VIEWPOINT
LET TERS
BY LUCY VINIS
Doing More
HOW A PERFORMANCE AUDITOR CAN BUILD
COMMUNITY TRUST
A
ccountability and transparency are essential to democracy. As
Eugene’s mayor, I invite you to explore with me the potential
benefits of a performance auditor to improve the effectiveness
of city government and build the community’s trust in our public
process.
Last year, while knocking on doors, I heard many express concerns about how
well city government is managing resources to advance community priorities.
This year in my State of the City address, I promised that “my goal is to
improve our framework for communicating and accounting for our decisions so
that everyone feels informed, heard and is comfortable with the decision-making
process.”
To improve two-way communication between city government and the com-
munity, we’ve created the “dashboard” report available on the city’s website sum-
marizing issues the Eugene City Council is considering. Every week I post a blog
about the council’s recent work; every month I publish a guest viewpoint in the
Register-Guard on an important issue facing the city.
I also continue to canvass every part of the city to hear public views firsthand.
Common concerns include the cost of a new City Hall, how to make downtown
work for everyone, how to ensure our neighborhoods continue to be great places
to live while making room for new residents, and reducing traffic congestion.
But we must do more. In response to what I am hearing, I believe a perfor-
mance auditor would improve the accountability and transparency of city govern-
ment.
A performance auditor is not a financial auditor — we already have a strong
audit department in our finance division.
A performance auditor looks beyond the dollars, evaluating the cost effective-
ness and alignment of specific programs with the values and priorities the city
has established. A performance auditor is independent of city staff, but works to
make them more successful by determining key goals, assessing efforts and mak-
ing recommendations for getting better results and communicating more clearly
to the public what they do and why.
The idea of a performance auditor isn’t new. A 2002 charter review committee
recommended that the city establish a performance auditor. But a shift in the City
Council, a new city manager and a recession that cut city staffing combined to
halt progress on this recommendation.
There are several ways to establish a performance auditor. Your voices will
help find the best fit for a city of our size and resources.
A public process worked well to establish Eugene’s independent police audi-
tor, who is hired by and reports directly to the City Council. A performance audi-
tor could similarly be answerable to the City Council.
In some communities, the performance auditor is an elected position.
Currently, we can contract out for external performance audits, but this means
paying to bring someone into the community who doesn’t know us as well.
Lane County already has a successful performance auditor that reports di-
rectly to the county commissioners and has already created significant
savings. Eugene might even consider sharing that position to save
costs.
Let’s open this conversation to explore these options and oth-
ers. Our goal is to ensure that city government does the best
possible job in delivering services to the public.
I want to conduct a listening tour around the community. I
am also looking to ask a cross-section of community leaders to
review the 2002 charter review committee recommenda-
tions to learn from the experiences of similar commu-
nities with performance auditors, and to report on the
pros and cons of different approaches.
We have much to be proud of. Our city leader-
ship prudently and effectively brought us through
the worst recession since the depression, one that
caused us to make significant cuts, and we have
now stabilized the city’s budget.
But the community demands that we do bet-
ter. I need your help to ensure that our city gov-
ernment serves us well, does so cost-effectively
and enjoys the public’s trust.
Lucy Vinis is the mayor of Eugene.
6
June 22, 2017 • eugeneweekly.com
“We lost him in a senseless act that
brought close to home the insidious rift
of prejudice and intolerance that is too fa-
miliar, too common. We ask that in honor
of his memory. We use this tragedy as an
opportunity for reflection and change. We
choose love.”
We raise our children to love. Let us
lead by example.
Please attend future Lane County Com-
mission meetings when public testimony is
heard and use your voice for love.
Carol Louise Scherer
Eugene
COOKED TO DEATH
Since we first walked this earth we
have desired to have more and more con-
venience. We harnessed fire and invented
the wheel and indoor plumbing. Until now,
the advantages of our conveniences have
far outweighed their disadvantages.
Today, however, the disadvantages of
wireless technology far outweigh its ad-
vantages. These invisible wireless signals
are carried through the air via microwaves
— yes, the same microwave radiation that
cooks your food.
We are slowly being cooked, especially
the most vulnerable, like our children and
the elderly. We are being exposed and
harmed by this microwave radiation 24/7
through Bluetooth, wi-fi, cell towers, cell
phones, cordless phones, speakers, head-
phones, baby monitors and all our oth-
er convenient wireless gadgets.
Now here come the EWEB commis-
sioners with their long term plan (already
being implemented) to install unnecessary
digital wireless pulsed microwave radiat-
ing AMI meters (aka “smart meters”) on
every home and business in Eugene to me-
ter water and electricity use.
EWEB commissioners are required, as
trustees, to implement the “precautionary
principal” whenever there is even a chance
of causing harm to people or the environ-
ment by their actions. They are well aware
of these dangers, and yet negligently
refuse to stop or warn the people of Eu-
gene. Don’t opt-in.
Abraham Likwornik
Eugene
BROWN IS NOT GREEN
People tell me that Gov. Kate Brown
is an environmentalist, but I don’t see it.
Seems like when it comes to timber and
other extractive interests, she just rolls over.
While Brown touts she’s “committed”
to the Paris Agreement goals, she can’t say
“No!” to the Pacific Connector fracked-gas
pipeline in southern Oregon, or the Jordan
Cove LNG terminal in Coos Bay!
We almost lost the Elliott State Forest
because of her dithering last year. Then,
new Secretary of State Dennis Richardson
joined the State Land Board, almost put-
ting the kibosh on the whole thing, with
new Treasurer Tobias Read also in favor of
selling! Thankfully, better heads prevailed.
Kate has shown no interest in pushing
for a strong cap & reinvest bill to limit
the big air polluters in Oregon. Her much
ballyhooed “Coal to Clean” bill won’t do
much until 2030!
The toxic aerial spraying of pesti-
cides across our timberlands and citizens,
doesn’t bother her, either.
I read the papers daily. I never see any-
thing directly from Kate to her Oregon
constituents. What exactly does she stand
for? When will Oregonians find out? Will
Oregon ever begin comprehensive climate
change work? Will she step up to make it
happen?
Robin Bloomgarden
Eugene
IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE
HOUSE?
If you talk to medical people in Lane
County and Eugene, they will tell you this:
Doctors, specialists of all kinds and most
psychiatrists are all leaving Oregon and
moving to other states or even moving out
of the USA completely.
Where are they going? To states and na-
tions that have plenty of money to pay doc-
tors — and no types of government medi-
cal insurance, especially not the ACA,
Medicaid or even little Medicare (since
that plan has become cut to the bone.)
What will happen to Oregon? It will
have so few doctors, psychiatrists and spe-
cialists that patients will need to travel to
Seattle or other states just to find a doctor
or specialist. This has happened already.
A place cannot exist forever without
any doctors.
D.H. Bucher
Eugene