Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 18, 2012)
Lane County Measure 20-200 Lane County Measure 20-202 (Housekeeping amendments) (Repeal of charter sections) YES YES The conservative majority on the Lane County Commission and its county administrator have been less- than-stellar lately but the housekeeping amendments are fine and, like the other county measures, chosen because they are noncontroversial. Lane County Measure 20-201 (Repeal of Sect. 8 of charter) YES EW’s a little wary of anything that smacks of moving the county away from working with local governments like Eugene and Springfield, but we’re told this section is just a repetition of the state law that controls intergovernmental agreements. Section 8 of the charter authorizes the county to function in cooperation with other local governments and to transfer county functions to and assume functions of other local governments. But the county says mechanisms for intergovernmental dealings are already in place under Oregon law, rendering Sect. 8 meaningless. This measure clarifies election dates. It doesn’t change them; it just clarifies the language by tying elections to presidential and non-presidential elections years. Go for it. Eugene City Council Ward 4 Betty Taylor Veteran progressive Betty Taylor hasn’t ratcheted it down a single notch during her four terms on the council, and her refusal to compromise her values while standing up for the environment, human rights and a sensible tax policy has caused the far right to come after her by funding her opponent, Juan Carlos Valle. Seeking to unbalance the 4-4 liberal-conservative split on the council, conservatives are dumping money into Valle’s campaign. We like a councilor who scares them that much. Emerald PUD Board positions Ron Davis, Katherine Schacht, Laurie Smart With the help of then congressman Jim Weaver, the Emerald People’s Utility District began serving rural and suburban areas in 1983 as one of the most progressive and innovative public utilities in the nation. People still love this homegrown utility, but in recent years EPUD has suffered from bad investments, and internal strife on the board and with management. Embattled General Manager Frank Lambe is retiring and three out of the five board positions are on the ballot, with no shortage of good candidates. We think Ron Davis in District 1 (Cottage Grove), Katherine Schacht in District 4 (Coburg) and Laurie Smart in District 5 (Marcola) are the best choices to get the utility back on track and restore the transparency and accountability that has been so lacking. Davis is wanting back on the board after serving from 1981 to 1994 and wants to restore the core values that made EPUD “an award-winning and efficient utility.” Incumbent Schacht is an dedicated longtime board member whose outspoken demands for accountability have led to what we see as retaliation from Lambe and others in the form of ethics complaints and other petty squabbles. The utility needs Schacht’s experience and tough love going forward. Smart has been attending board meetings for the past two years and has an impressive understanding of the history, finances and challenges facing this board and utilities around the country. She runs a consulting firm that specializes in utility procedures and processes. The incumbent she is seeking to replace, Penny Eymann Jordan, has served the board well for eight years, but Smart shows exceptional leadership skills that the board will need in the years ahead. Fill Your Pantry Community Bulk Buying Events Don’t miss your chance to buy staple and storage crops directly from farmers. Linn County: Shedd Sunday, Oct 21, 2-6pm Methodist Church, 30090 Hwy 99E Product list available at tenriversfoodweb.org JUSTICE FOR EVERYONE Justice for young people. Justice for future generations. Justice for working people. Justice for women. Justice for LGBTQ people. t%S7JODFOU.VMJFSJTB8SJUF*O$BOEJEBUFGPS$JSDVJU$PVSU+VEHF %JTUSJDU 1PTJUJPO t%S.VMJFSJTB-BOF$PVOUZQVCMJDEFGFOTFBUUPSOFZBOEB 1IJMPTPQIZ1SPGFTTPSBU146)FIPMETB1I%JO1IJMPTPQIZGSPN UIF6PG0BOEBMBXEFHSFFGSPN8JMMBNFUUF6OJWFSTJUZ)FJTB NFNCFSPGUIF"NFSJDBO'FEFSBUJPOPG5FBDIFST t%S.VMJFSJTUIF'PVOEFSBOE&YFDVUJWF%JSFDUPSPG$FMJMP'BMMT 3FTUPSBUJPO'VOE BOPOQSPmUHSPVQUIBUQSPNPUFTUIFSFTUPSBUJPO PGUSBEJUJPOBMTBMNPOmTIFSJFTPOUIF$PMVNCJB3JWFS t%S.VMJFSIBTMJWFEJO&VHFOFTJODF)JTEBVHIUFSJTB GSFTINBOBUUIF6PG0 www.mulier4judge.org 22 October 18, 2012 • eugeneweekly.com Lincoln County: Newport Saturday, Nov 10, 10am – 2pm Lincoln County Fairgrounds, 633 NE 3rd Product list available at tenriversfoodweb.org Benton County: Corvallis Sunday, Nov 11, 1 - 4pm First United Methodist Church, 1165 NW Monroe Product list available at tenriversfoodweb.org Lane County: Springfield Sunday, Nov 18, noon - 4pm Sprout! Corner of 4th and “A” Product list available at lanefood.org Brought to you by: The Southern Willamette Valley Bean & Grain Project Including: Stalford Farm, Greenwillow Grains, Ten Rivers Food Web, Willamette Farm & Food Coalition
