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
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