WHERE ARE THE JUDGES?
Isn’t there a better way to elect judges? Every ballot I get they are all running unopposed, and I never heard of anybody on the list. There must be another way!
Bob Springenberg
Eugene
SUPPORT PROTESTS AT UO
I am writing to express my support for the encamped University of Oregon students calling on the university to end its investments that underwrite the ongoing ethnic cleansing occurring in Gaza. I salute the students for their commitment to advancing human rights and freedom and their bravery in the face of threats from the UO administration.
The rejection of the students’ demands for divestment from Jaspar Ridge Partners due to “obligations to students and the state” strikes a familiar note. As a veteran of the anti-apartheid movement of the 1980s, I remember hearing the same dismissals of student demands calling for the divestment from the apartheid South African government. Today’s administrators share the same lack of moral integrity as their forebears did 40 years ago. On a positive note, back then as administrations began to realize that student protests would not end, dozens of universities did ultimately divest.
Now as a community member, I will support these students and call on the university to meet their demands and to not follow up with further academic punishments. I also hope that other community members will voice their opposition to the university taking any steps to forcibly remove the protesters. They are peacefully protesting appalling human rights violations resulting in tens of thousands of civilian deaths, many of whom are children. They are standing up for what is right and good in the world and in doing so, are a light in the darkness. Let’s support them.
Geoff Barrett
Eugene
OF ENDORSEMENTS AND EMBEZZLEMENT
I am writing to you in regards to your political “endorsements” you have printed in your revived edition of EW. My main concern is that instead of sharing valuable information to your readers, you are trying to sway their votes to one politically corrupt side. Do you really want to exclude an entire group of Oregonians based on your politics? I believe a lot of people read your paper who don’t agree with you politically.
We were under the assumption that your paper was discontinued because of some unscrupulous activity that involved embezzlement. Your entire staff was let go until you found the criminal. Was the criminal found and you rehired everyone, or was your paper just using this as an excuse to save money? Times are tough for everyone, but we don’t believe your paper should be picking a side.
It won’t matter so much during primaries since we unfortunately have closed primaries, but my hope is that you do some research into candidates before the general election in November. Many of our current politicians are criminals who should be prosecuted, not promoted.
We’ve had politicians resign due to similar allegations of money laundering. Please be thankful you were able to return in this climate, but don’t throw out everything you have fought for to maintain honesty.
Katrina Marie Loera
Junction City
Editor’s Note: This is an interesting conspiracy theory! Please read the story we wrote on the embezzlement — it discusses how we found and fired the embezzler before we were all laid off. The endorsements we have been issuing for at least 20 years are inherently biased given they are informed opinions. Also, since we generally endorse only in Democratic races, with rare exceptions, in the primary we only pissed off some of the liberal Oregonians.
FRAGALA FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE
I am thrilled to endorse Lisa Fragala for the upcoming House District 8 representative election. Fragala’s track record of community involvement, deep-rooted relationships, and unwavering character make her an outstanding candidate. As someone who has worked closely with Fragala, I can attest to her commitment to addressing healthcare needs in Lane County. She played a significant role in setting up the first rural Federally Qualified Health Center in Cottage Grove, demonstrating her dedication to making healthcare accessible to all.
Fragala is a strong advocate for women’s rights and reproductive healthcare, a crucial issue that needs attention. Her collaborative leadership style is precisely what we need in a state-level partner who can work alongside the county and city. Her knowledge and trustworthiness are unparalleled, and she always works for the right reasons.
I urge you to join me in supporting Fragala for House District 8 representative. With Fragala, we can look forward to a brighter future for Lane County.
Heather Buch
Eugene
CANNING OR FRAGALA?
We voters in House District 8 have two solid candidates to choose from. Doyle Canning and Lisa Fragala are both progressive Democrats with strong endorsements on the environment, labor, education, women’s rights and other issues we care about. Both are smart, dedicated and articulate. In all likelihood, they would generate nearly identical voting records. So who should we send to Salem and why?
I know them both. They are similar on the issues but very different in style. Fragala is a hard-worker and a guardian of union priorities. She has also been unnecessarily divisive on the LCC Board. She gets exasperated too easily over minor differences in perspective, which cuts off meaningful discussion prematurely. Despite the board being nearly uniform in values, Fragala has created an atmosphere of distrust. We launch exciting new programs, build new facilities, support faculty and classified unions, and balance the budget, but all under a cloud of mutual suspicion that saps energy and slows progress down. I wish local elected leaders would contact members of the LCC board and ask a few basic questions before making their endorsements. Not a single one has.
Canning is passionate, energetic and fearless. She’s much better at bringing people together and working through differences in ways that create forward momentum. Canning is a pioneer and a connector with huge potential to develop into a state-wide leader.
Steve Mital
LCC Trustee
Eugene
ALL WE ARE SAYING IS GIVE STAR A CHANCE
Journalists have the dubious privilege of “being educated in public.” Covering a wide range of topics with the briefest introduction to them, mistakes are easy to make.
In recommending a “No” vote on Measure 20-349: STAR Voting for Eugene, Eugene Weekly asserts that STAR “gives more power to those who already like the status quo and disadvantages everyone else.”
All evidence supports the opposite claim.
Our current method, Choose One Voting, reliably falls at the bottom of the charts in research — the most prone to vote splitting, spoilers and manipulation. This is the voting method Eugene Weekly suggests we keep.
When voters vote honestly, it’s as little as 70 percent accurate in electing the candidate voters like best. It empowers polarizing candidates elected by a minority — or plurality — of the voters, those most likely to use divisive tactics like racism, making BIPOC voters less safe.
In STAR, you score candidates from 0-5; the top two scoring candidates become finalists, and your vote goes to the finalist you prefer. The finalist with the most votes wins.
