The Eugene City Council is currently considering referring a measure to the November ballot change our voting system to a system called STAR voting. This system changes our one person, one vote democracy into a system better suited for ranking restaurants than choosing city councilors.
First, it comes with a speculated six-figure price tag. In a time where government spending is already reaching an all-time high, we should not be adding to it with untested systems. This system would be the poster child for government waste.
Beyond the economic cost is the social one. Our community works best when individuals look out for one another, and treat each other with respect. That ideal is not reflected in this system. The best way to get ahead in this system is not to improve your own score, but to hurt the scores of the candidates around you. This will lead to elections where the focus shifts away from how candidates plan to improve our community and push us toward more mudslinging and division.
I want to live in a community that puts respect and common sense first. Advancing STAR through the City Council does not do that.
Bob Siegmund
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!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
Comments are closed.