Editorial
Local elections rife
with controversies
Usually, school board and county levy elections
don't have much controversy. But Tuesday's local
election provided more furor than expected, with
charges ol racism and "pro-sodomv" flying all over
the place.
First, the Position 5 seat for the F.ugene School
Hoard. Incumbent Torn Heger narrowly heat challenger
Jelf Hoyt. 11.54 1 to 10.2'tn. according to unofficial re
turns. 1’he race was marred by an Oregon Citizen Alii
ance newsletter that labeled I ieger a steadfast propo
nent of gay rights as "pro-sodomy Hoyt, a mem
ber of the local OCA hoard, received that organizations
support.
Hoyt and OCA actions in this election were noth
ing short of ridiculous. The whole controversy sma< ks
ot a desperate political ploy to throw mud on a highly
qualified candidate. Gay rights had nothing to do with
the necessary qualifications for a school board mem
her, and it is repulsive that Hoyt and Iris cronies tried
to direct the election spotlight away from critical poli
cy issues
linger, a pastor at the University, rightly contends
the debate took away from the real issues of the cam
paign That Ins margin <>f victory was so small goes to
show how narrow-minded and idiotic some people in
supposedly "liberal" Fane County can be
There was another controversy over the' Position 1
seat in the same school hoard race In this, current
board member )udv Moseley, was seeking to slave off
challenges from computer store owner Heim I.overt
.mu ireoianco w i ncr .-Mine Mm
Muscles won (In' election, garnering 0.148 votes
votes, with 7.!>♦>?• for Luvert and Kern checking in third
with 4.120 l hifortunalely. the election was tainted bv
racial issues, mostly stemming Irom a March lit edito
rial by I hr Kni’islrr-(Ui.ml
The editorial said I.overt, who is black, and Muse
lev were bulb equally qualified (or the post, but that
because rai ism lets become sik.Ii a tope in Kugene
school districts. I.overt might make .1 more logical
i hoire as a representative ol minority concerns.
Tin' Rrgistrr-Cuiml's reasoning behind then en
dorsement was sound, but the actual implementation
of it in the editorial caused a big stir I.overt claims the
editorial hurt his chances for election, because it im
plied lie should tie ele« ted because he was blai k. re
gardless ot his qualifh atinns
It was unfortunate this needless controversy sur
faced There is no doubt I.overt would have made a
line board member; not because he was black, but be
cause he was competent for the job. Racism is becorn
mg an increasing problem in lo( al schools, and 1.overt
could have gone a long way to diminish this However,
it looks like his merits were perhaps overshadowed tie
cause of his race.
This is no slur against Moseley She has been a
fine, well-respected board member in the past, and
there is no reason to think she won’t continue to he.
One election that got little notice among the local
press was tin; one for the Lane Community College tux
lew The four-year serial lew would have raised an es
timated $725,000 to finance much-needed repairs and
replacements of some of the college's buildings.
Because it failed, albeit narrowly bv less than lot)
votes. ICC administrators are now forc ed into the role
of damage control finding the money to make the
necessary repairs It is something they are well familiar
with LCC tax levies are notorious for being struck
down.
W hat makes the lev y defeat even more difficult to
understand is that it would not have increased local
property tax levels The current levy, approved in
1087. runs out next year. The recently-defeated lev v
would onlv have extended the current lax level to
100.v
This is gist a sampling of Tuesday's numerous
elections, but should show just how complex and
sometimes, ludicrous county politics have become.
_Letters Policy_
The Emerald will attempt to print all letters contain
ing comments on topics ot interest to the University
community Comments must lie lac tually accurate
and refrain from personal attar ks on the character of
others.
AUm 3 *i l&aajn fy.t'w-y
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Letters
Disregard
Perhaps not ( dim identalli
w f> 111■ tin1 Oregon I Killi I nwr
iihi was not publish ini; and
most students were anas on
break llir I niversiti s Animal
t ad' and I 'si' I ommittee met to
approve Hi Kir hard Mat
mi i ci's nen primate expert
meats litre are a ten high
I i it 111 s III the meeting
1 stating that the protocol
Ini primate experiments hail
contained numerous delineu
i ins cured unlx after mans re
s less s and modifications In the
committee, one memiiei asked
for but ssas denied, ten more
days to i onsidei the prolm ol
The i ommittee went into
i losed session in appaient vio
lation o! stale 1 ’ll hi n Meeting
lau s, to tlelibeiale on tile proto
ini I'he meeting's agenda slat
ed that private deliberations be
tween Marrm i o and the com
mittee had taken plat e print to
this meeting .is is ell
s \\ bi'ii the | in til u was al
lowed hark into the meeting
the committee took pains to ie
trar t the outspoken i ommittee
member's use of the word "de
fir lentaes.' dubbing the de
let ts "non-disc leisures' in
stead
•I I he i ommittee proceeded
to approve the primate expert
merits unaniinmisls
Prior to this meeting the
t niseisili had refused to pm
vide students and the public
with copies ot the pinnate le
search protocol on the illegiti
mate grounds that animal re
search proposals, even alter
tlu;\ have been limited are not
publii rei ords until thev are h
nalli approved hi the I niversi
tl This, ot I ourse makes it im
possible lor the public to he
represented in del isions on an
iin.il uses in blatant disregard
ol federal regulations designed
to ensure cnmmumtv represen
tation m these matteis
I nr die Kaplan
bugene
Anniversary
TvvenU years a«o. in the
midst nl nationwide protests
.i|4Hinst the Vietnam \\.ir state
polu c k11 Iril two Aim tin
\mt'i i< .in students .il lackson
SI.ilr I niversiH in Mississippi
I nn d.ivs n.irlii'i lour students
worn killed h\ tlm National
I .u.ii d .il ki'ii! Stale l'm\ ersit\
III (Jilin.
