The Oregon primary election is May 19. And there are a lot of people running for positions in the city of Eugene,and it’s hard to do endorsement interviews with a passel of people and a pandemic problem. But it’s important voters don’t just see Eugene Weekly’s endorsements, but also what people running for those offices have to say. So EW sent a questionnaire to these candidates, asking questions about their qualifications and thoughts on important local issues. Here are their answers.
Note: These entries have been lightly edited for formatting and space.
Click the candidate’s name to jump to their response:
Thomas Hiura
What motivated you to run for this office? Are you interested in higher office?
I have been hard-pressed to find a single Eugenean with basic faith in all three of their executive leaders: Mayor [Lucy] Vinis, Governor [Kate] Brown, and President [Donald] Trump. We are in a crisis of competent moral leadership. It is not fun. It has not aided the city. We have to end it by electing someone who has studied, practiced, and coached leadership to others.
There are plenty of things in Eugene I would like to focus on. If the city improved on the issues I am running to fix, I could see myself running for the legislature. And if I lose, I will probably try to join the school board again (I am the lone Mayoral candidate among the 15 folks who applied for the spot Jim Torrey got).
What strengths or experiences do you bring?
Since the campaign launched in August 2019, I have continuously had to re-learn this fact: it’s hard to convince people that a 27 year-old non-binary Asian Mayor is who should lead this City Council out of its entrenched issues.
But my credentials are at least on par with the Mayor’s. I won ten elections at four schools, in areas as diverse as north Eugene, the rural Midwest (Carleton College), and NYC (Columbia University). People who know my work ethic trust me because I am borderline obsessed with making governmental processes transparent and accessible to them.
I have handled budgets, approved building designs, chaired two committees typically led by faculty, advocated for fellow Carleton Student Association Senators and College Council faculty members to join my voting positions, and passed policies which enfranchised diverse groups, uplifted mental health funding and granted medical amnesty to public safety calls for students using controlled substances.
I have also served my community as a public school teacher, a guidance counselor, a touring rapper, and an independent journalist.
What are your views on this form of city government?
If you read our city charter, it is continually clear that it was written for a past version of Eugene; for a quaint little college town that doesn’t exist anymore.
Here is an example of something I will fight for despite how unpopular it might seem: my own salary. The reality is that we have had an unspoken (or sometimes outspoken) expectation of full-time commitment from Mayors Bascom, Torrey, Piercy, and Vinis, and the former three have met that commitment. But when we only compensate the position at $24K and limit the formal responsibilities of the office, it should come as no surprise that we tend to elect financially well-to-do retirees.
The city should consider moving from weak-mayor to strong-mayor form, but it should also be impossible for a Mayor to win an election in a low-turnout May primary. The top-two run-off should occur regardless of a 50% majority, and I would fight for that even if it benefited me as an incumbent.
Is there a particular issue or topic that you can identify that you would handle differently from the incumbent?
Mayor Vinis and I met at length on September 6th, after we both gave speeches at the Labor Day Picnic (sponsored by the Lane County Central Labor Chapter). She was curious about my platform, and I told her that education and mental health are my top pillar issues. She gave a perplexed look and critiqued my response because “education and mental health are not in the city’s five departments.”
That is indicative of our different leadership styles. When one is focused on what kinds of changes are relatively easy to make, it is easy to mistake continuation of precedent for progressive accomplishment. I look directly at what needs fixing, and I mobilize efforts and pull governmental levers based on those big-picture conclusions.
I would take my bully pulpit very seriously, in all 209 weeks of my term. I have shown a predisposition to that commitment with my weekly podcasts and daily zines on Instagram.
In terms of a tangible issue, I would make space for public critique of the Spreading Kindness Campaign.
How do you think the city is handling homelessness? Do you have any ideas on how the city could improve?
While I am currently housed, I ran much of this campaign out of my car. There have been positive steps on affordable housing made in partnership with the county, and I am the right leader to accelerate their implementation on the ground. In my discussions with folks at the Hilyard location of White Bird/Carry It Forward’s COVID-19 shelter, they want more democracy, accountability, and community standards throughout sheltering facilities.
