LET TERS
RANKED CHOICE
CLARIFICATION
It has been brought to my attention that
in my guest viewpoint in the Oct. 20 issue
of Eugene Weekly, I chose a poor example
to illustrate one of the potential pitfalls of
ranked-choice voting (RCV), because the
scenario I suggested would not likely hap-
pen. I was attempting to convey that the
redistribution of ballots in the RCV count-
ing process can have unintended results,
which Anthony Gottlieb expressed well in
The New Yorker (July 26, 2010):
“[Ranked-choice voting] elections can be-
have in topsy-turvy ways: they are what math-
ematicians call ‘non-monotonic,’ which means
that something can go up when it should go
down, or vice versa. Whether a candidate who
gets through the first round of counting will
ultimately be elected may depend on which of
his rivals he has to face in subsequent rounds,
and some votes for a weaker challenger may
do a candidate more good than a vote for that
candidate himself. In short, a candidate may
lose if certain voters back him, and would
have won if they hadn’t.”
Proponents of RCV say such scenarios
are too rare to worry about, while critics
of RCV say we cannot ignore the fact that
these scenarios can happen, and may hap-
pen more than we know in RCV elections.
Robin Quirke
Eugene
CORPS PAY UP
According to Donald Trump, not pay-
ing taxes is a good business practice. It
seems like the large corporations doing
business in Oregon agree. In Oregon, they
are paying the lowest taxes in the country,
and are doing all they can to continue and
protect their shareholders.
Wells Fargo, Comcast, Monsanto, etc.
are pouring millions (close to $20 million at
the last count) to defeat Measure 97. Com-
cast owes the state of Oregon $120 million in
back taxes but found close to half a million to
donate to the effort to defeat 97. Wells Fargo
has been fined $180 million by the feds for
cheating its customers but is contributing
hundreds of thousands to defeat 97.
The people of Oregon have been pay-
ing their fair share in taxes for years. Now
is the time to have the shareholders of these
corporations pay. We are not chumps, but
hard-working Oregonians. Their workers
are using education and other services in
the state, yet they are not paying to support
the services being used. Let’s make them
pay their fair share. Vote yes on 97.
Linda Smart
Eugene
ODD ARGUMENT
The “Voting Problems” viewpoint by
Robin Quirke was an oddly timed argu-
ment. Ranked-choice voting is on the ballot
in Benton County. Arguing that the Benton
RCV initiative is an opportunity to explore
different voting systems is like arguing
that a race between a challenger and an en-
trenched incumbent is an opportunity to ex-
plore the various potential challengers who
are not running but could hypothetically be
better than the challenger who actually is.
It distracts people from the choice at hand.
There is a reason RCV has political trac-
tion and other voting systems do not, and
that is that people who have looked into the
different systems and are willing to invest
time in getting a new system adopted have
decided that RCV is the best alternative.
Let’s not make an imagined “best” the
enemy of the clearly better.
Alane F. Zundel
Pacific Green Party candidate
Eugene
WEAVER FOR EPUD
I’m voting for Jim Weaver for Emerald
People's Utility District (EPUD).
Weaver is experienced, involved and in-
formed. As a former congressman, Weaver
helped write the original public power act
and supported the formation of EPUD as a
public utility.
His opponent still lives at home with
his parents and has probably never paid an
electric bill.
Weaver will work to keep electric rates
stable and our utility strong.
Vote to elect Jim Weaver for EPUD.
Laurie Smart
Marcola
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McCornack
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Janet Bevirt
Ron Bevirt
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Robin
Bloomgarden
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Kay Brandt
Kristen Brandt
George Brown
C ou nc i
3 EUGENE WEEKLY
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Hedin Brugh
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Belle Burch
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Randy Cain
Robert Canaga
Patsy Cantu
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Jason Caughey
Martin Champion
Nicholas W. Chase
Jerry Choate
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Clark
Jamie Clarkson
Dennis Clay
Kristin Collier
William Collinge
Paul Conte
Justine Cooper
Nathan Copeland
James Cossairt
Christa Dalton
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Lisa Marie
DiVincent
We’re fortunate to have two progressive
candidates running for Eugene City Coun-
cil, Ward 1: Joshua Skov and Emily Semple.
Because Semple doesn’t have govern-
ment experience, Councilor George Brown
and former Councilor Bonny Bettman are
coaching her. Brown and Bettman McCor-
nack do their homework addressing impor-
tant issues with intelligence and passion.
Along with neighborhood activist Paul
Conte and other Semple supporters, how-
ever, they have a long history of confronta-
tional politics. They write divisive opinion
pieces that polarize neighbors and treat
city staff with contempt. Such cynicism is
both disrespectful and ineffective in creat-
ing the change they seek. While they’ve
raised some valid concerns, they’ve lost
my support because I expect civic leaders
to treat people with respect.
Semple might have a different disposi-
tion than her allies, but hasn’t yet proven
herself through public service.
