Did Eugene just have its own mini-version of voters believing Trumpian lies? The campaign to unseat Eugene City Councilor Claire Syrett is ahead as of Sept. 6 with nearly 60 percent of the vote. But Syrett tells Eugene Weekly she’s not conceding. The recall campaign was deceptive, she says. A small group of people who don’t live in Ward 7, she adds, tapped into voter anxiety over inflation and the pandemic to motivate this result. Although the election won’t be certified until Oct. 7, Syrett says her attorneys are still arguing in court that the recall election was misused. “I believe the recall disrespected the voters through deceptive means. They told voters that if they replace me it would stop the EmX project, which is false. They used extreme rhetoric,” Syrett says. The recall election so far has less turnout compared to the May 2020 election when Syrett defeated two opponents. The 2020 election had 4,561 votes and the 2022 recall election night total is 3,361. Despite being behind by a large margin, Syrett says she’ll still show up to do City Council work, and if the courts don’t agree with her, she’ll do her part in finding a successor in Ward 7 who can advocate for its constituents as she has.
• If you’re looking for a winning team to wipe out the memory of Oregon Duck football’s historic loss to Georgia, consider last weekend. The Portland Timbers soccer team beat Atlanta 2-1. Two hours without advertising, just the beautiful game. Then the Seattle Mariners baseball team lasted more than eight hours through a rain delay to beat Cleveland. Most of the fans were gone. Even if baseball bores you, you should pick up the Mariners’ little dance at the end of the win. Inspired by the Savannah Bananas? Great fun. And we could have an Oregon football win this coming weekend, Sept. 10, when the Ducks play Eastern Washington at 5:30 pm.
• Another idea has come up to keep the EWEB building on the river in the public domain rather than going to private ownership — current bids listed on the building include Obie Companies, Three Muses Group and Olympus Academia. How about EWEB selling it to the 4J school district for a dollar to use for a new headquarters? Converting it to that use probably would be too expensive, but it’s an interesting thought. We still like the idea of making it the Hope Pressman Art Museum.
• Sept. 11 is this Sunday and it’s a good day to pause, think about the days the skies were silent and the years of its aftermath across the world.
• Don’t throw out your expired at-home COVID test kits just yet! If you got an iHealth test or one of several other brands, the FDA has extended the shelf life of some kits. Google the words: otc covid test expiration date, and you can find out if yours is still good.
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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