It is also classist and not okay to continue pushing all services and support into Bethel.
Do you have any criticisms of how the council is functioning right now and what would you do to fix those issues?
I’ve laid out many concerns in their public forums. This sums it up: Kitty Piercy did a rare 70-minute video interview with an independent journalist on Saturday, and they asked her about her endorsement philosophy, particularly after she endorsed multiple Ward 1 candidates. To paraphrase Kamala Harris, “that little journalist… was me.”
Below is a direct quote from the interview. I will publish it on Friday, but I am sharing it with you now with a time-stamped link that proves it is genuine: https://youtu.be/r15WQT7yBag?t=2069
“I feel like the Council needs to be energized. I feel like the Council needs to understand that they’re leaders. They’re not just a group of people who meet, and somebody brings a decision that has to be made, and they make it.”
What are your thoughts on the city’s climate action plan? Do you have other ideas on how the city can mitigate climate change?
CAP 2.0 doesn’t go far enough, but city leadership is content to brag about it anyway. I have worked on campaigns as a legislative intern with Oregon League of Conservation Voters, and I was active in Divest Carleton. 50% carbon reduction by 2030 is not fast enough, and with a new gas station going up in Trainsong, we’re going in the wrong direction toward even that goal.
Eugene could be a true leader on electric vehicle infrastructure. Instead, we have zero DC fast-chargers. That’s fewer than Veneta or Springfield, and eight fewer than Salem. Studies show that highly visible chargers speed up adoption, but the city’s chargers are tucked away in parking garages.
Do you agree with how the city handled the payroll tax? Do you think the City Council should pass a budget without voter approval?
I would not be surprised if all 6 of us challengers have issues with the payroll tax. It was regressive, targeting workers. It funded services that have accountability issues. It did not do nearly enough for CAHOOTS, which handles 18% of crisis calls with 2% of the public safety budget.
The whole process of passing a budget has democracy issues throughout. The ratio of City Council members to citizen members of the Budget Committee is 1:1. That means that if there is a budget issue the councilors ardently support, they only have to get 1 of the 8 citizen members to join in their support. The citizen members are appointed through a process that is not well-publicized, either. I appreciate the Solidarity Network’s advocacy on putting the tax on the ballot. These additional structural Budget Committee issues need to be fixed from within, as well.
What is the city’s role in controlling the coronavirus pandemic? How can the city help the local economy recover and protect citizens who lost their jobs from bankruptcy?
I am out of words for your count (I apologize), but I have long fought to improve life for the everyday workers now recognized as essential. I have called for a small emergency budget to stabilize small businesses in the event of economic emergency since November. Now we must be reactive rather than proactive, but I would work with Manager Medary to better publicize the resources the city has effectively corralled.
Ben Ricker
What motivated you to run for this office? Are you interested in higher office?
I’m running for mayor to draw attention to recent ordinances and city policies that target and criminalize people who are homeless. I am a Solidarity Platform candidate. We emphasize human rights, climate urgency and regenerative economics. We seek to remove any and all obstacles to open participation in local government. We want to open space for agendas of decolonization, reparations and remediation. More at solidarityplatformeugene.org.
What strengths or experiences do you bring?
One of my strengths is that I speak candidly. I do not have relevant experience in public service. For years, however, I’ve been going Monday evenings to Eugene City Council meetings and work sessions.
What are your views on this form of city government?
It presents a lot of problems when your city’s most influential official is an unelected council appointee. Voters shouldn’t forget a couple years ago when officials actively undermined a good faith effort on the part of voters to create accountability with a ballot measure that would have created a democratically elected city auditor.
Is there a particular issue or topic that you can identify that you would handle differently from the incumbent?
I’m unhappy with the incumbent mayor for failing to oppose policies like the downtown dog ban, the proposed anti-panhandling ordinance, and a recent tweak made to city code that makes it harder for homeless people to find places to sleep on stretches of public soil.
