LET TERS
INCONCEIVABLE
Hillary Rodham Clinton has dedicated
her entire life to the betterment of all peo-
ple, including the world. All of us.
It is inconceivable to me that a man
who spent the last 70 years enriching him-
self is even competing for a public office,
much less the presidency of my country.
God help us!
Philip Byron Renow
Cheshire
STRUCTURAL CHANGE
Those who continue to ramp on about
the presidential elections are right in their
criticism of the lack of choice. Often their
refusal to participate becomes a self-
congratulatory, self-righteous role. But,
not playing the game does not a democ-
racy make. The problem is not the lack of
choice; it is the total absence there-of. Fall-
ing into despair and indifference is exactly
what feeds the system. By the way, the
system is not broken. It is “fixed.” And it
is ticking along quite perfectly in its design
as created by those who historically benefit
VIEWPOINT
— the international corporations and the
super-rich. The slogan of French protesters
in 1968 is more appropriate than ever: “No
re-plastering, the structure is rotten.” We
need structural change that places people
back on top, government below us and
corporations beneath where they belong,
controlled by a government of, by and for
the people. We can’t whine and do nothing
about the democracy vacuum. Democracy
can only be born from the grass roots by
the strength of people and communities
asserting and establishing our democratic
rights to protection of our health, safety
and welfare in the places where we live
our lives.
Richard Gross
Deadwood
GREEN PARTY ENDORSES
SEMPLE FOR CITY COUNCIL
The Lane County Pacific Green Party
voted to endorse Emily Semple for Ward
1 Eugene City Council. Both Semple and
her opponent, Joshua Skov, spoke to mem-
bers on Oct. 9 and were asked questions
afterward.
In open discussion prior to the vote,
Semple’s experience and positions on en-
vironmentalism, sustainability, homeless-
ness and neighborhood protection reso-
nated with the membership.
Greens were concerned about the con-
sultancy report Skov was hired to do prior
to EWEB okaying the construction of the
air polluting Seneca biomass (wood by-
products) incinerator. His study concluded
the project would be “carbon neutral.”
However, emitting 194,000 tons of CO2
and particulate pollution annually (2015),
it is the second largest greenhouse gas
source in Lane County.
When asked, Skov declined to answer
how much he was paid for the report, say-
ing it was not “greenwashing” but a techni-
cally oriented study, and also EWEB, not
him, made the final decision.
During discussion, Greens noted that
climate change experts, including Bill
McKibben of 350.org, have strongly op-
posed biomass energy.
Semple pointed to her forestry science
background. She noted that wood biomass
should not be burned either in the forest af-
ter clearcutting or in urban biomass incin-
erators, but be left to provide composting
nutrients for new forest growth, food for
an ecology of plants and animals. She also
referenced wind and solar as more sustain-
able, renewable sources of energy.
The Lane County Pacific Green Party
urges you to support Democrat Emily
Semple, and to consider Green candidates
in state and federal races.
Trisha Driscoll and John Thielking
Lane County Pacific Green Party
PLANT DIET
It seems like there is always some spe-
cial observance around the corner. There
is even a World Day for Farmed Animals.
It’s observed fittingly on Oct. 2 (Gandhi’s
birthday). It’s intended to memorialize
the tens of billions of animals abused and
killed for food around the world.
My first instinct was to dismiss it. But,
I wanted to understand the impact of my
diet and my food dollars on others.
BY ROBER T WA RREN
I Got It Wrong
THE $7 MILLION GIVEAWAY, PART II
S
ooner or later it happens. You write or say something and then you have
to come clean and admit that you just got it wrong. In “The $7 million
giveaway” (EW, 9/1) I argued that our local officials got little or noth-
ing in return for extending the enterprise zone benefits for Broadcom, the
company that purchased the former Hynix site, an additional two years. I
concluded that without any new requirements, the additional $7 million in property
tax waivers was not an investment at all, it was a just a “giveaway” of much-needed
tax revenue.
With the county and city constantly in need of money to fill budget shortfalls, it’s
easy to look at that additional $7 million as funds needed to fill budget gaps. And,
while it is true that both the City Council and the County Commission voted ap-
proval of the two-year extension, without adding any additional requirements for the
money, a deeper look at the issue caused me to reach a different conclusion.
No one actually gives Broadcom money. It would be forgiven property taxes for
the five years of the enterprise zone, based on the level of investment in the property.
It would continue to pay the current property taxes. After five years Broadcom would
pay the full property tax load on the dramatically increased value of the site. We
forgive taxes we would not be getting anyway, while creating significantly increased
property taxes after the waiver ends.
Until Broadcom bought the site, it sat idle for years, possibly awaiting demoli-
tion and continuing reductions in property tax revenue. Broadcom came calling even
before the online auction for the site was to take place and no one knew who it was.
To maintain confidentiality, Broadcom was represented by a site selection consultant.
Broadcom, like many large corporate clients seeking an expansion or relocation,
maintained confidentiality by using a site selection consultant to determine, among
other factors, community support before making a commitment involving many mil-
lions of dollars. For our local economic development team, whoever that was, it
would be reasonable to assume the involvement of such a consultant indicated this
was the “real deal” to be taken seriously and the first credible client looking at the
former Hynix site in a very long time.
This points to one of the issues that often plagues economic development projects,
secrecy. Projects come with code names and site selection consultants to maintain
confidentiality and secrecy. No one wants to talk on the record. Many clients insist
on total confidentiality for siting a project. And secrecy is also part of the culture of
8
October 13, 2016 • eugeneweekly.com
economic development, even though it often creates mistrust and suspicion on the
part of the public.
I believe that finding a credible client to renovate and invest in the Hynix site for
a manufacturing facility is in our community’s best interest. If we were to lose this
opportunity, another might be far in the future, if ever. The two-year extension of
West Eugene Enterprise Zone is one of the few discretionary incentives we have to
show community support and encourage a company like Broadcom to locate here.
And remember, no one writes a check to Broadcom. That’s one of the beauties
of the enterprise zone as an incentive. The benefits only come from, and are based
on, the increased value of the facility. The first three years are automatic, based on
location. If you are in the zone and meet the qualifications, you get the first three
years of property tax abatement on the increased assessment while continuing to pay
the current rate. This is available to any company expanding into an enterprise zone.
The additional two years needs to be approved by the local governments. In this
case, they could have nickel-and-dimed Broadcom by demanding some additional
token requirements to placate some constituents. But they didn’t play that game and
I believe now that it was the correct decision. In order for Broadcom to get the full
$21 million in benefits over the five-year period, they will likely spend hundreds
of millions on improvements to the site. Improvements that translate immediately
to hundreds of living wage construction jobs even before the site is operating, and
hundreds more when it is.
Were the votes by the Eugene City Council and Lane County Commission to
grant the additional two years a “giveaway” or an “investment?” I understand there
are a lot of folks who just don’t agree with public incentives at all. I get that for them,
it will always be a giveaway. I just do not agree. In my opinion this was an opportu-
nity that we could not afford to miss.
As much as I dislike admitting I was wrong, I was. If Broadcom does what is
required to get the tax breaks, if it creates hundreds of living wage jobs, if it rehabili-
tates an aging manufacturing facility and significantly increases property taxes when
the waiver ends, then the votes were not a giveaway. They truly were an investment
in our future, and the right thing to do.
Robert Warren has been a Eugene resident since 1984. He retired in 2012 as regional business development officer
for the Oregon Business Development Department for Lane, Benton and Linn counties, and has had a long career
in economic and community development, forest policy and natural resources planning.