Citizens
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Citizens testify at council hearing
Photo by Clay Eals
“You’re going to a city council meeting?! God, what a drag.”
Cora Gangware, an Emerald reporter, consistently gets this kind
of reaction from friends and acquaintances about her beat.
“No, it is not a drag,” says Gangware. “Some people have closed
minds about city government. To them it is a remote, alien, and
tiresome body of obscure officials busy with matters that do not affect
them.
“What they don’t realize is the council is made up of some very
human people, with interesting and sometimes conflicting per
sonalities. The mayor is a handsome, personable and outgoing
man...these people are not remote or unreachable.”
Gangware began covering city council meetings with many
reservations: Would it be incredibly dry? Would it be too complex and
involved to fathom?
“At first I was amazed at the number of people who attend those
meetings,” said Gangware, “and I was impressed by how actively
those people participated.
“I’ll bet a lot of people don’t realize that they have a right to not
only attend all council meetings but also to speak their minds at those
meetings.
“The council members listen to what people have to say...a
councilman will call upon a member of the audience by name and say,
‘Mr. Jones, you voiced an opinion on this matter, could you please
clarify these points for me’, and Mr. Jones will go up to the
microphone and his opinion will be heard by the decision makers.”
Wickes Beal, current council president, describes city council as
“the ordinary citizen’s representative in city government.”
“Our council meetings are generally well attended by the public,”
said Beal. “If people have issues on their minds they come and speak
out...the same thing applies to students.
“Students are interested in participating in government,
especially those interested in politics,” asserted Beal. “It’s a very
valuable experience for them and us when they come down to city
council and speak their minds on various issues. I’ve found most
students to be very articulate.
“The mayor and city council are elected and are unpaid,” said
Beal. They represent in our American system of government the
separation of powers. The council is the legislative body. It is up to us
to pass the laws and to define policy and it is then the responsibility of
the city manager to carry out that policy.”
Beal described Eugene’s city manager system as a “good efficient
city government for a small city like Eugene.
“We could probably hand the city over to Hugh McKinley and tell
him to run it — and he would probably do a very fine job — but then
city government would become very remote and distant,” she said.
The council itself is made up of eight diverse individuals who
represent the diversity of the community. Wickes Beal, Beth Camp
bell, and Neil Murray are closely attuned to the University. Coun
cilmen James Hershner, Tom Williams, H.C. McDonald, and Gus
Keller represent the business point of view. The council members
come from a variety of backgrounds and professions. Bob Wood
teaches in West Eugene, Hershner is an attorney, and Murray works
in administration at the University. Williams owns Williams Bakery,
Gus Keller is a part owner of John Warren Hardware, and McDonald
manages the St. Vincent de Paul outlet in Eugene.
The council represents a wide range of viewpoints, from sub
stantially conservative to fairly liberal.
“Often we vote unanimously on issues,” said Beal, “but because
our views are different there are naturally conflicts of opinion. I don’t
think it would be a fair city government if it were otherwise.”
The people of Eugene recently rejected a proposed charter
amendment which would have authorized salaries for the mayor and
council members, something the mayor has been advocating for
several years. ... .
Both Anderson and Beal expressed concern that increasing
demands and obligations of a growing city government will one day
become a barrier to working people interested in serving on the
council.
“Council members spend at least 20 hours a week or more on city
business,” said Beal. “This can be a real burden cm someone working
on a 9 to 5 job.”
Beal says that voter rejection of both the proposed charter
amendment and the city budget in the last election reflects “a very
deep concern with the rising cost of schools and government on the
property tax payer, as our only source of income is the property tax.”
Two issues vital to student interests, housing and parking, keep
coming up. Various student groups, both independent and affiliated
with the ASUO, have worked on these issues.
Beal talked about student housing problems and their relation to
the city council.
“The majority of students want to live within walking distance of
the University — unfortunately we have Sacred Heart at the
University’s doorstep. Naturally doctors and clinics want to be located
near it.
“City regulations force developers to provide so many off-street
parking lots for tenants — this means a lot of expensive land is taken
up by parking lots.
“And...all those student cars., the parking spaces they are using
are raising the cost of their housing.
“These are just some of the problems we are delving into,” said
Beal. “We have always tried to maintain a close relation with student
body officers and we welcome student input.
“You never know when an issue will stir the student population,”
said Beal. When mall regulations were discussed, Beal said that
students showed up in force to preserve the mall as a gathering place
and to oppose factions interested in restricting the area to retail
business.
“We recently formed a mall activities committee — with several
student members — to develop ideas for expanding the use of the mall
through a city corporation which would lease space on the mall itself.”
Beal enthusiastically described some of their ideas. ‘People could
set up “kiosks,” brightly colored canvas tent-like structures which
would serve as a temporary shelter for special sales and exhibits.
“If we charge a set fee the downtown merchants will not feel so
threatened...the established merchants could also take advantage of
the plan,” said Beal.
“We want to use that space to create extra life and activities — I
can see outdoor stalls, flower carts, and some day, outdoor
restaurants.
“In 1971 the Vietnam War was the issue concerning the students
more than anything else. Peace groups joined with students and
petitioned for a vote of the people to get out of the war. These students
combined to get the signatures, the city put it on the ballot, and peace
won the vote — this is one of the ways the council and students have
interacted in the past.
“Students after all are a sizable group in this community,” said
Beal, adding with a smile...“and most of them live in my ward. So we
are very concerned about the things that concern students.”
Kathleen Glanville
Photo by Clay Eal*
Hugh McKinley