How do you think the city is handling homelessness? Do you have any ideas on how the city could improve?
Eugene isn’t handling homelessness well. I was stunned a couple years ago when the city announced plans to open an emergency winter shelter downtown, on what is now the Making Space for Justice parking lot. It wouldn’t have been anywhere near large enough to address the needs of all the people who sleep outside in the rain, but it was something. It was a step in the right direction. It was kind of a big deal, and for a few days it had me questioning some of my own judgments and assumptions about the city. I was less shocked days later, when city officials abruptly revoked the promise. What this episode revealed to me and many others is that Eugene could, if it so desired, erect an emergency shelter on that lot any time it wants.
Do you have any criticisms of how the council is functioning right now and what would you do to fix those issues?
I have many criticism of how city council functions right now. Your next question about climate change highlights another of city council’s major shortfalls. On Eugene’s two major issues — homelessness and climate change – city council time and again displays a need for new ears, new voices and new ideas.
What are your thoughts on the city’s climate action plan? Do you have other ideas on how the city can mitigate climate change?
Eugene is not on track to meet its climate goals. Period. City council set those goals for itself only a few years ago, and at the rate they’re moving, we’re not going to meet them. We cannot allow progressive, hippie, Namaste Eugene to fall short of its climate promises.
Do you agree with how the city handled the payroll tax? Do you think the City Council should pass a budget without voter approval?
I do not agree with how the city handled the payroll tax. Eugene’s next mayor should work either to reverse it completely or restructure it to lessen the burden on low-income households and put more of the funds collected toward providing baseline services for people most in need.
What is the city’s role in controlling the coronavirus pandemic? How can the city help the local economy recover and protect citizens who lost their jobs from bankruptcy?
The city’s role should be to ensure that everyone here has food, shelter, water and access to electricity. I know the city and the county are working hard to meet the needs of people who are most vulnerable to the illness. In the wake of calamity that cost 22 million people their jobs last month, I’m not certain the city has the ability to protect us from coming financial ruin. As I outlined earlier, one thing the city could do is work to reverse the payroll tax or reconfigure it to lessen the burden on low-income households and bolster basic services for those who are going to be relying on them.
Lucy Vinis (incumbent)
What motivated you to run for this office? Are you interested in higher office?
As a resident of Eugene for 29 years, I have worked on behalf of the community through my professional career and as a dedicated volunteer. Drawn to Eugene’s natural beauty, inviting community, and quality schools, I relocated here from Washington, DC with my late husband to raise my two sons. In my professional career, I worked for nonprofits addressing policies around land use, natural resources, agriculture, housing, and homelessness. In my first term, I focused on five key issues: climate change, homelessness, the housing crisis, economic development and social justice. In my second term, I want to continue that work, building on the foundational policies we have enacted in my first term to bring changes on the ground.
What strengths or experiences do you bring?
As Mayor, I have been a collaborative leader, striving to bring diverse interests to the table to work on policies. I have consistently championed Eugene’s progressive values: defending our Sanctuary City status, advocating for women’s health care, supporting our unions and pursuing action on climate change.
In my next four years in office, I will build on the foundations of my first time. I will continue to focus on the climate crisis through the Climate Action Program 2.0; push for improved services for the homeless by implementing the TAC recommendations; advocate for inclusive preparedness for emergencies, particularly with respect to the half of our community who are renters and vulnerable to extreme weather events and a possible earthquake; target my attention on housing affordability; and celebrate our increasingly diverse community through projects like the Kindness Campaign.
What are your views on this form of city government?
I support the City Manager form of government. We see the strength of this structure today as we respond to the coronavirus pandemic. Council is empowered to direct policy that is based on our city’s core values and to see that policy effectively implemented by a professional manager. Under the leadership of our City Manager Pro Tem, the city’s professional staff have been able to implement an effective, collaborative and responsive emergency operations program. The strength of this response is built in large part on experience and strong collaboration within a team of professional staff who are able to work together through election cycles.
How do you think the city is handling homelessness? Do you have any ideas on how the city could improve?
