We, residents of Bend, Oregon, ask City Councilor Megan Norris (Position 1) to choose between her job at Hayden Homes and her seat on the Bend City Council.

 

Councilor Norris is Forward Planning Manager at Hayden Homes, a home builder with projects before the City Council. Oregon ethics law requires her to step out when a decision would affect her employer. The city's own minutes show how often that happens:

 

• She recused herself at 48 of the 109 council meetings with posted minutes from January 18, 2023 to August 12, 2026, citing her job at Hayden Homes.

 

• She did not vote on many of Bend's biggest growth decisions: the fees builders pay (system development charges), the city's fee resolutions, the Southeast Area sewer pump station contracts, Southeast Bend annexations, the 2024 growth-boundary site selection, most of the tree code, and all three 2026 votes on the natural-gas climate fee.

 

• She did not vote on Hayden Homes' own projects, including Parkside Place, Magnolia Meadows and the roughly 260-acre Legacy Village.

 

• Major decisions passed with only four yes votes while she was recused, including the growth-boundary site selection (4-2, December 4, 2024), Legacy Village (4-1, April 2026) and the climate fee (4-1, June 17, 2026).

 

• In September 2026, the Source Weekly reported the other six councilors split 3-3 on whether to loosen the tree code, so the council could not give staff direction. Councilor Norris was recused.

 

• On February 5, 2025, she voted on a resolution extending housing land-use approvals with no conflict recorded. On March 5, 2025, she moved to rescind that vote, declared an actual conflict tied to Hayden Homes and stepped aside. The council then re-adopted it without her.

 

When she was appointed in January 2023, Councilor Norris told OPB there was "a potential for a few projects" where she would have to recuse. It has been far more than a few.

 

Her 2024 campaign raised $83,752.96, state records show. Her largest donor was the Central Oregon Association of Realtors PAC, at $16,558.32. Hayden Watson, whom OPB reports owns Hayden Homes, gave $2,000, and a Hayden Homes vice president gave $500. OPB reported that $30,680 came from out of state as of late September 2024, mostly from California. Councilor Norris told OPB the Realtors' money "won't influence her decision making."

 

To be fair and clear: Councilor Norris has disclosed her job, asked the Oregon Government Ethics Commission for advice, and recused herself as the law requires. No agency has found any wrongdoing by her, and we do not claim any. Bend voters elected her in November 2024.

 

Our concern is simple. Bend is deciding how it grows, what builders pay, and what housing costs. Those decisions deserve seven votes. Position 1 can't cast one on many of them.

 

We ask Councilor Norris to:

 

(1) Choose between her job at Hayden Homes and her seat on the City Council, so Position 1 can vote on Bend's growth.

 

(2) Release her communications with city staff and Hayden Homes about Hayden Homes matters since January 2023.

 

This petition shows public support. It is not an official recall petition.

 

Started by Jonathan Curtis, a third-generation Bend local, born and raised here. https://votejonathancurtis.com

 

PROOF: links for every fact above

 

Her job at Hayden Homes (City of Bend bio): https://www.bendoregon.gov/government/city-council/megan-norris

 

Every Bend City Council meeting's minutes, 2023 to 2026 (the source for the 48 of 109 count): https://bend.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=9

 

Builder fees adopted 5-0 without her, May 1, 2024: https://bend.granicus.com/MinutesViewer.php?view_id=9&clip_id=799&doc_id=1bdeeaac-13d6-11ef-b231-0050569183fa

 

Fee resolution, pump station, annexation and tree code recusals, June 20, 2024: https://bend.granicus.com/MinutesViewer.php?view_id=9&clip_id=809&doc_id=00cd6c91-4607-11ef-8c72-005056a89546

 

Parkside Place, Feb. 15 and Mar. 1, 2023: https://bend.granicus.com/MinutesViewer.php?view_id=9&clip_id=740&doc_id=8ebf8a9e-c734-11ed-acbc-0050569183fa and https://bend.granicus.com/MinutesViewer.php?view_id=9&clip_id=742&doc_id=a8dc3056-c734-11ed-acbc-0050569183fa

 

Magnolia Meadows, Dec. 20, 2023: https://bend.granicus.com/MinutesViewer.php?view_id=9&clip_id=784&doc_id=22ebf417-ab5d-11ee-bb82-0050569183fa

 

Growth-boundary site selection, 4-2, Dec. 4, 2024: https://bend.granicus.com/MinutesViewer.php?view_id=9&clip_id=826&doc_id=1b910399-bf2d-11ef-ab4b-005056a89546

 

Legacy Village, 4-1, Apr. 1 and Apr. 15, 2026: https://bend.granicus.com/MinutesViewer.php?view_id=9&clip_id=873&doc_id=fd3615a9-4a36-11f1-9b4d-005056a89546 and https://bend.granicus.com/MinutesViewer.php?view_id=9&clip_id=875&doc_id=31bf0c25-4a37-11f1-9b4d-005056a89546

 

Climate fee votes, Feb. 18, June 3 and June 17, 2026: https://bend.granicus.com/MinutesViewer.php?view_id=9&clip_id=866&doc_id=eff3ab57-248d-11f1-bb28-005056a89546 and https://bend.granicus.com/MinutesViewer.php?view_id=9&clip_id=880&doc_id=2865a2be-91b5-11f1-bb61-005056a89546 and https://bend.granicus.com/MinutesViewer.php?view_id=9&clip_id=882&doc_id=43c6eace-91b5-11f1-bb61-005056a89546

 

The vote she rescinded, Feb. 5 and Mar. 5, 2025: https://bend.granicus.com/MinutesViewer.php?view_id=9&clip_id=830&doc_id=f2033765-f2e4-11ef-ab6a-005056a89546 and https://bend.granicus.com/MinutesViewer.php?view_id=9&clip_id=832&doc_id=d87aaa8a-0684-11f0-ab6a-005056a89546

 

Tree code 3-3 split (Source Weekly, Sept. 14, 2026): https://www.bendsource.com/news/localnews/bend-city-council-stands-by-tree-code/

 

"A few projects" quote (OPB, January 2023): https://www.opb.org/article/2023/01/11/bend-city-council-councilor-megan-norris-city-hall-government-politics-oregon/

 

Campaign money (Oregon ORESTAR, search committee 21150, Friends of Megan Norris): https://secure.sos.state.or.us/orestar/gotoPublicTransactionSearch.do

 

Realtors money, out-of-state money and her response (OPB, Sept. 26, 2024): https://www.opb.org/article/2024/09/26/bend-city-council-candidates-housing/

 

Hayden Watson owns Hayden Homes (OPB, Nov. 22, 2024): https://www.opb.org/article/2024/11/22/bend-urban-growth-boundary-oregon-city-council-expansion-housing-homes/

 

State ethics advice letters 23-021I and 23-228I: https://apps.oregon.gov/OGEC/CMS/Advice