LET TERS
VOTE FOR LIVABILITY
LACK OF COMPASSION
I’ve lived in Eugene almost five years
and one of the things I love best about this
place is the one- and two-story homey feel
of this friendly small town. I intend to stay.
Unfortunately, powers-that-be are
working to turn our downtown into
Portland’s Pearl District. Yuck! Every time
I turn around, City Council has said OK to
another eight to 10 or 12 story apartment
building close to or inside downtown.
Save Kesey Square. The South Willamette
scheme is a whole other discussion.
In a Register-Guard story March 30 we
find that the MUPTE’s new “affordable
rents” can be as high as $970 for a studio
and $1,108 for a one bedroom. That’s not
affordable housing! What we need in this
town is new, smaller, truly affordable, well-
built rental housing for low-income folks.
Maybe even some downtown. Horrors!
City Hall must not be allowed to continue
supporting big-business interests and high-
paid workers downtown at the expense of
the rest of Eugene. The question really is,
will only tech people be able to afford to
live downtown? San Francisco’s rents went
sky high when dotcoms took over. Most of
us who grew up there were forced out.
Voting for local and statewide races
might be more important than voting for
the president these days — OK, maybe not
Bernie — but get educated about all the local
candidates, make sure you are registered in
the right party and vote for our community’s
health and livability. Ballots coming out soon!
Robin Bloomgarden
Eugene
The Springfield City Council has
passed an ordinance basically making it
illegal to panhandle. Caring people who
want to give a hand up to someone in need
face a $50 fine for handing anything of
value, even a sandwich, to someone from
an un-parked car.
This isn’t just ludicrous; it’s cruel.
Compassion seems to be being outlawed
all over the Springfield-Eugene area. The
fences they are putting up under bridges
are a slap in the face, and this new “safety”
ordinance banning panhandling is salt in
the wound. Whether people need a handout
or a hand-up should not be outlawed;
compassion should not be penalized and
instead, it should be encouraged.
Many people will scour this society
and find many problems, but I can tell you
that compassion is the solution. The new
ordinance discriminates against an already
very marginalized community and will
only damage the situation more than it’s
already damaged. This is discrimination
under the guise of law and anyone with
half of a heart and brain can see that. The
way I see it, the Springfield City Council is
saying, “Let them eat cake.” What will be
the community’s response?
Adam Levon Brown
Eugene
FOUR TO ONE UNRESPONSIVE
Two Lane County Commissioner seats
are up for election on May 17, and the
other three seats will be up for a vote two
years from now.
I have to wonder who they consider
their constituents to be. I’ve been attending
Lane Parks Large Events Task Force and
Parks Advisory Committee Meetings
for almost two years and have sent the
commissioners occasional reports on my
observations.
A funny thing: South Eugene District
Commissioner Pete Sorenson is the only
commissioner ever to send me a reply, and
he replies to all of them.
The four other commissioners don’t
even have the courtesy to acknowledge
receipt of my emails. I live in north Eugene,
not south Eugene. Am I not considered a
north Eugene constituent?
Instead,
the
four
Republican
commissioners act as if they only listen to
moneyed interests, spending $84,000 of
taxpayers’ money to sue the U.S. Bureau
of Land Management before its timber
harvest report is out, refusing to enforce
our state’s new gun-sale background check
law and objecting to the new minimum
wage law as being an unfunded mandate
— after giving hefty pay raises to county
government managers.
Tony McCown, a Democrat who’s
running for election to the North Eugene
District seat, is the only person in this
voting round who might help break
the four commissioners’ cycle of non-
responsiveness. Try emailing McCown,
and Sorenson as well. See if they respond.
But good luck hearing back from the other
four commissioners.
Ellen Otani
Eugene
CONSTRUCTION CHAOS
With the Park Blocks and Kesey Square
building proposals moving closer and
closer, I haven’t heard any discussion
about the impact of construction. Like any
construction zone, these areas will have to
be fenced off and closed to the public for
unknown periods of time. Then consider
that building atop existing buildings around
Kesey Square will require demolition of
the square itself. Remember, foundation
improvements and earthquake prevention
mean lots of digging right into the square
with big heavy machinery.
Is it possible that both of these public
spaces will be fenced off for an entire
year or more? Then where will public
gatherings and Saturday Market go? I hope
you don’t say into the hands of the county.
Robert Howarth
Eugene
GIVE WIG THE GIG
The Graduate Teaching Fellows
Federation (GTFF) at the UO proudly
endorses Chris Wig for Eugene City
Council in Ward 1 because we know we
can count on him to fight for working
families in Eugene.
Two years ago, Chris stood with the
graduate employees during our fight to
secure a fair contract with basic health
coverage and paid family leave. He came
out in support of our members during
bargaining and led the local Democratic
Party to support our strike by hosting our
organizers in their office and standing
Sunday April 24. Eugene Hilton.
“A One-Day Cannabis Crash Course”
Dr. Carl Hart
Tommy Chong
With a keynote speech by Dr. Carl Hart from Columbia University,
8 panels of speakers including OLCC staff & industry attorneys,
plus an exclusive interview with the legendary Tommy Chong.
888.920.6076
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A pril 7, 2016 • eugeneweekly.com
OregonMBC.com