Occasionally I am faced with a choice between two candidates whom I like. How do I choose?
When one of them is the “incumbent” (they already hold the office), I ask: “Has she or he done anything illegal or wrong? Have they failed to do the job?” If the answer to these two questions is “No”, then I will vote for the incumbent. This is a choice based on competency, not personality.
This is the choice I face when voting for Circuit Court Judge, Position 2: Beatrice Grace (incumbent) vs. Marty Wilde (challenger). I like them both. But Judge Grace has done nothing to forfeit the job. There is no reason to remove her from office.
Marty Wilde is a likable person. I voted for him for state representative. In other circumstances I would support him. But not in this case. He has an established political following, which will undoubtedly support his candidacy for any office. But this does not entitle him to evict a sitting judge.
In my mind fairness favors Judge Grace.
Michael McCabe
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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