The City is devoting more resources to address homelessness than ever before and we are still not keeping up with the pace at which people lose their housing. The causes are bigger than Eugene, but it is now an issue that every city department considers an integral part of its work — whether in Public Works, the Public Library, or Parks and Open Spaces, staff teams are serving the unhoused. In 2019, the City Council and County Board adopted the 10 recommendations of the TAC report to improve our system of services for the homeless, including the creation of a low-barrier, permanent shelter. Those 10 recommendations put us in a stronger partnership and shared investment than ever before to make strategic, targeted investments to help more people in our community stabilize their lives. Our progress in the implementation of the TAC report recommendations enabled us to respond quickly and effectively to increase sanitation, outreach, and shelter services for the unhoused during this coronavirus crisis. I expect the emergency programs implemented in response to COVID-19 will provide valuable insights into our next steps. We continue to struggle with inadequate capacity with respect to safe, legal places for people to sleep, program capacity for case management, and transitional and permanent housing options. Finding locations and revenue to increase our capacity is our key challenge, and it will be made harder by the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis.
Do you have any criticisms of how the council is functioning right now and what would you do to fix those issues?
The essential challenge in public policy decisions is to orchestrate a process that includes enough public engagement to inform the decision without unduly prolonging decision making. It is almost impossible to hit the right pace and scope of engagement to suit everyone. There have been decisions which many people would say took too long: our path on the Construction Excise Tax was over a year; and we will continue to need to adjust our decisions related to Accessory Dwelling Units.
On the other hand, the Council has gotten a lot of work done. The CET brought developers and advocates to the table on a decision both sides could accept. When Council passed the Community Safety Payroll Tax, they relied on an eight person committee comprising councilors and members of the public to research revenue options, and moved forward decisively based on their recommendation.
We strive to inform the public about upcoming and ongoing issues as early and consistently as possible, but Council is still subject to last minute demands from members of the public. My goal as mayor is to balance the specific concerns each councilor represents with the need to keep moving on decisions. The better the information council receives, the better their outreach to their constituents, the better the pace of the process.
Are there any issues in your ward that you would like to address as a councilor? (if running for mayor, you can discount this question)
What are your thoughts on the city’s climate action plan? Do you have other ideas on how the city can mitigate climate change?
The Mayor’s Ad Hoc Advisory Committee is mid-way through its review and assessment of the Climate Action Plan 2.0 to delineate strategies and tactics that strengthen the accountability and progress in reaching our climate goals. All of those tactics — electrification, transportation and decarbonization — will require public investment, both in funds and in commitment. The economic crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic should not distract us from this on-going existential priority. My goal is to recognize and take advantage of the opportunities to invest in decarbonization as we rebuild our community’s economic health. Lessons learned in the Stay Home, Save Lives policy could inform this response — at the very least, more of us could telecommute more frequently to reduce our use of fossil fuels.
Do you agree with how the city handled the payroll tax? Do you think the City Council should pass a budget without voter approval?
Providing adequate public safety services is a fundamental role of our government and a service that has been under capacity for decades. Calls to Eugene Police have increased by 21% from our 2014-2017 numbers and yet staffing levels have not changed. Police are unable to respond to one third of 911 calls because of inadequate staffing.
Council based the decision to approve a payroll tax on the work of the Community Safety Revenue Team which studied an exhaustive range of funding options. Only the payroll tax provided the sustainable revenue source that could meet the level of need. The tax is designed to be broad and shallow — everyone pays into it and no one pays very much. Minimum wage workers are exempt.
Under the City’s charter, Council approves the City’s budget every year. It does not go out for a public vote.The Council is absolutely within its mandate to make this decision; and it was based on robust research and thorough deliberation.
Council also voted to put Ballot Measure 20-302 on the ballot in November of 2019 which the public overwhelmingly supported, ensuring that the rate of the payroll tax and use of the funds for public safety cannot be altered without a public vote.
What is the city’s role in controlling the coronavirus pandemic? How can the city help the local economy recover and protect citizens who lost their jobs from bankruptcy?
