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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (April 8, 2004)
paign finance reform, medical marijuana and sustainable forestry ballot measures. Attending will be mayoral candidate Kitty Piercy and forest activist Tim Hermach, who is seeking the Green Party nomination for U.S. Senate. Call.684-3927 or visit www.pacificgreens.org • City Club of Eugene is continuing its se- ries on politics in April with a luncheon talk by Portland attorney Dan Meek on cam- paign finance reform Friday, April 9 at the Hilton. Jefferson Smith of the Oregon Bus Project will speak April 16 at Mallard Hall on West 1st Avenue. City Council candidates will be debating April 23 at the Hilton. And mayoral candidates will debate April 30 at the Hilton. All programs begin at 11:50 am and lunch is optional. Visit www.cityclubofeugene.org for more infor- mation. • A Take Back the City Council House Party in support of Andrea Ortiz is planned • Our cover story this week is an admittedly subjective attempt to chart the voting records of city councilors on issues we believe are important to the health and livability of our community and valley. Not all the councilors are up for election this time around, but tracking votes is a way to make all our elected officials accountable. As we’ve learned in the past, candidates might say all the right things, and even be sincere in their words, but the pressures of public office can alter perspectives, for better or worse. Let’s study these votes carefully, and let’s use this information as a framework to question candidates in public forums. These contests might easily be decided in May, so don’t even think about not voting in the primary. • The initiative campaign to refer the Riverfront Urban Renewal District to the voters was floundering last week and organizers had given up hope. But a last-minute blitz by several petition gatherers may have saved the day. The deadline for turning in signa- tures is 5 pm Thursday, April 8. Petition organizer Ruth Duemler says 70 people had originally taken out petitions but turned in nowhere near the targeted 4,500 signatures as of Friday, April 2. She figures people were spread too thinly working on key local election campaigns to get excited about a complex and wonkish government financial issue. But as of Tuesday this week, more than 3,000 signatures had been gathered. One person alone turned in 1,000 signatures, another person turned in 500. Who says one person can’t make a difference? Here’s a heads up: Councilors will soon be voting on renewing and expanding Eugene’s other urban renewal district downtown. Darin J. Ward DDS PC, F.A.G.D. Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry Health Centered Dentistry 300 Country Club Rd. Ste. 290 • Eugene, OR 97401 At Health Centered Dentistry, we focus on your overall wellness. By tak- ing a holistic approach and arranging for health rather than merely treating disease, we offer an opportunity to restore your oral health to its optimum. We look at the whole picture, consider sys- temic health and underlying factors, and take steps to perfect your smile while pre- venting problems before they occur. Friendly faces welcome you in a relaxing, stress-free environment to ensure you are as comfort- able as possible. Call today and experience the benefits we offer with the extraordinary people and unique setting only Health Centered Dentistry can provide. (541) 686-2441 for 5:30 Saturday, April 10 at 1439 W. 4th Ave. in Eugene. Ortiz is running for City Council in Ward 7. The event includes an Easter egg hunt, vegetarian Mexican dinner, speech by Ortiz and a Baja slide show by Michael Carrigan. RSVP to 342-1953 or to carrigan@efn.org CORRECTIONS/CLARIFICATIONS • The article “Under, Underground” in last week’s Swizzle incorrectly stated twice that the band Stacked performed a Madonna cover song. Stacked is a female-fronted rock band, not a cover band. • In our cover story on plans for a power plant in Coburg last week we wrote that Gary Marcus “founded the Eugene Jewish Federation.” But Marcus tells us he was not the founder, but “just moved it into my office at Frontier Technology and provided the staff for its administrative functions as well as be- coming its largest contributor.” • Gov. Ted told the Eugene City Club last Friday that his #1 environmental priority is restoring the Willamette river. He said he’s going to lead a “major effort” over the next three years to improve the water quality, restore wetlands, and generally bring back the river. His effort will include what he calls a “coalition of willing businesses.” We applaud this Kulongoski campaign and hope he will institute long-term practices and regulation to protect this treasure yet again. • It’s been more than a year since the U.S. invaded Iraq and some Eugene area military personnel are returning home soon as part of the troop rotation. Most people won’t want to hear their stories, but they will carry in their minds images of savage warfare and harsh living conditions in strange lands, as soldiers have for thousands of years. Some elements of war haven’t changed over the millenia. But the technology of war continues to advance, sometimes with unexpected effects. An April 2 story in the New York Daily News reports that four New York reservists have been contaminated with radiation likely caused by inhaling dust from depleted uranium (DU) shells fired by U.S. troops. The soldiers were not directly involved in combat where these shells were used, but rather they were providing guard duty for convoys, running jails and training Iraqi police. DU, which is twice as heavy as lead, makes deadly armor-piercing weaponry, but the radioactive contamination it leaves behind is persistent and prone to drifting with the wind. Such is the nature of war. SLANT includes short opinion pieces, observations and rumor-chasing notes compiled by the EW staff. Heard any good rumors lately? Contact Ted Taylor at 484-0519, 1300 Oregon doctors say, “Marijuana is medicine.” Cannabis is a safe and effective medicine. Get pain relief without addictive pharmaceuticals. Oregon Medical Marijuana law is approved for: Cancer, HIV/AIDS, glaucoma, pain, seizures, muscle spasms, nausea, and wasting syndrome. To set an appointment with our doctor, call 503-224-3051 THE DOCTOR IS IN EUGENE! RE-ELECT Bonny Bettman EUGENE CITY COUNCILOR SERVING WARD 1 “One of the main ingredients for a successful community leader is a person who is honest, sincere, looks after the welfare of their constituents and the duties for which they were elected. I believe that Bonny Bettman is such a person. I have worked with her on the naming of Rev. Martin L. King, Jr. Blvd. which was a major step for diversity in Eugene. I support Bonny Bettman’s reelection without reservation.” — Dr. Edwin L. Coleman, II Professor Emeritus University of Oregon FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.efn.org/~bonny PAID FOR BY ELECT BONNY BETTMAN 8 APRIL 8, 2004
