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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 13, 2014)
NEWS STILL MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS IN RICHARDSON PROBE Lane County finally released a far less blacked-out copy of the investigation into changes Liane Richardson made to in- crease her take-home pay, but many, particularly the County Commission candidates in the upcoming May primary, still have more unanswered questions. Richardson was unanimously fired by the commission after the conclusion of the report by Greg Olson of USO Consult- ing and Investigations. The investigation focused on Richard- son’s selling “time management” hours, changing her deferred compensation to increase her pay and making changes to the county’s Administrative Procedures Manual (APM). In response to public records requests by EW, the R-G and others, a highly redacted version of the report was released last fall with almost 30 pages blacked out. The daily paper pursued a legal battle, and the commission voted Feb. 7 to release the full report, with only names of employees redacted. The county paid the R-G $10,000 in legal fees according to the paper’s recent story on its records case. In the report, Richardson claims Commissioners Jay Boziev- ich, Sid Leiken and Faye Stewart knew about the changes she made to her pay. The report also discusses changes that Rich- ardson made to the APM that were “not discussed in the usual course” and would have allowed her to sell more of her time management hours. Richardson had previously made changes to the APM that benefited her agenda such as changing the rules for the Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza in order to stop a 24-hour protest for homeless rights. A Eugene Municipal Court judge lat- er ruled the plaza closure was unconstitutional. The APM has not yet been made available to the public online, though the com- mission has discussed doing so. EW asked for comment on the allegations in the report that the three commissioners knew of the changes, and also whether there will be an investigation into those claims. Lane County Spokeswoman Anne Marie Levis responded, saying “the report by the investigator found Ms. Richardson to be untruthful in her responses.” Levis says that Bozievich was ill, and Leiken and Stewart were unable to respond within EW’s tight deadline. Commissioner Pete Sorenson was able to respond, and he says, “In the aftermath of the release of the report, let’s not for- get that in 2011 the same three commissioners mentioned in the report are the very same three commissioners who hired Ms. Richardson as county administrator without a resume, without a competitive process, without notice to the public that the board was hiring a county administrator.” One question that arises is whether these issues concerning the three commissioners and what they knew will affect them in the upcoming May primary. All three are up for re-election. Kevin Matthews, who will be running against Stewart for the East Lane commission seat, says his campaign “hears daily that people are fed up with bickering and scandal on the Lane County board.” He says, “The question of whether Stewart was actually in on Richardson’s pay-padding scheme, or whether he was sim- ply unaware, seems to hinge on the he-said, she-said findings of the Olson investigation.” Fellow East Lane candidate Joann Ernst says she believes Stewart, Leiken and Bozievich were aware of the changes and it “is yet another example of Faye following Jay’s lead on the commission and failing to be an independent voice for his con- stituents.” Bozievich’s opponent for the West Lane seat, Dawn Lesley, says, “I am deeply concerned that while Jay Bozievich is dis- >>> CONTINUED ON P. 8 OREGON WILD LOSES LONGTIME FOREST ADVOCATE TIM LILLEBO AMONG THE PONDEROSA PINES HE SOUGHT TO PRESERVE Drive over the Santiam Pass to Bend from Eugene and as you drop down off the mountains you will see the big old-growth ponderosa pines that forest activ- ist Tim Lillebo loved and worked to save. Lillebo, 61, died Feb. 9 after going out to shovel snow near his Eastern Oregon home, and he leaves behind a legacy of saving the wilderness and using collaboration to do it, according to his fellow staffers at conservation group Oregon Wild. “He was one of those people who was both educated and spent time working in the woods and driving a log truck,” says Doug Heiken, Oregon Wild’s conser- vation and restoration coordinator. “He could talk to everybody and talk to them like they were the most important person in the world.” Lillebo’s background and people skills let him encourage collaborative work in an environment where he was sometimes the only conservationist in the room. “He