David Bryan

David Bryan was appointed to the City of Powell’s Planning and Zoning Commission earlier this year and was almost immediately thrust into a debate over the city’s two-dog-per-household limit.

He and other volunteer commissioners heard community feedback that ranged from upping the limit to leaving it alone or imposing further restrictions.

Though the city ultimately opted to leave the two-dog cap in place, Bryan expressed support for focusing on problematic pet behaviors instead of a strict cap — or for potentially approving permits for additional pets when specific conditions were met.

“I guess my tendency in those things is to sort of listen to some sense of what it is people want, and [see] if there’s a way to split the difference and come up with some sort of a policy …,” Bryan said.

He’s now hoping to bring that same approach — and his experience — to the Powell City Council, running as a candidate in Ward 1.

Background

Bryan has had a 50-plus year career spanning the trades, business and education. A New York native, the 74-year-old holds a bachelor’s degree in social studies, a master’s in kinesiology, a law degree and a Ph.D. in communication.

His experiences range from several years living on a boat in the Caribbean Sea to teaching in public and private schools in Los Angeles to hosting an ongoing podcast called “Curiosity Invited.”

In 1995, he helped launch the New Roads School, a private institution in Santa Monica, California. It features a progressive education model, a sliding fee scale for tuition and a diverse mix of races, ethnicities and sociological and economic backgrounds.

During Bryan’s 18 1/2 years at New Roads — where he served as president and head of school — enrollment rose from roughly 70 students to nearly 700.

He later moved to the mountains outside Santa Cruz, California, and taught a communications class to economics students at UC Santa Cruz. However, he and his wife began looking elsewhere after a massive wildfire nearly burned down their home.

Bryan’s wife then happened upon the listing for their current home in Powell — the former Immanuel Lutheran Church building — and they decided to make the move after a late 2020 tour of the area.

Bryan attended the city’s inaugural Citizens Academy in late 2023 and came away further convinced that Powell is “a really great place.”

“I think it’s a place to give back,” he said.

Inviting input

While city council meetings can be “really dull and dry,” Bryan says they don’t have to be.

He would like to see more city outreach, whether in the form of town halls or more festive feedback sessions held at places like Plaza Diane. He also wonders if the city could offer short presentations from its various departments every couple of months. Bryan believes more people would want to be involved if they knew what was going on.

“We don’t want the government to be [overly] involved in the people's lives,” he said, “but we would love for more people to want to be involved in the kinds of decisions that the city council can make.”

When it comes to concerns about housing and affordability, Bryan wonders if the city can create incentives; he suggested that perhaps residences could be built in the downtown area in the space behind storefronts. He also hopes the upcoming revision of the city’s master plan will offer some insights into how Powell can “invite more viable, sustainable businesses that don’t change the character of the place.”

The values that make Powell a place people want to be “need to stay the same and grow,” Bryan said, but in addition, “people need to be open to new ideas, because the world changes.”

Figuring out how to do that wisely often takes “really listening,” he said, “especially to the people who don’t agree with you.”

Bryan is one of five candidates running for the Ward 1 seat held by outgoing Councilman Steve Lensegrav. The others are Crystal Reese, Holly Cole, Steve Nickles and Jim Core.

The top two vote-getters in the Aug. 18 primary will advance to the Nov. 3 general election.

Ward 1 is made up of the northeastern part of the city, including everything east of Division Street and, generally, north of Third Street.