As a local leader of the Oregon League
of Conservation Voters and a member of
Eugene’s Active Transportation Commit-
tee, I’ve witnessed how Skov responds to
complex community issues. He’s detailed,
analytical and asks tough questions with ci-
vility. Skov works well with others and has
demonstrated his commitment to neighbor-
hood livability, reducing our city’s carbon
footprint and fiscal accountability. As a re-
sult Joshua Skov has earned my support.
Allen Hancock
Eugene
EMILY is ENDORSED BY:
s
hoic e i
t • City
emocra
COACHING FOR COUNCIL
www.EmilySemple.org
Chris Donahue
Lonnie Douglas
Norman Dube
Ruth Duemler
John Duran
Joyce Eaton
Will Eaton
Jain Elliot
Katelyn Ellison
Stephanie Bashein
Emerson
Audrey Erickson
Danika Esden-
Tempska
Piotr Esden-
Tempska
James Everett
Karl Eysenbach
Dwight Faulhaber
Megan
Faulkenstein
Scott Fife
Jim Flynn
Eben Fodor
Nancy Forrest
Shanalea Shakti
Forrest
Emily Fox
Christine Frazer
Jennifer Frenzer-
Knowlton
Wayne Gaddy
Michael Gannon
Henry Garcia
Marigold
Gastropodia
Geneva Gill
Kathy Ging
Morgan Glenn
Amber Gonzalez
Alfredo
Gormonzano
Cliff Gray
John Groves
David Gusset
Jeremy Gutierrez
Lisa Haber
Jessica Haeckel
Vic Hariton
Jennifer Harper
Bruce & Debra
Harrow
David Hazen
Jen Helfer
Dana Mowles
Hibler
Matt Hoffman
Anand Holtham-
Keathley
Benjamin Hunt
Christina
Bellini Ipri
Margie James
Dale Jestice
Tracy Jocelyn
Joey Johnson
Jane Katra
Caroline Keen
David Kelly
Bob Kennedy
Kitte Knight
Nicholas Knight
Peter Knox
Vicki Koch
Cynthia Kokis
Scott Landfield
Stephanie Larson
Erica Lerch
Jerome Lester
Mariah Leung
Graham Lewis
Billy Lindros
Julie Lindros
Wayne Lottinville
Stephen J. Lovell
Roman Lunsford
Marshall
MacElveen
Kathryn Madden
Gwendolyn
Maeve
Jem Magika
Sabra Marcroft
Shantia Marie
Hope Marston
Wayne Martin
Kevin Matthews
John McCahill
Beverly
McDonald
Ralph McDonald
Mike McFadden
Jennifer McRaven
Diane McWhorter
Nicole Medema
Brian Michaels
Christopher
Michaels
Deb Michaels
David Monk
Elena Montenegro
Karen Moore
Scott Moore
Wendy Moore
Stari Skye Morales
Ed Moye
Eli Munroe
Cindy Muntwyler
Kristen Murphy
Jon Nakagawa
Jennifer Neal
Vickie Nelson
Ken Neubeck
Carla Newberry
Joseph Newton
Paul Nicholson
Jerril Nilson
Deborah Noble
Stacy Null
Marcie A. Olson
Angelique Orman
Andrea
Papandreou
Isaac Paris
Lindsey Parker
Alice Parman
Brita Pastor
Rose Perius
Scotty Perry
David Ivan
Piccioni
Ron Pike
Lynn Porter
Otto Poticha
Tim Prendergast
Louise Prévost
Olivia Rasmussen
Lauren Regan
Donna Riddle
Kelly Ritter
Roger Rix
Denny Roberts
Mark Robinowitz
Donna LaRosa
Rose
Ian Rosenthal
Robert Roth
Connor Salisbury
Jon Sawyer
Norma Sax
Margo Schaefer
Leonard
Schneider
Judith Schoap
Katherine Varda
Schwab
Diane Sciacca
Henry Schmald
Willow Schneider
Michele Sharpy
Dr. Helen Shepard
Jim Showker
Robert Siegmund
David Geitgey
Sierralupe
Sue Sierralupe
Samuel Simpson-
Steiner
Carol Skarstad
Danielle Rose
Smith
Linda Sombart
Pete Sorenson
Jean Stacey
Eileen Sterns
David Strahan
Gordon Sturrock
Christine Sundt
Richard Sundt
Rebecca Surman
Mark Swick
Betty Taylor
Ted Taylor
John Thielking
Carmelita
Thomson
Jana Thrift
Marc Time
Aida Torresola
Tom Tracy
Sam Tran
Cynthia Turley
Alley Valkyrie
Mark Van Beever
Gregory Walker
Nancy Wallace
Shari Walton
Dorothy Wearne
Brian Weaver
Doug Weaver
Jim Weaver
Crys Webb
Vickie Webb
Jasun Plaedo
Wellman
Nancy Willard
Terra Williams
Pam Woodell
Jan Wostmann
Matthew Yook
Michael Zennaché
Zondie Zinke
Jan Zoll
David Zupan
eugeneweekly.com • October 27, 2016
Paid for by Emily Semple for City Council, P.O. Box 584, Eugene, OR, 97401.
The biggest lie of all is that the left
champions progressive taxation. Measure
97 will hit the poor and elderly dispropor-
tionately.
Bruce Mackey
Eugene
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