Roundy campaigns

Six years of council experience makes Orland City Councilman Bruce Roundy confident he can continue the job.

Roundy was appointed to fill a vacancy on the council in 2006 and was elected to his first term in 2008.

He is one of five candidates vying for three seats on the council.

Councilman Jim Paschall joins Roundy in the race along with former council members Salina Edwards, Marjorie Palmer and Mike Yalow.

Mayor Wade Elliott is not seeking re-election.

"The council is a place where you feel like you can make a difference," Roundy said. "I think I can. I have unfinished business."

Roundy said spending six years up on the dais has been invaluable as there is a high learning curve in finding out about city government.

"Just the challenge of learning what city government is about and applying it takes time," he said. "I feel I can be more effective in the decisions I make and do a better job."

The retired educator said he never expected to enter local politics, but he ended up there and is "taking the train ride without wanting to get off just yet."

He is on several boards and committees at both the state and local level.

Roundy is Vice President of the Sacramento Valley division of the League of California Cities and Chairman of the League's State Community Services Policy Committee.

He also is the council liaison to the Orland Library, arts, parks and recreation and economic development commissions and chairs the Glenn County Transit and Transportation Committee that includes both Orland and Willows.

In addition, he is part of the City/County Economic Development Steering Committee and on the Board of the Glenn County Resource Conservation District.

All of these endeavors have provided networking opportunities, he said, to help Orland grow and prosper.

Regional collaboration is key to making the city and Glenn County attractive to business and residents alike, he said.

Examples include sharing Orland Librarian Jody Meza with the Willows Library which saves both cities money and helps each community, he said, and providing future funding to the Orland Chamber of Commerce so it can continue its promotion of Orland businesses.

He said he is "particularly proud" of Orland's weathering the economic storm without having to lay off city staff or cut services.

Roundy credits the employees with helping the city keep going by taking pay cuts and deferring raises among other sacrifices, he said.

He is pleased the city also brought up its general fund reserves from $138,000 a few years ago to $589,000 in 2012, he said, which is a figure the council is comfortable with now.

Many other California cities are in or facing bankruptcy, Roundy said.

Roundy is proud of keeping Orland's city library open and the proposed 800 square foot expansion being funded by city impact fees and the Orland Friends of the Library, and keeping its recreation department programs going.

He helped start the city's golf tournament that has provided about $17,000 to the library and recreation department in the last three years, Roundy added.

And Roundy is proud of Orland's Art Center created by the arts commission and now bringing artists and visitors from all over the state.

He said he initiated the city's reserve policy and its governance policy for council and commission members.

By evening the playing field through interviews, Roundy said commissioners are no longer chosen because they are related to somebody in government.

"We have more commissions than any other city our size in the state," Roundy said, which is a positive thing because it shows residents want to be involved.

And while the economy is still recovering, Orland is one of the few cities in the tri-county area to continue building homes.

Roundy noted the White Hawk subdivision has two to three homes under construction as does the Heartland subdivision and Benson Estates is ready to go forward.

"Growth is going quietly," he said, but impact fees and services are being taken care of here.

Additional goals if he is re-elected are to put aside money for fire and police department equipment purchases, improving the parks and sidewalks each year and arundo removal along Stony Creek so nearby subdivisions can be protected from fire, Roundy said.