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.