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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 31, 2000)
Restauranteur throws hat into council race ■ University graduate and Doc’s Pad owner Tracy Olsen will run on a platform of youth issues By Darren Freeman Oregon Daily Emerald With the 2000 election cycle warming up, local restaurant owner and University alumnus Tracy Olsen is approaching the starting block to run for the City Council Ward 3 position, which represents the University area and is currently held by Bobby Lee. Olsen said he plans to formally announce his candidacy and begin addressing his major platforms, in cluding revitalizing the downtown mall and improving youth services, in early February. A life-long Eugene resident, Olsen graduated from South Eugene High School and the University and found ed the downtown restaurant Doc’s Pad, which he still owns and operates. Olsen has also served on the board of Eugene Active 2030 Club, a vol unteer organization with members aged 20-40, that fund raises for lo cal children service groups. “A lot of people may throw at me my lack of political experience,” Olsen said. “Maybe that’s a positive thing. If you want to get involved and make a difference in this city, you can. I think I can make a posi tive difference.” Olsen, who lives and works downtown, said he is committed to revitalizing the area to make it “be come a true heart of the city.'” “People tend to get depressed when they talk about downtown, and there tend to be feelings of gloom and doom,” Olsen said. “People need to realize that posi tive things are happening. We can get good work done.” Though downtown probably won’t be able to become the retail center of Eugene, Olsen said, it could still become the cultural cen ter providing entertainment, restau rants and community centers. 5 Olsen said his goals for down town are linked to his ideas for helping youths in Eugene. “If you walk through downtown, you see a lot of youth who don’t have the direction to get off the mall,” Olsen said. “Instead of playing loud classical music to drive them out of the area, let’s give them something constructive to do in stead of just hanging out. ” Olsen said he’d work to open a downtown youth center and look into providing other services for young adults. Also, Olsen said he would work to support and ex pand services for Eugene’s youngest residents, those under the age of six. “Tracy and I feel the U of O is a tremendous resource,” said Debo rah Harford, Olsen’s campaign co ordinator. “He would like to have as many students as possible in volved with his campaign. ” Bringing his campaign to cam pus, Olsen hopes, will help boost student participation in local gov ernment. “I think in general the student community is somewhat apathet ic,” Olsen said. “They don’t get in volved and don’t get out to vote. ” Olsen said he would also work to improve understanding be tween students and the Eugene Police Department, regarding par ties and protests, and ensure that landlords properly maintain prop erties close to campus and not charge stu dents top prices for lo cation alone. “Tracy has always been really knowl edgeable and had the best and most ere sir mBSm aTlve iQeas 01 OLSFN how to deal with our is sues,” said Mike Clark, president of both Eugene Active 2030 Club and Marketing Consultants Inc. “ I can’t think of anybody who could do a better job filling in for and follow ing Bobbie Lee.” Students have opportunity for advice on filing taxes ■ The IRS, along with local groups, offer a wide variety of help for students filing 1999 tax returns By Brian GoodeM Oregon Daily Emerald Contrary to popular belief, tax es don’t file themselves. The only way to get the money back from the government that magically disappeared from last year’s pay checks is to file with the- Internal Revenue Service by April 17. The IRS, the Oregon Depart ment of Revenue and the Ameri can Association of Retired Per sons are offering free tax help between now and the deadline. In an effort to get tax help out to communities that do not necessar ily have access to IRS offices in Portland and Eugene, the IRS Tax Mobile will make several stops in rural Oregon. The service is free to anyone who plans to file this year. “It’s like a traveling IRS walk-in office,” IRS Communications Man ager Judy Monahan said. “You get one-on-one help from people se lected because of their customer service skills. This is a job they’re thrilled to do, and it’s free.” The 30-foot motor home will make 17 stops in Oregon over 104 days during tax season. Taxpayers can pick up forms and publica tions, get answers to tax