Hansen: send business ‘welcome’ signal
By Marian Graen
Of the Emerald
City council candidate Dick Hansen
says his business background gives him
the ideal experience to enhance
Eugene's economic development.
He is running against Susan Sowards
for the Ward 4 council position, which
includes the University area Incumbent
Gretchen Miller is not seeking re-elec
tion
Hansen is endorsed by several busi
ness people, including Tom Williams, of
Williams' Bread, and Maurie Jacobs, of
M Jacobs Furniture
As general manager of Valley River
Center, the 47-year-old Hansen says he's
"worked with and taken chances with”
many of the 100 or so businesses at VRC.
In that job he promotes small businesses
"all the time," he says.
At the same time, Hansen says he
perceives no conflict of interest with
developing the downtown area. "Down
town’s strength is my strength,” he says.
One of downtown's strengths is the
new Eugene Performing Arts Center, he
says. “We're going to be awfully proud of
that facility," Hansen says. The complex
is a "positive" tool to draw people to
Eugene, he adds
But, he notes, the city must be
prepared to support it during its first
years.
"That’s just something we're going to
have to do," Hansen says "It’s not gen
erating enough dollars from the room tax
and the ticket sales."
Hansen currently serves on the Econ
omic Diversification task team and the
Lane Transit District budget committee
and has served on numerous city com
mittees, including a stint as chairperson
of the Eugene Budget Committee in
1978.
"Believability" is a major problem in
the community, he says.
"The economic development prob
lems are substantial," he says. "We need
to send a very clear signal to outsiders
that we are, in fact, receptive to busin
esses coming in and locating here.”
Noting that the Fantus Co. report
"clearly states that outsiders still believe
that an anti-business attitude exists,"
Hansen says he hopes to begin changing
that image at home by going "one-on
one with existing businesses. "
Hansen also says he’d work to “cut
down" on red tape for people requesting
information or staff help "so that we can
make a decision rather than dragging it
out.”
Relations between the business com
munity and the University need to be
improved, Hansen says, because the two
“have a tendency to look with distrust on
each other.”
Sowards: keep University as a top priority
By Marian Green
OtthuEmurmU
City council candidate Susan
Sowards emphatically supports
keeping the University Eugene's
number one priority.
Sowards, 31, is running
against Dick Hansen for Gret
chen Miller’s Ward 4 council
position, which includes the
University area Miller, who is
not seeking re-election, en
dorses Sowards for the position
The University is Eugene's
largest employer, Sowards
says The city council made it
its number one priority, and I
would intend to keep it that
way," she adds
The city council also should
keep the University its number
one lobbying effort at the Legis
lature to ensure that it remains
"well and strong," she says
If new industry does locate in
the area, a trained workforce
will be needed Sowards says
Instead of giving the University
"short shrift" in economic
diversification planning, pro
grams should be coordinated
between the University and
Lane Community College to
provide that training, she says
Sowards says the city needs
to work toward continued
economic planning
"The minute we rise out (of an
economic depression) the talk
fades," she says
Bringing in high technology
industry is "an excellent idea,"
but many companies don’t have
the money to relocate right now,
says Sowards, a partner in Bus
iness Development Associates
and formerly an administrative
aide to state Rep Margie Hen
dricksen She also serves as a
citizen member on the Eugene
Budget Committee, as well as
other boards
She suggests looking at ways
tor small businesses to raise
venture capital and to replace
normally imported products
with Oregon products
Sowards supports the
Eugene Performing Arts Com
plex "strongly " But, "it may
need to be made more afforda
ble," she says
"I'd like to see it set up so
local groups can afford to use
it." Groups such as the Oregon
Repertory Theatre have com
plained that the center's cost is
prohibitive, she says
"It's a hard time in the econ
omy to introduce something like
that and expect it to succeed,
but it has a good chance,”
Sowards says "We’ve got it,
and we'd better market it."
Sowards says communication
is vital to strong city govern
ment
A member of the Fairmount
Neighborhood Association,
Sowards says she has been at
tending other Ward 4
neighborhood meetings since
February and was surprised to
Cultural Forum,
ASUO Repertory Doncers
6 the UO Deportment of Donee present
\
INTERMEDIATE
MODERN DANCE
TECHNIQUE CLA
10:30-12:30
Sundoy, May 23
Gerlinger Annex 353
UO Students Free
General Public S3 00 ot the door
A donee duo more visible in Seottle
modem donee 6 performance ort
concerts this post year than ony
other doncers in Seattle
SOLOS/
The Donee Accordmq to
CHRISTIAN SWENSON
HELEN WALKLEY
DUETS
Sunday, May 23, 7:30 p.m.
Dougherty Donee Theatre
354 Gerlinger Annex
Tickets: S2.00 Students$3.00 General Public
at EMU Moin Desk, Dockstoge Donceweor, or ot the door.
(LCC - PE 101 "Lecture - Demonstration" - Frl. Moy 21, noon. $1 ot door)
find the groups "not as repre
sentative as they might be
because they don’t have e
nough power.
"I think it might be a good
idea to give them a little more
power.”
Putting governmental infor
mation in the public library and
perhaps using public access
television to film important city
council and committee meet
ings are ways of improving ci
tizen awareness, she says.
“When people know more
about their government,
government becomes theirs
again.”
Annual
Sidewalk Sale
Up to Vi off I
T-shirts
Sweatshirts
Running shorts
Backpacks
Sandals
Better start walking to the UO Bookstore.
This sidewalk sale is just the beginning of our
Spring clearance bargains.
Spring attire
up to 50% off.
Better come in today.
Limited to stock on hand.
BOOKSTORE
Textbooks 666-3520
General Books 666-3510
Supplies 666-4331
13th & Kincaid
Mon-Fri 7:30-5:30
Sat 10:00-3 00
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