Eugene weekly., May 03, 2012, Page 4, Image 4

Celebrate Eugene
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RESIDENTIAL BROKER
TO THE EDITOR
WORDS FROM WEAVER
Kristena Cox & Justin Schmick
Your Commercial/Residential Real Estate Team
letters
COMMERCIAL BROKER
Pete Sorenson was my top aide when I was
fi rst elected to Congress and helped me put
through the French Pete Wilderness Act over
strong objection from the timber industry. I
can say without qualifi cation I know no more
dedicated and honest a public servant.
He is needed as never before on the
county commission to withstand the
fi restorm fl aming on the right that will lead
to the degradation of our land, water and
air in Lane County. Together, with another
strong voice on the commission, Rob
Handy, they will hold fi rm against run-
away power grabs like the ones blistering
from the right that maligned them in recent
months, hoping to drive them from offi ce.
I urge citizens in their districts to keep
these two fi ne people on the commission
as a bulwark against the interests that will
undermine the quality of life in our county.
Jim Weaver, former congressman
Eugene
residents signed petitions demanding the
dunes be saved. Lane County citizens owe a
big debt of gratitude to Pete Sorenson for his
outstanding leadership in saving the dunes.
Indeed, it was Sorenson who came up
with an innovative solution to the problem.
Due to his vast knowledge of state law,
Sorenson asked his fellow commissioners to
invoke an Oregon statute giving counties the
power to place suitable foreclosed properties
into their parks inventories. After a colleague
verifi ed that state parks offi cials would use
some eligible lottery proceeds to compensate
Lane County for the land, the commissioners
voted to save the dunes. Without Sorenson’s
knowledge, and creating a bipartisan
solution, this irreplaceable legacy would
have been lost forever. Future generations
may never know Sorenson’s role in this, but
on the coast we deeply appreciate his talents.
Rob Handy and Sorenson are a
tremendous help to coastal residents.
Lea Patten
Florence
REPRESENTING US
4
MAY 3, 2012
EUGENE WEEKLY
Whether or not you are new to town, you
may be mystifi ed about whom to vote for in
the local election on May 15. Are there any
candidates proven to represent us, the 99
percent, instead of well-funded special interest
groups who often resort to smoke, mirrors,
misinformation and personal attack in their
campaigns? Fortunately yes, there are.
Many long-time Eugene residents and
public interest advocates such as myself
endorse the reelection of four candidates
based on personal observation over the
years. For example, since the 1980s, the
campus and the community applauded Pete
Sorenson as he consistently stood with us to
oppose the UO administration’s unfair and
unwise decisions to eliminate its invaluable
low cost student family housing at Amazon
and Westmoreland. Those of us supporting
peace and justice appreciated his leadership
in getting 200 elected offi cials around the
state to sign on to a petition to the Oregon
congressional delegation to demand an end
to our war in Iraq.
These kinds of actions and the voting
records of Pete and three other elected
offi cials demonstrate a solid commitment
to peace, justice, environment, education,
sustainable economy and the public
interest. Like the League of Conservation
Voters, we’re endorsing Pete Sorenson and
Rob Handy for the county commissioners’
positions, Betty Taylor for City Council
and Kitty Piercy for mayor.
David Zupan, director
Progressive Voices
www.progressivevoices.org
STAHL’S LONG RECORD
PETE TO THE RESCUE
THEY RARELY AGREE
Pete Sorenson and Rob Handy both
should be re-elected! To refresh memories,
former commissioners Anna Morrison and
Ellie Dumdi seldom were of help to coastal
residents. We greatly increased Sorenson’s
workload by asking his assistance on
county matters.
It was Sorenson who saved our iconic
Glenada dunes from development. The lands
were in foreclosure, developers were poised
and bulldozers were ready to go. Lane County
was preparing to auction the irreplaceable
dunes, pine forests and a Native American
archaeological site. In 2005, thousands of
Your April 5 Slant column really did
a number on Andy Stahl, candidate for
county commissioner. His longtime friend
Randal O’Toole, a research employee of
a libertarian think tank, donated $500 of
his personal funds to Andy’s campaign.
Although Andy and Randal are of different
political persuasions, implications in the
“Slant” item were that somehow the two
think in tandem. In fact, although Andy and
Randal have common ground as to some
political problems, they hardly ever agree
on solutions. Slant engaged in a dangerous
ad hominem fallacy. Here’s what I think:
In the race for Lane County
Commissioner I am supporting Andy Stahl.
Stahl has a long record of environmental
advocacy and executive leadership
running Forest Service Employees for
Environmental Ethics. He has worked
tirelessly on behalf of education and the
welfare of children as a foster parent and as
a school board member. He supports open
and ethical government, in sharp contrast
to the incumbent, Peter Sorenson.
As a parent and grandparent I watched
with dismay as Sorenson, his soulmate Rob
Handy, and their “book club” circumvented
Oregon’s Public Meetings Law; worse yet,
when found guilty, the pair continued to
deny any wrongdoing and tried to spin the
verdict as a green light to engage in more
egregious behavior. What kind of example
is this for the next generation?
I likewise puzzled over their decision
three years ago to resist restoring county jail
capacity from federal funds while prioritizing
their acquisition of personal assistants at
public expense. Would one of their would-be
aides have rushed to the rescue if my kids or
grandkids needed a cop?
Fifteen years and hundreds of thousands
of dollars in taxpayer-funded legal costs later,
Sorenson has had his chance. It’s time for a
change.
Teresa Carp
Eugene
EDITOR’S NOTE: Rob Handy says the money for part-time
constituent service aides came from an unfilled administration
position in the budget, and not from public safety.
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