In his latest newsletter, state Sen. James Manning (D-Eugene) tells us, “Citizen engagement is a critical part of a representative democracy. I strongly encourage all my constituents to share testimony so your elected leaders can be confident their decisions represent the will of the Oregon people.”
Manning’s voting record belies his message. He has repeatedly shown that he has little use for “citizen engagement” or “the will of the people.”
In 2019, Manning and his fellow Democrats revoked the voter mandates of Measures 88 (2014) and 97 (2016). With bogus “emergency” clauses and “Plan B” bills they effectively eliminated the citizen referendum option. Senate Bill 761 suppressed citizen initiatives.
In the current session, Manning co-sponsored SB 554 to remove rights from concealed carry permit holders for no substantiated reason. Against an overwhelming amount of opposing testimony, Manning and his Democrat colleagues passed the bill out of committee on a party line vote. Manning has also targeted the Measure 11 voter mandate with his House Bill 2002.
I respect Sen. Manning for his military service but I’ve seen these scenarios time and again in my 20-plus years of working legislative issues. He is not the only legislator who disingenuously professes support for citizen participation.
Democrats in this deep blue state have learned that the voters will re-elect them no matter what they do. Accordingly, they have little or no need for citizen engagement and it regularly shows.
Jerry Ritter
Springfield
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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