Oregon Rainmakers
A conversation with City of Bend Mayor Pro-Tem Anthony Broadman, and Michael Dunne
What I truly love about Bend is that we don’t spend a lot of time arguing over identity politics and whatnot. We actually work together to solve problems.Anthony Broadman
Anthony Broadman, the Mayor Pro-Tem of the City of Bend, didn’t necessarily set out to enter city politics. An attorney by trade, Broadman had a full plate as a legal representative for Tribal Governments in state and federal courts. Yet, some of the transportation problems in and around Bend aroused his interest in making improvements.
“As a dad, I wanted to make sure that anyone – especially kids and people with special needs could safely move around town without negative interactions with cars, said Broadman. “So, some friends suggested that if I wanted to make a change, I should run for council.”
Thus, the Bend resident since 2010, campaigned and was elected in November of 2020 with the highest vote total in Bend history. For the past two years, he has focused on transportation and safety, economic recovery, and housing and homelessness.
Broadman points out that his training as a lawyer for indigenous peoples has taught him to always look for the possible and not the impossible. He credits his experience for being a consensus builder along with his other elected officials.
“The Bend City Council is pretty progressive, while the County Board of Commissioners is pretty conservative, yet we all work well together.”
