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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2004)
Piercy points to her experience as state legislator in her willingness to listen to all points of view, to have an open door, and to reach compromise on the tough issues. In an April 18 R-G article, Green said the financial stability of the county is his No. 1 priority. Ringer defines his priorities as: fiscal stability; affordable recreational opportunities for low- and moderate- income residents; and environmental pro- tection. In terms of how his approach and phi- losophy differ from those of Green, Ringer says, “Where I differ most from Green philosophically is my recognition that eco- nomic development and ecological protec- tion are inseparable. We cannot have a healthy economy without a healthy envi- ronment (in fact, the success of my own business depends on the satisfaction of both objectives).” Ringer also disagrees with funding public safety programs by eliminating essential social, environmental and recre- ational services. Instead, he supports the Board’s decision to reduce County spend- ing by 9 percent across the board, so that Lane County can retain some level of access for residents who depend on these programs. In the past four years, Ringer notes that his opponent fought to turn community farms into sand and gravel pits, advocated expanding the urban growth boundary to annex more property, and nearly doubled his salary to $70,000, or twice the median wage in Lane County. “Yet,” Ringer says, “15 percent of our residents continue to live in poverty; 8 per- cent of our workers are unemployed, and our economic development strategy lacks imagination and a coherent vision. We publicly subsidize corporate relocations and energy-consumptive business prac- tices, while we marginalize local business owners and workers, and ignore the attrac- tiveness of Lane County’s ‘green’ reputa- tion for meaningful, long-term job cre- ation and environmental conservation.” Ringer finds it even more troubling that Lane County faces a $4 million budget shortfall this fiscal year, and commission- ers must now make difficult choices about which functions county government will provide. He says, “Because of repeated voter opposition to additional taxes, Commissioner Green argues that we must eliminate essential social, environmental and recreational services to maintain pub- lic safety alone. I believe otherwise … [recognizing] that our county parks, social programs, and planning services are as critical to our community’s public health as are the number of deputies or jail beds we have available.” We like what Ringer has to say and the alternatives he’s proposing to the status quo. For these reasons, we endorse Ringer. Lane County Commission, Position 5 Don Hampton Don Hampton’s appointment last sum- mer to the east Lane County vacancy left by commissioner-turned-UO-law-profes- sor Tom Lininger was a smart choice. An even smarter choice is to keep Hampton on the job. Lane County Sheriff Russel Burger Don Hampton Hampton is a commissioner who understands how good, old-fashioned common sense intersects with things like managing urban growth and protecting prime farmland. “He wants to build smarter, not bigger,” says County Commissioner Bill Dwyer. It is this com- bination that speaks both to the needs of his largely rural constituency and to those non-ruralites in Lane County opposed to sprawl and big box store syndrome. Hampton supports family wage jobs; better law enforcement; low property taxes; lean, balanced budgets; preservation of senior, veteran, abused children and rural clinic services; balanced land use policy that respects private property rights, rural identity and natural resources. Don Hampton is the only logical choice for Position 5. Sheriff Jan Clements might have caught a couple of people by surprise when he decided not to run for reelection this year. Had there been more notice, we might know more about sheriff candidates like Louis Gomez, chief of police in Oakridge. We like what Gomez has to say so far, and are interested in his approach to the sheriff’s position. But for this particu- lar election, EW endorses Russ Burger. Burger seems to have the clearest understanding of the sheriff’s position from both the law enforcement and correc- tions perspective. He is also familiar with the budgetary constraints, and was actual- ly brought in by Clements because of his ability and willingness to work with a wide range of law enforcement agencies. Mayor of Eugene Kitty Piercy Kitty Piercy enjoys broad support in Eugene. In Her years as a teacher, Focus state legislator and leader of many civic organizations make her a natural for the job of mayor. Citing her position on a roundtable that includes both business-oriented Lane Metro Partnership and environmental group 1000 Friends of Oregon, Piercy says she’s qualified to bring all types of people of varying viewpoints together to discuss issues, reach compromise, and move for- ward. Piercy’s opponent, Nancy Nathanson, u Kitty Piercy VOTE VOTE 2004 Primary Election May 18, 2004 Endorsements at a Glance A quick look at EW’s picks for the May 18 Primary Election. Unopposed candi- dates are not included. U.S. President John Kerry (D) Secretary of State Bill Bradbury (D), Fred Granum (R) House District 7 Shirley Cairns (D) House District 8 Paul Holvey (D) Judge, Supreme Court, 4 Rives Kistler Judge, Supreme Court Position 7 William Riggs Judge, Court of Appeals Position 7 Robert Wollheim Lane County Commission, Position 4 Greg Ringer Lane County Commission, Position 5 Don Hampton Lane County Sheriff Russel Burger Mayor of Eugene Kitty Piercy Eugene City Council, Ward 1 Bonny Bettman Eugene City Council, Ward 2 Betty Taylor Eugene City Council, Ward 7 Andrea Ortiz EWEB, Wards 1 & 8 Position John Simpson MAY 6, 2004 13