With honest voters, it’s 98 percent accurate in electing the candidate voters like best. It excels at electing consensus candidates and counteracts “electability bias,” which lets us challenge those who have traditionally held power. STAR is a thoughtful method that faithfully reflects the will of the people.
I hope Eugene Weekly will honor its mission statement to “provide a voice for the oppressed and dismissed,” and correct this mistake.
Kellyn Standley
Eugene
Editor’s Note: Our endorsement is a process based on research and interviews — and an hour with STAR Voting team failed to persuade us. Disagreeing with someone else’s views is not the same as being wrong, it’s part of democracy. We disagree with the folks of STAR.
KEATING ALREADY DOING THE WORK
Ironically, the recent flier from flailing candidate Lisa Warnes lists all of the things the current south Eugene city councilor, Matt Keating, already does or has done during his first term.
Examples include: helping provide potable water and electricity to emergency shelters, implementing a citywide fireworks ban, maintaining financing for Greenhill Humane Society, voting against expanding the urban reserves, and enthusiastically providing his cell phone number to everyone.
Frankly, I am unimpressed with Warnes; if you fall asleep in a meeting (especially one where you are introducing yourself as a City Council candidate), don’t sit in the front row.
Warnes clings to “the good old days” of redline zoning. Newsflash: housing is needed at all levels. To believe that Eugene only needs “affordable” housing is short sighted and out of touch. Warnes is distinctly out of touch. I applaud Keating for supporting win-win mixed economy housing solutions like 1059 Willamette Street.
Warnes is supposedly for “lowering property taxes.” Who’s not? However, she fails to share how. Reducing essential funding for schools? LCC? Police-fire? Mental health care? It remains a mystery. She fails to elaborate on many issues, and the core message of her campaign appears to be anti-Keating.
As a Eugene native, I am the most positive I have ever been about the future of our community. Eugene could become a vibrant, workable, sustainable and diverse community supporting all residents, or it could devolve into an exclusive Not In My Backyard town. For many reasons I am voting for Keating, but primarily because his results in his first term are truly impressive.
Devon Mann
Eugene
BOTH CANDIDATES IMPRESSIVE
Last Sunday I had the privilege of attending a mayoral meet and greet where questions from the audience were answered one at a time by both candidates. The room was packed. There were questions about homelessness, housing, building a more inclusive community, infrastructure, our horrible sidewalks and streets, downtown, etc. Being our mayor takes a great deal of dedication and work. It seems like more than a full time job to me.
Both candidates were extremely articulate and extremely knowledgeable about the workings of our city. I found Shanaè Joyce-Stringer every bit on top of her game as Kaarin Knudson. I kept thinking to myself, “Why can’t we have them both?” Yes, Knudson has been living in Eugene longer and administratively knows the ins and outs of our community, and as an architect understands how we can care for our housing needs. But Joyce-Stringer also totally captured me by her knowledge of our city’s needs, especially those of our working class renters and more importantly Eugene’s desperate need for a more inclusive, kinder community. She would bring heart.
In my mind, Joyce-Stringer and Knudson would make a great team. I was overwhelmed by all that one mayor has to do. I would hope that whoever wins the mayoral race would consider bringing her opponent into her “cabinet.”
Victoria Koch
Eugene
DON’T BE BULLIED INTO A NEW STADIUM
The Elmore Sports Group is implying that voting down the new stadium will cost Eugene our Emeralds team. This basically suffices as a corporate threat, and I’ve learned to not stand for such threats trying to influence my vote.
When I lived in Alaska several years ago, we as voters had the chance to vote on a subsidy decrease for oil corporations. They were raking in profits while the state was having to cut back on already meager school funding to weather a budget deficit. The oil corporations threatened that if we voted for the subsidy decrease, they would need to cut lots of jobs. The voters were bullied into voting down the decrease, and guess what? The corporations cut lots of jobs anyway. We lost twice that year.
Remember, there is no guarantee the Emeralds stay local even if we do fund the stadium. The only guarantee is that we’d be on the hook for the bill. Vote for community integrity, not corporate threats. Call their bluff, Eugene!
Sara Meyer
Eugene
REVENGE ADS MISLEAD VOTERS
I was shocked to read that my former House colleague in the Oregon Legislature Brian Clem said he will spend “whatever it takes” to defeat House candidate Doyle Canning. He admits his motive is revenge for her unsuccessful run against Peter DeFazio in 2022. I was even more shocked to hear DeFazio supports the attacks, which came from a fund that contains donations from anti-environmental interests. Campaigns can get heated, but “revenge spending” on deceptive ads misleads voters. Politicians should set aside past slights to work for the benefit of the people, not their egos.
Marty Wilde
Eugene
HOMELESSNESS NOT JUST A HOUSING ISSUE
The issue of homelessness — especially in Eugene — has reached a critical juncture, exacerbated by the national housing shortage and the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The numbers speak for themselves: according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the annual count of unhoused individuals has been on the rise since 2017, with a staggering 12.1 percent increase in just one year, as reported by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
However, it’s essential to recognize that homelessness is not just a housing issue; it’s a complex humanitarian crisis rooted in systemic failures. The lack of adequate public mental health and addiction services exacerbates this crisis, with individuals grappling with untreated conditions forced to navigate life on the streets. While efforts to expand affordable housing are commendable, addressing the underlying causes of homelessness, including substance abuse, must be a priority.
As the legal proceedings of Johnson v. Grants Pass unfold, let’s not lose sight of the human faces behind the statistics. Every individual experiencing homelessness deserves dignity, compassion and access to the support services they need to rebuild their lives. It’s time for cities and governments like ours to adopt humane, evidence-based approaches that prioritize the well-being of all members of our communities.