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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 24, 2000)
Voters will get chance to send city councilors' first paycheck ■A debate arises over the measu re with argu merits concerning diversityand the meaningof service By Darren Freeman Oregon Daily Emerald Civic responsibility and the structure of Eugene government have come under scrutiny in de bate over Measure 20-29 on Eu gene’s May 16 primary ballot, pro posing city councilors and mayors be paid for the first time. Supporters of the measure say the jobs of city councilors and mayors have become increasingly demanding and that very few peo ple can afford to commit the time required to fill unpaid positions. “It’s difficult for people making a modest living to work on the council,” said Rob Zako who served on the committee that drafted the proposal the council forwarded to the ballot. Supporters argue that paying city councilors $1,000 a month and mayors $1,500, as the meas ure proposes, would allow a more diverse candidate pool and, there fore, improve representation. The measure, which would go into ef fect July 1, 2001, also allows the elected officials access to the city’s retirement and insurance plans. Those who oppose the meas ure, however, say the city charter prohibits payment of elected offi cials for a reason — serving on a city council, they argue, is a civic duty and should be treated as an act of volunteerism. Councilors report working 20 to 40 hours per week preparing and attending meetings, researching and responding to constituents. Many councilors say they’ve sacrificed professional and per sonal opportunities to serve on council. Councilor David Kelly said he’s cut his computer con sulting business’s workload by 75 percent, and Councilor Bobby Lee is leaving the council when his term expires in January, 2001, to explore job opportunities that the time commitment of city council has previously made impossible. Mayor Jim Torrey said he works 50 to 60 hours a week while run ning his communications compa ny and sleeps only five hours a night. Nonetheless, he said he would donate any pay he receives to charity, though he supports payment if it increases diversity among candidates. A candidate for the Ward 2 City Council seat, Azra Khalidi, oppos es the measure. She said coun cilors would serve less passion ately if they were paid. Jeff Miller, former mayor of Eu gene and an agent at Pacific Bene fit Consultants/ Eugene Insur ance, said city councilors are unnecessarily overworking them selves and shouldn’t be paid. “If the council feels it’s over worked, they need to get disci plined and focus on long-term is sues,” Miller said. “The city council wasn’t intended to micro manage the city.” Eugene’s City Council sets poli cy guidelines, and the city manag er’s office oversees city adminis tration according to those policies. Miller said the City Council is focusing too much on administra tive issues. If councilors are paid, they would have no incentive to scale back their focus, he said. Measure 20-29 The Eugene ballot measure would amend the City Charter to allow city councilors to be paid $1,000 a month and mayors $1,500. The elected officials would also gain access to the city’s retirement and insurance plans. Supporters say the jobs of city councilors and mayors have be come more demanding and few people can afford to work the long hours without pay. Payment of councilors and mayors would in crease the number and diversity of candidatesand improve represen tation, supporters say. Opponents say the city councilors and mayors shouldn’t be paid be cause serving in the elected offices is a civic responsibility. Opponents also worry that councilors receiv ing pay would be encouraged to work longer hours and focus on administrative issues, which are the domain of the city manager’s office. Like most opponents of the measure, Miller feels diversity among city councilors is sufficient and that there is no shortage. Zako, however, said wealthy councilors fare better than others under the current system. “If you’re making $40,000 a year and have to scale back to $10,000, you probably can’t afford to take that cut,” Zako said. “If you make $400,000 and cut to $100,000, you can get by.” Measu re wou Id li mit ju ry awa rds ■ By I i m iti ng da mages that can be awarded in civil suits, some argue businesses will be less accountable By Josh Ryneal Oregon Daily Emerald State Ballot Measure 81 would amend the Oregon Constitution to allow the Legislature to limit the damages plaintiffs receive in civil cases, and is garnering support from the medical community, in surance companies and business organizations, which all say the measure would limit their civil li ability and keep costs down. Opponents charge that Measure 81 would allow the Legislature to grant immunity to whole sections of industry and deny Oregonians rights to a fair trial. If voters pass the measure at the polls on May 16, they would grant the Oregon Senate and House of Representatives the power to en act statues limiting damages awarded to plaintiffs in civil tri als, rather than allowing juries that discretion. Rep. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eu gene, appointed by the Oregon Secretary of State to help draft the measure’s “impartial explana tion” in the Oregon Voters’ Pam phlet, said that the measure would cap non-economic dam ages at $500,000. In essence, Prozanski said, the measure would allow the Oregon legislature to regulate damages for pain and suffering, mental duress or any other punitive damages not directly related to a plaintiff’s im mediate physical care. Prozanski said the measure is “written so broadly, it goes way beyond non-economic damages.” He foresees an abundance of abus es by vested interests in both the Senate and the House. "The medical sector is con cerned about keeping their fees up and cutting liability,” Prozanski said. “Big businesses want protec tion from expensive lawsuits.” David Fidanque, executive di rector of the Oregon American Civil Liberties Union, also sees problems with Measure 81. "The ACLU doesn’t usually take positions on so-called ‘tort re form’ but the language in this measure is so sweeping and broad,” he said, stating the meas ure could be used to grant immu nity to businesses and other par ties supporting its passage. “The Oregon Bill of Rights states that you cannot grant im munity to any citizen or class of citizens, and this measure is a clear violation of that,” Fidanque said. He called the bill “sloppily written and hastily pushed through the Legislature.” Supporters of the measure point out that if civil liability goes unchecked, not only will busi nesses and insurance companies suffer, but so will the public. “Measure 81 will not only pro tect small business owners, hospi tals and doctors, but it will also protect government agencies, non-profit organizations, volun teers, good Samaritans and the public taxpayers,” said Jim Kro nenberg, associate executive di rector of the Oregon Medical As sociation. Kronenberg said supporters re alize this is a contentious issue. Measure 81 The state ballot measure would amend the Oregon Constitution to al low the Legislature to limit jury awards in civil cases. Supporters say the measure would protect government, medical, in surance and business organiza tions from exorbitant jury awards. Opponents say the measure would jeopardize the right to a fair trial and grant immunity to industries that should be held accountable by the courts. “We don’t want to deprive victims of their rightful damages,” he said. As for the “broad” language of the measure, he said the measure encompasses potential statutes. Kronenberg listed several prob lems that he foresees if Measure 81 doesn’t pass. “If it doesn’t pass, malpractice premiums will go up, insurance premiums will go up and hospi tal care may become more expen sive,” he said. “If a public agency is sued, the individual employees as well as the agency could be held liable in a civil lawsuit.” Besides, the public “already has plenty of other safeguards for injured parties,” Kronenberg said. In his opinion, the only people who would benefit if Measure 81 fails are those trying cases in civil litigation. If voters don’t pass Measure 81, Kronenberg predicts that “it will become open season on everyone for trial lawyers in civil cases.” V'eie BALLOT MEASURE e'e'o'e'e'e'e'e'e Calendar Monday, April 24 Open Enrollment Meeting: Repre sentatives of the Unum Life Insur ance Co. and the Oregon Public Em ployees’ Benefit Board explain new long-term care insurance plans for University employees. 3:30 p.m. EMU Fir Room. Free. For more in formation, browse ererere'e'Qfe'&'e' pebb.das.state.or.us/LTC2000.html or call 346-3159. Repeats at 6 p.m. EMU Cultural Forum Concert: Virtu oso guitarist John Scofield performs. 8 p.m. Ballroom, EMU. $18 general, $14 University students with ID. For information, browse darkwing.uoregon.edu/~cultural/ or call 346-4373. 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