The open town meeting form of municipal government has been in use in parts of New England since pretty much before the United States was a country. The way it works is all registered voters in town who are interested in being involved get together for a few nights in spring to vote on policy, budget and board appointments for the next year. A city manager and various oversight boards take care of the day to day operations and special open meetings can be called throughout the year to address specific issues.
I had wrongly assumed that the state or federal government had policies and procedures, built on good research, to address an airborne pandemic. Terrible air quality and a huge fire on the other side of Springfield, at the time I am writing this, made me consider the logistics of evacuating 170,000 people. My lay opinion is that we as a community are not prepared for that at all. Our local government has failed to address the 2008 financial crisis and the subsequent housing crisis let alone the looming one.
Democracy does not work if we are not involved in it. The open town meeting is the most direct form of democracy in our country and the challenges we face in the next decade require a working system of intelligent decision making.
A city wide initiative petition could amend our city charter to the open town meeting form of municipal government. Please email me at EugeneTownMeeting@hotmail.com if you would like to get involved or have any feedback.
Ian Blumberg-Enge
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
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