The City implemented an Emergency Operations Center which coordinates the emergency response across City departments as well as with our local partner governments, Springfield and Lane County. This includes First Responders — our Fire, Rescue and Police who are on the front lines in serving people who may be sick with the Coronavirus. From the first indications that the virus was likely headed our way, the City was concerned about our unhoused population who are both more likely to be in fragile health and vulnerable, and also more likely to spread the virus because they’re unsheltered. Rolling out increased sanitation, emergency shelter and implementing outreach teams were a priority. The City has a critical role in keeping the public informed — sharing health information from Lane County Public Health, issuing and reinforcing guidelines related to the Governor’s Stay Home order.
The city is now planning for the gradual re-opening phases, and the long-term planning for our recovery. Throughout the crisis, the City Manager and I have met with businesses; and the city has built a robust website to inform businesses and employees about resources for help. Eugene, Springfield and Lane County jointly funded a business loan program – that was quickly exhausted. City staff are working with the Chamber of Commerce and businesses to develop an economic recovery plan. That plan will include business and employee assistance, housing assistance, and development and infrastructure supports. As Mayor, I also advocate at the State and Federal level for support, specific policies such as the eviction moratorium, and information.
Matthew Yook
What motivated you to run for this office? Are you interested in higher office?
I wasn’t going to run for Mayor, then I found my ideas resonated with many folks. As a longtime resident who’s had the pleasure of talking with a lot of people from all over Eugene, I’ve heard (and lived) many iterations of the same story, the struggle for accessing the mobility the “Richest Nation” should afford its people. I see ways to secure this for us as Mayor and have the energy to push forward. I want to use my ability to create solutions with existing resources to build sustainably and resiliently through microgranges, microgrids, and a public internet while transitioning off fossil fuels. There’s so much greatness in Eugene we need to encourage to participate by showing them their time is respected through thoughtful consideration and not constructing barriers.I believe we can enact more impactful and immediate change on local levels, and to make sure my plans get off the ground, are vetted, and sustained will take more than just 4 years and I don’t plan on leaving.
What strengths or experiences do you bring?
I’ve a long history of community organizing and advocacy, budget committee and Treasurer experience, knowledge around social and economic justice issues, with over 20 years on ADPIANH boards. I learned how to communicate effectively with folks from all spectrums by figuring out where they are, and meeting them there to start a discussion, which is an important skill. Having found my voice at Lane Community College through OSPIRG, APISU, and the ASLCC, I also found space to accept my ethnicity and look at the ADPIANH Diaspora that impacts all of us. Having navigated my internalized stereotypes and oppressions I learned to be understanding and forgiving of myself making it easier for me to understand dichotomous ideologies. This helped folks feel comfortable talking to me, and got me excited about connecting people and resources for community focused development, which got others excited about what they could do and achieve, and I want to bring that to Eugene.
What are your views on this form of city government?
The power dynamics between the manager and the council leads to a disenfranchisement of the people as the City Manager is in charge of executing the details that play out in daily life, and not the councilors who are the public interface and express concerns to. With all the moving parts a modern city has, I understand part-time representative don’t having the capacity to micro manage what makes the city run, but I’ve heard at city meetings, or from folks that can’t make it, that they don’t feel heard, their idea discussed, or given an explanation of why it won’t work or why it’s taking so long to act. These grumblings of “inaction” alienates constituents even further from what little access they have. Comments on a school night, during dinner, in Downtown Eugene that now has a lottery for speaking making it a Roulette Wheel of Privilege. Decision making boards and commissions set at 10 AM or Lunch are even less accessible, and I will open them up and have ideas on how to increase Neighborhood Association participation.
https://www.yook4mayor.com/accessibility-4-transparency
Is there a particular issue or topic that you can identify that you would handle differently from the incumbent?
I will build towards long term solutions with community resources while ramping up immediate responses. Despite our best efforts, poverty and housing have just gotten worse. I will lead the city in new proactive ways to address concerns everyone in Eugene shares, and build on some of the great foundations that have been set, while increasing access and transparency to governmental processes to generate community support.
