Though the date to file candidacy for the 2016 Eugene race for mayor isn’t until September, ShelterCare Developmental Director Lucy Vinis told EW today that she is “in a very serious exploration” and has “a serious intention of running” for mayor of Eugene in 2016.
Vinis says she moved with her husband and son to Eugene in 1991, and it was an excellent place to raise a family. “I just want other families to have that experience of Eugene, to live well in this community,” she says.
Vinis has worked at ShelterCare for six and a half years, and her job as developmental director entails “engaging the community in understanding and supporting the work that ShelterCare does” to help the unhoused. Before that, she worked with EarthShare of Oregon.
Although Vinis says it’s too early to be naming endorsements, she says that Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy is aware that she is running and “I think she’s happy that I’m running.”
Vinis says she was Eugene City Council member Alan Zelenka’s campaign manager in 2006, and she was very active in Piercy’s 2008 campaign for mayor.
She says she thinks her background in nonprofits has well-prepared her for the job of mayor. “I do feel that my work with ShelterCare and EarthShare of Oregon, building that strong community conversation around a particular issue and engaging people to find solutions, is good preparation for running for the mayor’s office,” Vinis says.
Image courtesy Lucy Vinis: