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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (May 5, 2011)
ELECTION ENDORSEMENTS M ay 17 is set aside this year for elections of school board members and ballot measures in Lane County. Information on the election can be found in the Voters’ Pamphlet or at www.lanecounty.org/elections or call 682- 4234. Ballots can be mailed in by May 12 or dropped off at white ballot boxes around town until 8 pm May 17. Below are our endorsements for Eugene ballot measures and selected contested races. LCC Director , Position 6 at-large — Rosie Pryor Rosie Pryor has earned this position, demonstrating a longtime commitment to community colleges. Her father was the fi rst president of Clatsop Community College in Astoria, her son is enrolled in LCC. Dr. Roger Hall, retiring after 20 years on the board, leads the list of endorsers on her website. Her public relations skills will be welcome in these daring expansion days for LCC. LCC Director, Position 7 at-large — Tony McCown Tony McCown is the dynamic young chair of the LCC Board and he’s on a roll. We see no reason to replace him, though his opponent Doug Nelson is also a good candidate. McCown was elected to the Zone 2 position four years ago and is now seeking an at-large post while longtime board member Robert Ackerman is leaving Position 7 and running unopposed for Zone 2. It’s complicated. But McCown is uniquely qualifi ed as an LCC success story. He went on to the UO to study for his master’s in public administration, while working as an urban planner and serving in leadership roles on various boards and committees. Eugene 4J School Board, Position 1 — Alicia Hays Incumbent Alicia Hays, the director of the Lane County Department of Children and Families, has decades of experience working for children, human rights, inclusion and equity. She’s a clear choice for the School Board. We only wish she would use her strong qualifi cations to provide a clearer, stronger and more vocal voice on an opaque school board more prone to Kremlin-like mumblings during meetings than clear and open debate of contentious issues. Hays’ opponent Gary Carpenter, a Fern Ridge School District principal, has a good point that school board members shouldn’t just sit and listen and then raise their hands to vote. But Carpenter lacks Hays’ experience and teachers’ association endorsement and has given only weak support for the school funding measure. The third candidate in the race, contractor Greg Stallings has huge contributions from conservatives, no comparable experience serving kids and opposes the school funding effort. Eugene 4J School Board, valuable experience in helping troubled and diverse youth, but she also opposes the school funding measure. Eugene 4J School Board, Position 7 — Mary Walston Mary Walston, a manager with United Way with decades of government experience, is the clear choice in this race. Walston supports the funding measure to save kids from crowded classrooms and cut school days. Salesperson Sherry Callahan (Mark Callahan’s wife) opposes the school funding effort and bashes teachers. Matt Ginsberg, a computer scientist, opposes school funding, bashes teachers and opposes 4J efforts to close the minority achievement gap. Like other incumbents, we do hope Walston will be more open and outspoken at meetings and make school closures more equitable. Position 4 — Craig A. Smith It’s tempting to cast a protest vote against Craig Smith, the business lawyer chair of the School Board, but we support him. The board has stumbled at times in dealing with the school funding measure, the superintendent’s divisive school closure strategy, and the pay rate for the new superintendent. But Smith has proven himself valuable in Salem by providing a conservative business voice lobbying for more education funding, and he has gained a great depth of knowledge serving on the board for the past 16 years. He supports the income tax as a short-term fi x, but also recognizes that the long-term solution has to come from the state. The Eugene Education Association declined to make an endorsement in this race, but voters have to choose. Smith’s most credible opponent in this race is Natasha Hennings, who supports school funding and has experience as a 4J parent, but doesn’t fully understand the equity issues with school choice, and she lacks Smith’s experience. Hennings should immerse herself in the 4J Budget Committee and run again. Tea Partier Mark Callahan thinks schools have plenty of money, and offers ideas that make no sense, such as eliminating the superintendent position and all executive sessions, apparently even those dealing with confi dential legal and personnel matters. Linda Hamilton, a county parole and probation offi cer, is well-spoken and could provide Bethel School Board, Position 4 — Todd Lipkin Two good candidates have fi led in this open race to replace Wayne Watkins, who has served on the board since 1979. We have always appreciated the public service of EWEB Commissioner Rich Cunningham, who has served on the Bethel Budget Committee for the past year, but we give LTD’s Finance Manager Todd Lipkin the edge in this race, based on his track record of leadership and high level of volunteering in the district. Lipkin was one of the founders of the Bethel Education Foundation. He’s endorsed by both Stand for Children and the Eugene Education Association. Ballot Measure 20-182 — Temporary city income tax for schools — YES This four-year, modest ($120 a year on average) tax is by far the most important thing on the ballot. Without the school funding measure, 100 teachers could lose their jobs and 4J and Bethel kids could suffer classrooms packed with more than 50 kids and school weeks cut to four days. The cuts could also strike a heavy blow to local jobs by making Eugene less desirable for businesses, an Sushi Seoul MOTHER’S DAY MONTH SPECIAL FORMERLY BREWED AWAKENING TASTY & MOST AFFORDABLE PRICES IN EUGENE SUSHI & KARAOKE E serving breakfast serving korean food & sushi & sandwiches now serving bubble tea 20 off $ WITH $60 PURCHASE BREAKFAST, LUNCH OR DINNER EXP. 5/31/11 KARAOKE AVAILABLE AT NIGHTTIME BY RESERVATION 2532 Willakenzie Eugene across from Sheldon HS | 342-6861 | Mon 11am-10pm Tues-Sun 7am - 10pm 12 MAY 5, 2011 EUGENE WEEKLY WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
