More (Civic) Exercise

The midterm elections are history. Soon, we will roll into a new year. Thus, today is the perfect moment to make a resolution for 2019 that’s easy to keep: Exercise your civic muscle.

It is important to continue the momentum of voter involvement that we saw in the midterms. Millennials voted in record numbers, minorities in some states overcame voter suppression efforts and Oregonians continued to demonstrate that vote by mail can eliminate a lot of potential fraud issues. Most of all, we Americans acted on our right to vote.

You can keep building on this success. Even without an immediate election cycle on the horizon, you can stay informed and be an active citizen so you’re ready the next time your civic duty calls. And it’s easy. Lane County has an abundance of organizations that work on civic issues, but I’m particularly knowledgeable about City Club of Eugene because I am this year’s president.

Our weekly programs run the gamut from arts to technology to politics, from local to national and international concerns, and from ideas that deserve more attention to new perspectives on old topics. Recently, more than 140 people were in the audience as representatives of Our Children’s Trust discussed their federal lawsuit about climate change. To help voters make informed decisions, we hosted candidate debates and spotlights on ballot measures. We’ll keep looking for topics that add depth to your thinking — and sometimes, it will be subjects you haven’t even thought about yet!

To further inspire you to make a civic resolution, here are the names of some of our speakers coming to City Club of Eugene in January and February: Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Martha Walters, former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, UO President Michael Schill and Eugene City Councilor Greg Evans.

You can attend City Club of Eugene on Fridays at noon at the UO’s Continuing and Professional Education building at 10th and High. Or, you can listen on Mondays at 6:30 pm on KLCC (89.7 FM) or watch the programs on community television (Channel 29). Learn more at our website, cityclubofeugene.org and on our Facebook page.

In our area, you may also want to check out City Club of Springfield (springfieldcityclub.org); in Florence, visit cityclubofflorence.org.

For any of our groups, you can attend meetings, join or donate, sponsor the club, show up for special events, check the website and tell others about us.

Whatever you do to be an active, involved citizen, rest assured that your civic New Year’s resolution is one you’ll be able to keep. It won’t gather dust or go unfulfilled. You’ll never regret being an informed citizen, and the bonus is that you will help to keep democracy alive in our republic.

Happy Civic 2019!

Joel Korin is this year’s president of City Club of Eugene

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!