a government responsibility and a hastily written vague plan in a file cabinet somewhere, it's something we have to build together as a community and practice, so we're ready before we need to be, not scrambling after the fact.” Despite his experience and passion, Wegener admitted that “I don't have all the answers, and I'm not going to pretend I do.” “What I can aspire to is that I'll do the work, I'll ask questions, I'll listen to people who see things differently than I do, and I'll make decisions with the whole community in mind, not just the loudest voices in the room, or those who may focus on a pet project or interest, or the easiest path forward. That matters to me because Sandy isn't made up of one type of person or one type of priority. We've got young families, longtime residents, small business owners, people who've been here their whole lives and people who just joined us. A Council that really works must hear from all of them. That kind of input is what will actually shape my decisions if I'm elected.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5e/4f/5e4fdc27-68db-4eff-a542-8500f7226e01/content/images/2026/10/Lindy-Hanley.jpg) **Council Position No. 5: Councilor Lindy Hanley (incumbent)** In 2024, when longtime councilor Carl Exner resigned midterm, the Council interviewed a handful of candidates to fill his seat, eventually appointing Councilor Lindy Hanley. After serving half of a term, Hanley didn’t feel “like the work is done” for her, so she is seeking reelection. Professionally, Hanley works as a librarian at Cedar Ridge and Boring Middle Schools, and she has a bachelor’s degree in history. When she applied for the appointment in 2024, she wrote in her application that she has a “passion for sharing and preserving history.” This will remain a priority for Hanley in her next term; she is running unopposed. In the past, Hanley has volunteered with the Sandy Historical Society, at a local grade school, with a women’s program at her church, and she also ran her church’s female youth program, and she has served on the Oregon Trail School District’s leadership council and the Oregon Trail School District’s budget committee. In her first full term, Hanley’s priorities remain similar to those she was sworn in with — preserving Sandy’s extensive history, continuing work on the new wastewater and water treatment projects with an eye toward finding creative ways to fund them that won’t negatively impact ratepayers, and promoting public education and information on city projects. “The historic preservation and heritage is important to me,” Hanley said, explaining that “having those connections back to the heritage of this place” can bring people further together. Hanley has a long-term goal of getting a historic distinction for multiple locations around town so they can be found and featured on an online registry. “We only get one shot at saving these old places,” Hanley added.