was collaboration before that word got thrown around,” Heiken says. As Oregon Wild’s Eastern Oregon wildlands advocate, Lillebo drove all over the state trying to protect trees, land and wildlife, but the big ponderosa pines were his favorite, Heiken continues. He points to Glaze Meadow, near Black Butte Ranch outside of the town of Sisters, as a prime example of Lillebo’s work. According to Heiken, the Glaze Meadow project, which called for thinning trees and restoring a more natural landscape and fire regime to protect old growth and homes, is “a model for the kind of restoration that finds public support and produces wood products and is a powerful testament to [Lillebo’s] whole life.” Chandra LeGue, coordinator of Oregon Wild’s old-growth campaign, says Lillebo “took hundreds of people out there to help mark the timber sale,” and the project “has been a model for other bigger projects and helped build relation- ships.” She says Lillebo, who had been with Oregon Wild since 1975, was “kind of an iconic image, a grizzled mountain man with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth” and his ever-present crushed felt hat. “What Tim would want more than anything,” Heiken says, “is for people to go out and enjoy nature to the absolute fullest and come back and tell someone else about it so the wilds of Oregon get protected.” Gifts in memory of Lillebo should be directed to Oregon Wild; go to oregon- wild.org for more information. — Camilla Mortensen The annual KLCC Microbrew Festival carried on at the Fairgrounds last weekend despite the snow and ice, and “this was the first time we’ve had ever had people arrive by ski, sled and snowshoes,” says Cheryl Crumbley of KLCC. She says proceeds were down about 50 percent due to the weather, but only six out of 65 breweries didn’t make it. “For the attendees, this year’s brewfest was excellent because the music was great and the crowds were small (no lines).” The low attendance was “a big blow,” but Crumbley says there are no plans for a make-up event. In the People’s Choice Awards, first place went to Silver Moon Brewing of Bend, second place to Mazama Brewing of Corvallis, third place to Rusty Truck Brewing of Lincoln City. Winners of the home brew competition will be announced later. See klcc.org. A free talk, “Learn the Pitfalls of Owning a Food Business,” with state food safety specialist Jeff Green will be at 6 pm Thursday, Feb. 13, at the Eugene Public Library downtown. Green will talk about current food safety regulations and standards for starting or operating a food cart, coffee shop, restaurant or home-based food business. Get tips on how to stay in compliance with food safety laws and prepare for inspections. LCC’s Small Business Development Center (Lane SBDC) has announced a new Indianprenuership Program that will offer assistance to Native and non-Native Americans who want to start a business or expand an existing business. The nine-month program will kick off from 6 to 9 pm Thursday, Feb. 13, in the Longhouse on the LCC main campus. Marcy Middleton is the instructor and advisor. See lanesbdc.com or call 463-6200. White Bird Clinic has named. Dr. Leigh Saint-Louis as medical director. She is board- certified in family medicine with dual concentrations in maternity care and behavioral health. She has lived in Eugene since 2009 and served as medical team leader for Occupy Medical Clinic for 18 months. She will maintain a part-time medical practice at Tamarack Wellness Center in south Eugene. The UO Law School’s Oregon Law Students Public Interest Fund is planning its annual auction at 5:30 pm Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Eugene Country Club, 225 Country Club Road. OLSPIF is an organization run for and by students to enable law student employment in positions that serve the public interest. $50 for single seating. Registration is at law. uoregon.edu. Click on “events.” The Catholic Community Services annual Winter Clothing Drive runs through Feb. 17. Donations of winter coats, socks, mittens, hats, blankets, linens and shoes are being distributed free by CCS to homeless and low- income families at its community service centers in Eugene and Springfield. Collection boxes have been set up at more than 30 area churches, organizations and businesses. The clothing drive also accepts cash, which will be used to purchase winter clothing for those in need of assistance. Visit ccslc.org to make a donation. A course preview of classes on Nonviolent Communication will be from 7 to 9 pm Monday, Feb. 17, at the CALC office, 485 Blair Blvd. The 12-week class will be facilitated by Gary Baran. RSVP to calcoffice@gmail.com or call 485-1755, ext. 207. P HOTO CREDIT: TOM DAVIS eugeneweekly.com • February 13, 2014 7