law ques tions, get help preparing basic indi vidual tax returns and get advice on how to file electronically. Citing the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, Monahan said students will want to pay close attention to the Hope Scholarship Credit and the Lifetime Learning Credit. The new law allows students to claim a certain percentage of their tu ition paid the preceding year on their federal tax return. The AARP will sponsor Tax Aide, a number of tax help sessions staffed by volunteers throughout Lane County. The purpose of the program is to assist low- and mod erate-income people file their fed eral and state income tax returns. “Some students may qualify for the Earned Income Credit,” AARP District Coordinator Bob Bottage said. “The EIC is a credit for persons who work, and who may or may not have a child liv ing with them. The credit has been increased again this year to a maximum of $3,816 to those with two children.” Customer Assistance Days is a Tax help Volunteers will offer free tax help at the following locations throughout Eugene beginning Feb. 1 and contin uing through ApriM 5: LCC Downtown: Front Lobby, 9 a.m. 3 p.m., Tuesdays, Wednesdays, 9 a.m 2 p.m., Saturdays Eugene Public Library: 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Thursdays Petersen Bam Community Center: 1:30 p.m.-4 p.m., Wednesdays, Fri days Centro Latino Americo: 12 p.m A p.m., Tuesdays For more information on dates and times, call theAARP at 687-1777. SOURCE: AARP service provided by the Oregon De partment of Revenue to assist Ore gonians filing their state income tax. ODR employees will be avail able from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Sat urday, Feb. 5, April 8, and April 15. The Eugene office is located at 2350 Oakmont Way, #105. “Fifty-nine cents of every tax dollar ih Oregon goes to educa tion,” ODR Public Information Officer Deni Cooperrifler said. “Paying taxes is the responsibility of all citizens to ensure that the state is able to provide its public services. Students should take advantage of Customer Assis tance Days if they need help or call the state’s tax help line.” Taxpayers can contact Ore gon’s toll-free help line at 1-800 356-4222. DEAD MAN WALKING Susan Sarandon stars as Sister Helen Prejean in Tim Robbins' film of her memoirs of counseling death row inmates. Like Prejean's book, the film looks at the death penalty issue from all sides, navigating the complex personal, ethical and legal issues involved and balancing compassion for both the criminals and the people whose lives they destrov Pi lenomenal performances from the Oscar-wining Susan Sarandon .and Sean Penn, in the role of the inmate. I MOVIE! Free Tuesday, Feb. 1 at 7 pm In 180 PLC I Sister Helen Prejean speaks 1 Wednesday, Feb. 2 at noon in the EMU Ballroom. Free and open to the public. : Co-sponsored by: • ACLU of Oregon • Life for a Life Committee • II of 0 Cultural Forum • Oregon Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty • U of 0 Peace Studies Program • Oregon Fellowship of Reconciliation • U of 0 Student Activities Resource Office • Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association • Sponsors, Inc. • Oregon Peaceworks • St. Thomas Moore Newman Center • St. Vincent dePaul Society of Lane County. Inc. • The Koinonia Center • Wesley Foundation photo by Chad Boutin P.O. Box 3159. Eugene OR 97403 The Oregon Daily Emerald is published daily Mon day through Friday during the school year and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co. Inc., at the University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon. A member of the Associated Press, the Emerald operates inde pendently of the University with offices in Suite 300 of the Erb Memorial Union. The Emerald is private property. The unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable by law. NEWSROOM — (541) 346-5511 Editor in chief: Laura Cadiz Managing Editor: Felicity Ayles Community: Sara Lieberth, editor. Darren Freeman, Brian Goodell, reporters. Freelance: Eric Pfeiffer, editor. Higher Education: Ben Romano, editor. Jessica Blanchard, Serena Markstrom, reporters. Perspectives: Bret Jacobson, Laura Lucas, editors. Fred M. Collier, Jonathan Gruber, Beata NTostafavi, Mason West, columnists. Pulse: Jack Clifford, editor. Sara Jarrett, Yael Menahem, reporters. Student Activities: Jeremy Lang, editor. Cathlene E. McGraw, Simone Ripke, Edward Yuen, reporters. Sports: Mirjam Swanson, editor. Scott Pesznecker, assistant editor. Matt O’Neill, Jeff Smith, Brett Williams, reporters. News Aide: Lorraine-Michelle Faust. 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