As a reader who has enjoyed Eugene Weekly for over twenty years, I was frankly shocked to read your feature about and endorsement of Jim Torrey for the Eugene 4J school board. I haven’t forgotten how, as mayor, this man’s toxic leadership deeply harmed our community and left a legacy of damage that we have yet to fully repair.
Torrey’s right-wing views only hinder any effort to support and improve our schools. And your argument that we “need” conservative representation to make good decisions for our kids (thereby encouraging progressive voters to vote for a right-wing candidate) is ludicrous to the point of being offensive.
Sure, as a wealthy white man, Torrey has enjoyed the luxury of repeatedly “rebranding” himself, as you put it, so that our community has been forced to deal with his deceptive and self-serving agenda continually in various roles throughout the years, when he should have been forced to retire in shame long ago.
Eugene Weekly should be deeply ashamed of this endorsement. I know that, after reading it, I will never trust the paper’s political endorsements again.
Maria Paladino
Eugene
Editor’s Note: EW previously endorsed Torrey in the 2015 school board race.
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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