How do you think the city is handling homelessness? Do you have any ideas on how the city could improve?
Reactionarily. We need to work with Whitebird to track trends in homelessness as they’ve worked so long to help that population, and create a long term plan with access to wrap around service so we can help some of those most impacted by rents fast outpacing wages or benefits, and focus on building more units since housing is the other side of that coin through “Bottom Up Development”. If we focus on increasing supply at the bottom, we will push availability up across all incomes and not have a years long wait list for Low-income housing while “Luxury” and “Legacy” developments get subsidized.
https://www.yook4mayor.com/housing-a-wish-a-hiss-4-so-many-lips
Do you have any criticisms of how the council is functioning right now and what would you do to fix those issues?
I feel their hands are often tied because of how little influence they have on the details of what’s passed, which makes folks feel like their concerns aren’t heard or addressed, exacerbating feelings of disenfranchisement and creating a reciprocal depreciation of representation. With our limited resource it seems we’re conditioned to dismiss good ideas to focus on the immediate need, but we need both. I want to build on what’s worked and do a deep dive on mechanisms proven inadequate.
What are your thoughts on the city’s climate action plan? Do you have other ideas on how the city can mitigate climate change?
We need to move and not wait for CAP 3.0. There’s a lot of research and lobbying that has been done by folks in Eugene to make sure we can enact impactful change as a city before we run out of time. We need to transition off of natural gas (fossil fuel) and look for bare roofs where we can put solar panels. I will work with Arcimoto to transition more city vehicles from gas to electric, and create a bike/scooter/helmet library for Safe Routes to School while leaning on our Federal reps for more public transit funding: www.yook4mayor.com/green-new-deal-4-eugene
Do you agree with how the city handled the payroll tax? Do you think the City Council should pass a budget without voter approval?
1) No. 2) Sometimes, but only when it’s a state of emergency and needs to happen quicker than it can be referred to voters which is a part of living in a Democratic Republic. That was not the case for the Payroll Tax.
What is the city’s role in controlling the coronavirus pandemic? How can the city help the local economy recover and protect citizens who lost their jobs from bankruptcy?
The city needs to illustrate what information they have from governmental sources on timelines for relief, details on the mechanisms that we the people and small businesses need to recover, and work with state networks and federal representatives to secure aid for the people. We need to work with landlords and build resilient neighborhoods to ride this out with microgranges, microgrids, and public internet. With the solar panel tariff, we need to look at “Opportunity Zones” for investing in renewables manufacturing and IT jobs to bring new industry to Eugene.
Zondie Zinke
What motivated you to run for this office? Are you interested in higher office?
I determined to run for office while listening to Mayor Vinis’ State-of-the-City speech. I cannot abide by the message that Eugene is making progress.
Escalations of the crises at hand far outpace progress. On homelessness, local counts show a 33% increase in the number of people made homeless within a year. On climate, Eugene is not on course to meet 2030 climate goals. The city has identified “no known way” to meet them.
I look forward to speaking truthfully about where we are. I see this as a first step to change.
Higher office? How about the President.
What strengths or experiences do you bring?
I was a Women’s Studies major in college and have an MFA in Creative Writing. Writing is about seeing accurately and pursuing truth. I wish I saw more truth in our current city government. I’ve been a social worker and a community organizer. We have a serious crisis in Eugene, but I think those on the inside can’t see it, a corruption of influence and self-interest. We need someone who feels a mandate to stick up for the people of Eugene. Personally, I do not feel it is possible to have a critical lens on our current crises without a look at the damage caused by trickle down economics.
What are your views on this form of city government?
We have a City Manager System. We have a mayor who advances “stakeholder theory” to establish who should be the players in city policy. We have a part-time, underpaid council with no direct resources by which to gain independent authority. Our council is thus subject to the singular authority of the manager’s direction. That is a system that doesn’t work, as we have seen. We need to strengthen our direct representatives ability to be authorities in their own right and we should revisit the city charter for this purpose.
