Chris Wig’s attack on Eugene City Councilors Emily Semple and Betty Taylor (Letters, 8/8) indicates how low the so-called leadership of the Democratic Party of Lane County is willing to go in their efforts to replace councilors who support home rule and inclusive local democratic process.

His pitched fit has nothing to do with the votes on white supremacy — representatives regularly vote against resolutions whose intent they support, but whose language is problematic. Semple’s and Taylor’s records clearly demonstrate their progressive credentials, and together they have done more for Eugene than Wig and his entire vanguard combined.

Such a pathetic cheap shot is right out of the Republican playbook and should be beneath those who claim to represent the Democratic Party. Wig and his cadre have repeatedly sought to undermine local control and suppress voices that challenge their faux-gressive agenda.

The truth is, Wig has still not gotten over his loss to Semple, and he feels that Ward 1 was his rightful due. His fake outrage is self-serving and just part of a campaign to empower a small group of self-righteous extremists who believe that you and I are too “self-interested” to make the “right” choices on public policy. 

The response to right-wing authoritarianism is not Wig’s cohorts’ left-wing authoritarianism. Don’t buy the lie. Support Taylor and Semple — they are the real Democrats, if being a Democrat still means supporting democracy. They care about Eugene and the perspectives of all citizens, not just a chosen few.  

Ted M. Coopman

Eugene

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