As former chair of the Jefferson Westside Neighbors (JWN), I heartily endorse City Councilor Emily Semple for re-election in Ward 1. Semple is hardworking, honest, compassionate and transparent. She meets regularly with the JWN leadership team and attends neighborhood meetings in an effort to educate herself on the needs and priorities of her constituents. She listens deeply and cares about all citizens.
As a neighborhood leader I had many encounters with her opponent, Eliza Kashinsky In my experience, Kashinsky is divisive, difficult to work with, a poor listener and interested only in her agenda. A recent east coast transplant with a top down outlook on leadership, Kashinsky thinks that she knows what is best despite what others may think. She has shown little respect for the prior work of her long-term neighbors, making a determined effort to abolish zoning changes enacted through a robust community effort. Further, she has publicly stated that neighborhood associations should be disbanded. Kashinsky clearly does not respect the will of the people, which is very undemocratic. Most damning of all, campaign contributions to support Kashinsky are currently under investigation by the Oregon Department of Justice.
Ward 1 voters should re-elect Emily Semple.
Tom Happy
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.
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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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