2012 ELECTION COVERAGE
minded. Maybe that’s because she speaks
forcefully from the council chamber once
she’s ready to vote. But Taylor still hasn’t
decided how she’ll vote on the West EmX
extension, and she says she’s met with
both LTD offi cials and anti-EmXers to talk
about the impact of the project.
Valle is an enthusiastic, engaged
community member with a compelling life
story. He came to Eugene homeless years
ago, and he says he wants to give back to
the community that’s helped him along the
way. We found him diffi cult to pin down
on the issues, and he’s prone to saying
that he’d want to sit down with everyone
before making a decision. It’s a good way
to operate, but we can’t endorse cautious
indecision over positive, proven stands.
We’d love to see Valle running against
a less reliably progressive candidate in the
future.
EWEB Commission,
Wards 1 & 8
Steve Mital
We like both these candidates, Steve Mital
and Will Shaver, and we’re happy to see a
contested race since it offers an opportunity
for the public to look at the big issues facing
EWEB. Shaver’s strength is his ability to
analyze systems and come up with novel
solutions — useful skills in our increasingly
complex energy system. Shaver is also heavily
involved in the community. But we favor
Mital in this race for his broader understanding
of the issues facing EWEB and how EWEB
decisions affect not only our community but
also other communities, such as Veneta. He
sees creative opportunities for collaboration
with the Springfi eld Utility Board to provide
water security for both communities. Mital
has the support of Mayor Kitty Piercy and
other endorsers we trust. We hope Shaver, if
he does not win, comes back to try again later.
Springfield Ward 4
Cj Mann
EW doesn’t weigh in on Springfi eld
politics as often as maybe we should, but
Cj Mann, a labor activist and Housing
and Community Services of Lane County
employee, is worth endorsing in her
challenge to incumbent Dave Ralston.
Ralston’s nasty remarks about immigrants
and Centro LatinoAmericano led to his
removal from the Lane County Human
Rights Commission by Springfi eld Mayor
Christine Lundberg, and that sort of close-
minded thinking reverses any positive
feelings we might have had about his years of
experience on the Springfi eld City Council.
Mann might seem new to the political arena
but she’s got union leadership experience
and is looking to improve schools, roads,
parks, jobs and transportation in Springfi eld.
We are all for that.
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