2012 ELECTION COVERAGE
downplayed in the R-G is that the terms of the settlement
stipulated that Handy and Sorenson didn’t admit any
wrongdoing.
Legal minds argue the ruling was clear as mud anyway. That
includes the Oregon Legislative Counsel, the agency that
provides legal research for the Legislature and its members.
The legislative counsel reviewed Gillespie’s ruling and
concluded that the judge’s reasoning “does not support the
conclusion that a public meeting law violation occurred.”
The case could have been appealed, but the conservative
county commission appeared against it, and a settlement was
reached instead.
The suit was criticized as a politically motivated effort to
hurt the liberal commissioners, and it worked. Fleenor, who
was exonerated, did not run again for the West Lane commission
seat, and Libertarian-turned-Republican Jay Bozievich took the
spot in the last election.
Stahl says his issue is with “Sorenson’s conduct when the
‘Book Club’ was established to hide the deliberations of budget
committee members who met privately to line up votes for
commissioners’ aides, just as the county was facing budget
challenges that have worsened to this day.”
However, under Gillespie’s ruling, which was based on
“serial emails,” there was no quorum that met in person and no
one was found to have had an illegal “Book Club” or other
meetings.
Sorenson says he decided to run again, despite the smears,
because not running would “acknowledge that standing up for
progressive values would mean you would be attacked, and
attacked successfully.” He wants to see the liberals in town not
fear that running for office means they will be vilified, he says.
The lawsuit was not the only attack, and not the only one
that was deemed unfounded. That suit was followed by an
“investigation,” later called an audit, into the Community and
Economic Development Department.
“Having a review of how public funds are being spent is a
good thing,” Sorenson says. But he says to call it an investigation
in the paper and call out Handy and Sorenson as “commissioners
under investigation,” when in the end the issue had little or
nothing to do with individual commissioners was troubling.
Then County Administrator Liane Richardson initiated an
investigation into Handy and Sorenson for “harassment.” The
investigation, which cost the county thousands of dollars,
included allegations that Handy and Sorenson were retaliating
against Richardson, calling her a liar and giving questions to an
EW reporter. The accusations were all found to be without
evidence, and voting on issues such as Richardson’s appointment
as “permanent county administrator” was found to be something
they were elected to do.
The Supporters
Sorenson says the positions he has
taken on issues, from logging to sprawl
to the Strong Schools initiative over the
years have reflected the views of the
people in his district but have
‘infuriated really powerful interests.’
Finally there was yet another investigation into Sorenson,
one he wasn’t made aware of as it happened, that yet again
looked into the allegations of the Seneca-funded Dumdi case.
This investigation by the Washington County District Attorney
also ended in dismissed allegations.
That’s four unsubstantiated investigations into a liberal
commissioner who votes against big money interests and for
the environment. “It’s ominous to have elected officials be
subjected to this kind of harassment,” Sorenson says.
All of these attacks were reported by the R-G in stories
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focusing on the allegations, not on the conclusions. It could be
that wrongdoing is sexier in the paper than innocence, or it
could be, as the EW editorial section has argued, that the daily
paper still hasn’t gotten over its grudge about the previous,
more liberal board voting to make EW a newspaper of record
and share in the county’s advertising dollars. The R-G wrote the
county and threatened litigation over the issue.
“He hasn’t just piled on with what the timber company did,
or what the right-wing Republicans did or what the daily
newspaper has done,” Sorenson says of Stahl, “He’s piled on
with all of them.”
Sorenson’s web page proudly lists unions, environmental
groups and local politicians including Mayor Kitty Piercy, and
City Councilors Betty Taylor, George Brown and Alan Zelenka.
Stahl has mailed out a colorful card full of praise from state
legislators Reps. Val Hoyle, Phil Barnhart, Nancy Nathanson
and Paul Holvey and state Sen. Floyd Prozanski.
Stahl’s campaign money has come from family loans, the
legislators who endorse him, the Cato Institute’s Randal
O’Toole and includes an in-kind contribution from Ed King of
$8,500. King is known not only for his popular King Estate
Winery, but also for his business association with the
controversial Greg Demers and McDougal brothers, whose
companies having been mining Parvin Butte and seeking
control over water from the McKenzie River (see News Briefs
this issue). Stahl has said he does not supports the water grab.
Sorenson’s money has largely come from unions,
environmentalists and local supporters of liberal causes, like
those fighting big timber, gravel companies and pro-sprawl
developers. He has spoken out repeatedly against the water
grab as well as on Parvin Butte.
As the Bard wrote, “Nature hath framed strange bedfellows
in her time,” and the Lane County Board of Commissioners is
a strange bed. May the best man lie in it.
Re-elect
Betty Taylor
INTEGRITY
INDEPENDENCE
EXPERIENCE
AFSCME
Oregon League of Conservation Voters
Many Rivers Group
Democratic Party of Lane County
County Commisioner Pete Sorensen
Eugene City Councilor George Brown
Eugene City Councilor Alan Zelenka
EUGENE WEEKLY MAY 3, 2012 13