Is there a particular issue or topic that you can identify that you would handle differently from the incumbent?
I see all issues as connected. For example, we cannot address climate urgency, human rights abuses, nor the failures of democratic engagement, without taking on the economic injustices promoted by governance.
How do you think the city is handling homelessness? Do you have any ideas on how the city could improve?
We must hold a bottom line around human rights and baseline survival provisions. We should not be criminalizing poverty.
Rather than touting the TAC report as a sign of meaningful progress, I would speak to the grave inadequacies of it. To suggest that a 75 bed shelter, 350 units of supported housing, and some lower budget items such as divergence money will come anywhere close to the mark obscures a dire reality. In nearly the same time it took consultants to provide recommendations, homelessness in Eugene had increased by upwards of 30%.
We need to pilot diverse and immediately actionable short-term plans to help people have better experiences now. Emphasis on improving lives now. We can immediately and significantly expand tent provisions, safe spots, supported camping, Conestoga huts, tiny houses, food, bathroom, shower, and social service provisions now.
Do you have any criticisms of how the council is functioning right now and what would you do to fix those issues?
Something is really awry with a city government that puts forward a vote-splitting measure to defeat a people’s initiative, particularly a people’s initiative such as the Elected Auditor measure that would have brought government oversight.
That demonstrates to me a clear corruption of influence. We must put an end to that. Along with changing the government structure, we most require the registration of lobbyists.
Another example: when proposing the CET ordinance to council, city staff wrote in a max tax of $1M. When Semple challenged the need for a max cap—why should developers of the largest projects with access to the greatest resources pay a lesser percentage?—city staff Denny Baud responded that it was a “reasonableness test.” He explained that it was considered unreasonable for a single entity to pay more than $1M. I’m pretty sure there’s a Berner or two out there who has a different opinion on what is reasonable.
What are your thoughts on the city’s climate action plan? Do you have other ideas on how the city can mitigate climate change?
The current CAP 2.0 is a plan to fail. That’s not just rhetoric. It’s the truth. The city does not have a plan by which we will come within even 50% of our 2030 climate goals. This despite years of planning and $450,000 spent. Even worse, our mayor keeps failing to sound the alarms; instead we are strung along with the idea that progress is being made because the process continues.
As mayor, I would be 100% committed to Eugene actually modeling what it means for a city to meet planet-mandated ghg-reduction requirements and to organize with other cities around pacts to do the same. Some of what we can do is immediate: no new gas infrastructure, fareless public transportation. Some actions will require learning what works and what doesn’t. To this end, we must aggressively pilot high-impact climate changes. If voluntary pilots prove inadequate, in short order we must move to mandatory possibilities. I recognize that to use the word “mandatory” is almost unspeakable. I trust the public in total understands or can be aided in understanding worse realities to come.
Do you agree with how the city handled the payroll tax? Do you think the City Council should pass a budget without voter approval?
Your paper quoted me speaking against the payroll tax. The process which led to a unilateral enactment of a payroll tax began nearly two years prior, with a citizen survey in which the city polled people’s primary concerns. 40% of respondents named homelessness as their primary concern. This was by far the largest single category response; as the next largest, 7% cited traffic congestion; 4% cited public safety. Yet, as a direct inversion of the will of the people, the council allocated 80% of the payroll tax to fund police, prosecutors, and jailbeds, only 7% for homelessness services. No wonder the council chose not to put the tax to the voters.
I support funding mechanisms in line with a wealth tax and I support strong social safety nets.
I support the pending citizens’ initiative to void any payroll tax not passed by voters.
I support a budgetary process that requires voter approval.
What is the city’s role in controlling the coronavirus pandemic? How can the city help the local economy recover and protect citizens who lost their jobs from bankruptcy?
The City of Eugene is a microcosm of the nation as a whole, and the nation as a whole was unprepared due to a consistent erosion of protections for citizens that have served private interests. New allocations of direct or policy support must counteract structures that lead to income and wealth inequality. We need to revisit the municipal budget and prioritize communal resilience.
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