riiesn am well known events
ot lln jiast w ha h pnn ml im
portant lesson-, loi people In
dio whether we are struggling
against racism on our college
i .imposes for our reprodui live
rights or against 1 S foreign
pulitA in Southern Alm a and
I Central Ahum ii a
lo mark the doth anniversary
ol the killings at |ai kson State
and kenl State, several national
student organizations are or
ganizing a confeu-ni e .it (sent
Stale t ’mversilv on Slav -M>
tdtlll 1 his national student
( ontereni e w ith the theme.
l eal mug from the I'asl HuiId
mg tm the f uture u ill attr.K I
upwards ol 1 IKK) people adiv
isis of lotlav and of d() years
ago
All interested individuals
and groups are invited to at
tend tins ronlerenee lot more
inlo!niation t:ontat t Student
Organizing ( onuuittee 14(1
( dll'l l \ SI krill, Ol I 44d40
knn I)rf rant o
Student Organizing Committee
I at kson State anti Kent Slate
( timiuemtira 11 \ e ( tinferent t‘
Enlightenment
I o fxtr.ii 1 a i.ritu al response
Irotn anyone mm h .is im sell
usually i.untent tu <]ui<>11 \ 1 ,i
nii'ii! tile m ils ii! sot ietv in my
own hnnii' involves ,i good
di'.il ol ini entive Pitv tin. pom
st,living vnnng advertising go
inns, unknowingly giving me
the niotiv.ition I needed
'(•raffiti on a ••wall" bo
lund a sun seeking man and a
si antik i lad bathing beauty
promises a week filled with
mind numbing enjoy nienl sm h
as hot mineral pools, mini golf,
and the always popular vol
1» \ball and tennis (OUK Man b
■I)
()h. and Iasi, but definitely
not least. (iirl Watc lung Some
one must have made it an
\( \.\ sport while I wasn't
looking Sneaky, sneaky.
( (mu’ on. people. I often
unmlei vvh.il kind of mind il
requires lo l OIK 01 I sm li things
lint I guess I should lie glad I
was blessed u ith one .1 little
more enlightened
( hrisf me ( orfietl
I nglisli
PR hype
A met ii ans should at nni r
put to rest anv notion that
( a'ui ge Itnsli is an envirunmen
t.ilist While it nun In* i oinlort
ing to imagimi that Hush is
winking in tliu puhlii interest
on em ironmcnlal matters, tins
is s 1111111 \ not the ease
Hush's i lain) to environment
alism during his campaign was
an elloi t to lietlei t anil manipu
late a iismg tide ot puhlu
alarm Hut rather than actualh
lead the nation on these issue'*
Hush abuses our trust and
threatens oui eollei live future
His ret on I is consistently
anti-environment, and rei enth
Inis become hostile to even tht
most modest efforts to stem
pollution, save the last si raps
ot wild land or work toward
solutions to international emer
gem les
Let's recognize the truth and
not be duped b\ tain \ HR work
on Hush's part Hush recently
opposed protection lor wet
lands in ortler to help pave the
w a\ I literally I for the oil indus
ti\ s march into Alaska's An tii
\atiimal Wildlife Refuge
Hush s "i Jean Aii At t ion
tains major concessions to mg
oil corporations and the auto
industrv Ills forest Service
and Interior Department i ontin
ue to promote deforestation ot
the American West at a rate
that tar e\i eeds deforestation ot
tropii al rain forests
Hush has opposed efforts to
control ozone layei destroying
i hernii als. and has ignored the
problem of global warming
mouthing the wishes ot the oil
industrv against the puhlu in
terest
We must work to elec t true
leaders, not I’R men who talk
out ol both sides ol theii
mouths
Tom Kibe
Kugene