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Fast. Real fast.
BETTY AND THE MAYOR
What if the idea were to shift more
of the council votes to 5-3? Who might
benefi t from that and how could it be done?
Let’s try to think this through.
If the council remains evenly divided,
then the mayor is empowered to break ties
and become the decider. Since Mayor Piercy
is not as conservative as the conservative
half of the council, the more progressive
side benefi ts by having a 4-4 council.
So, the strategy from a progressive point
of view would be to keep Betty Taylor.
From a conservative point of view, the
strategy would be to get someone to run
against Betty who could claim to have
her values, be portrayed as more vigorous
and persuasive, and willing to consider
some of the lesser unpalatable truths of
the other side. The goal would be to get
more 5-3 votes, especially in crucial times.
The overall impact would be to reduce the
power of the mayor to decide.
How to get this done? First, fi nd an
attractive young man with a compelling
life story and have him move into Betty’s
ward. Spend two years helping him with
his bona fi des, and provide some backing,
but not too much so as to leave an obvious
trail. Build dissonance among Democrats
by encouraging their self-destructive
tendencies. Hire the best turncoat possible.
This, sad to say, is the easy part.
Add in some ageism, an R-G editorial
endorsement, and voila! People don’t really
plan and exercise power this way, do they?
Jerry Diethelm
Eugene
DIFFERENT STANDARDS
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October 18, 2012 • eugeneweekly.com
70 YEARS ~ 4 GENERATIONS ~ 44 STORES
www.facebook.com/darimart
The Lane County Commissioners
appear to be deciding whether or not to
invite public input based on their own
bias. Three commissioners decided they
will not hold a public hearing in Eugene
on a resolution to support coal trains
traveling through the city and communities
in western Lane County. Yet, these same
commissioners were anxious to hold a
public hearing on plans to build an eight-
mile bus rapid transit line in west Eugene.
Regarding the coal trains, Commissioner
Jay Bozievich was quoted in The Register-
Guard (10/4) as saying “I don’t think it
rises to the need for a public hearing,” and
that he thinks that “researching issues and
making decisions is what the voters elect
them [the commissioners] to do.”
However, his stance on the bus rapid
transit along West 11th was completely
opposite. Bozievich stated he believes many
people who will be affected by the project
are being shut out of the decision-making.
Coal export is an issue that would
impact the entire western half of Lane
County. Public input should be heard, no
matter what side of the issue a person may
take and particularly because coal mining
and exporting is subsidized by public
dollars. I ask, does it make sense to seek a
public hearing for a local bus project while
simultaneously refusing to give the public
a voice in a coal export scheme that could
impact thousands of county residents, as
well as our air, water, salmon fi sheries,
energy policies and transportation
infrastructure?
Lisa Arkin
Executive director,
Beyond Toxics
FALSE LOGIC
Letters in the 10/4 Weekly supporting
Betty Taylor for Eugene City Council claim
that contributions to her opponent Juan
Carlos Valle defi ne him as conservative.
Don’t let this false logic will sway your vote!
Fallacy #1: A donor’s beliefs are
defi ned by her/his source of income.
Betty’s campaign has received over $1,500
from Deborah Noble, who is in the timber
business — she is an avid progressive but
if you buy this fallacy, you will incorrectly
assume that these donations are from the
timber industry.
Fallacy #2: A donation ensures that the
candidate will do the donor’s bidding. One
of Betty’s biggest donors is AutoCraft, an
opponent of the West 11th extension of EmX.
Did Betty oppose EmX so long because of
AutoCraft’s donation? I trust that is not the
case, just as I know that Juan Carlos won’t
change his pro-environment, pro-equity
stance because of some of his donations.
So why are folks from such diverse
perspectives supporting Juan Carlos?