letters
TO THE EDITOR
SOLID LEADERSHIP
As an involved citizen over the last
10 years and more, I’ve had the honor of
working with many of our local elected
offi cials.
A few hard-working electeds — Betty
Taylor, Pete Sorenson, Kitty Piercy and Rob
Handy — have provided a cornerstone of
almost everything we’ve succeeded in for the
public interest of Eugene and Lane County.
Representing Southeast Neighbors,
Friends of Eugene and other community
and nonprofi t perspectives since 1999
has repeatedly put me in a position me
to witness fi rst-hand the immense, often-
unseen contributions that our most reliable
local leaders make day in and day out.
Whether in broad collaboration or
in activist campaigns, making progress
around Lane County for livability and
shared prosperity would be near impossible
without the amazing courage, stamina and
real self-sacrifi ce of these special friends
and neighbors.
From saving taxpayer dollars through
right-sizing the Coburg I-5 intersection
project, to protecting public health, to
continuing the patient, solid work of
incremental rebuilding in downtown
Eugene via public-private partnerships,
our cornerstone leaders work hard to help
Eugene and Lane County realize the best of
ourselves as a community.
Please don’t be distracted by empty
political calls of change for its own sake.
The change we need is change for the
better, and some of our electeds are already
in there — not just putting out fancy words
— but doing the everyday, hard-knocks,
blue-collar work of pulling together to
build fairness and lasting value.
Please join me in supporting Betty
Taylor, Pete Sorenson, Kitty Piercy and
Rob Handy.
Kevin Matthews
Editor, ArchitectureWeek
Eugene
STAHL HAS CHANGED
Newspaper characterizations of Andy
Stahl don’t match his actions or affi liations.
The R-G characterizes Stahl as a “progres-
sive” (3/9), a “liberal” (3/25), and says it
“might be diffi cult to distinguish Stahl from
Sorenson.” The R-G mentions Stahl’s repu-
tation as an environmentalist (1/11). Well,
that was history. Andy is a very different
person these days.
He once did yeoman work with the
Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund during
the struggle to stop old-growth habitat
destruction, and fought excessive logging
in the Coast Range that caused an unusually
high frequency of landslides. That was
more than 20 years ago.
Today, to facilitate the industrial log-
ging of 1.5 million acres of federal forest,
Andy supports delivering 1.5 million acres
of federal public forest to the timber indus-
try disguised as county funding, eliminat-
ing all environmental laws on that 1.5 mil-
lion acres.
Liberals and progressives support envi-
ronmental protection and do not advocate
for the nullifi cation of environmental laws.
Liberals and progressives are not board
members of right-wing anti-government-
planning advocacy groups. Andy Stahl is
4
APRIL 26, 2012
EUGENE WEEKLY
a board member of the right-wing Thoreau
Institute and contributes articles for their
website (see http://ti.org/board.html). Ex-
amples of Thoreau Institute funders include
the Sarah Mellon Scaife Foundation, a
foundation fi nanced by the Mellon industri-
al, oil and banking fortune and the Charles
G. Koch Foundation.
Andy is using his history to obfuscate
the public’s impressions of him. There is
no confusing him with Pete Sorenson, for
his recent actions tell the true story: Andy
is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Susan Applegate
Yoncalla
FARR BAILING OUT?
Why should we believe that Pat Farr
would carry out his duties as a county
commissioner when he is proposing to
bail out as city councilor after only one
year into a four-year commitment? Have
all the city’s problems been solved? I
seem to remember the earlier Farr assuring
constituents he would be a city councilor
for the long haul. This contradiction does
not engender great trust. The incumbent,
Rob Handy, is by far the best choice.
Ramona McCall
Eugene
MITAL A PERFECT FIT
Steve Mital has been my neighbor for
the past seven years and I have no doubt,
as EWEB commissioner for Wards 1 & 8,
he will be a major asset to the board. Steve
is passionate about clean water and a strong
advocate for our sole source: the McKenzie
River. He understands the impact of rising
utility rates on families like mine and his
own, and the importance of support for low-
income families. I have my concerns re-
garding the smart meters, and feel that Steve
will effectively address the pros and cons.
Steve’s background in program manage-
ment, policy development and environmen-
tal studies, as well as his current position as
director of sustainability at UO, will be an
invaluable asset to EWEB; and his ability
to listen, research and ask important ques-
tions makes him an informed, prepared and
thoughtful decision maker. Steve’s commit-
ment to his family, living a modest lifestyle
mindful of the environment, and his knowl-
edge of the ramifi cations of climate change,
are evident in his daily interactions and in
the care he takes of his own small piece of
land. He bikes to work most days.
Knowing Steve as I do, it’s no surprise
that he has endorsements from Mayor Kitty
Piercy and the R-G. If elected, I know he
will be as dedicated to his position as
EWEB commissioner as he is to his family,
neighborhood, city, and the environment.
Steve Mital is a perfect fi t for the job of
EWEB commissioner.
Carole Biondello
Eugene
GOOD FOR SCHOOLS
Peter Sorenson stands up for the
children in our community. Last year,
I chaired the Strong Schools, Strong
Eugene campaign to raise additional
funds to support our 4J schools. County
Commissioner Pete Sorenson was a strong
supporter of that effort. He knows that we
needs strong schools that give all children
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