Normally, we are all for the petition process, but sometimes it’s let Oregonians do more harm than good — think 2004’s gay marriage ban. This year, don’t sign the recall petition that’s on the street now to bring down state Rep. Paul Holvey. He is a strong legislator, and this totally irresponsible recall would cost Oregon taxpayers nearly $65,000 and remove a legislator who was re-elected last November with nearly 85 percent of the votes cast. Holvey has received the ONA Friend of Nursing Award, the AFL-CIO Leadership Award, the AFL-Legislator of the Year and the SEIU Champion for Working Families. He has experience as a union carpenter. We’re lucky to have him in Salem.
• What we’re reading: Anything by Elizabeth Kolbert, who writes with such passion and intelligence about the natural world. Her latest piece, short by her standards, is called “A Trillion Little Pieces,” aka “How Plastics are Poisoning Us,” and appears in the July 3 New Yorker magazine. After reading this, we want to get every piece of single-use plastic out of our life. Not easy.
• Who runs Eugene? That question has been bumping around for years and arose again after Eugene City Manager Sarah Medary spoke to the City Club of Eugene. Does the city manager, unelected, selected by the City Council, run the city? Do the elected mayor and council call the shots? What about the developers? Do the local ones like Brian Obie or the distant developers who fund the ugly student housing have the loudest voices? Should we change our system of local government and would the city run better? Weigh in at Letters@EugeneWeekly.com.
• Hey kids! Eugene has a City Hall. After a decade of lacking an official City Hall, the city finalized its $12 million purchase of former EWEB headquarters. Councilor Mike Clark is probably patting himself on the back — and he should be. He’s been saying EWEB’s building on the river was a good center of city government for years now.
• As long as we’re talking about changing systems, the Supreme Court’s latest decisions have us wondering about how to fix that mess, too. Don’t get us wrong, we are thrilled the Supremes rebuffed the legal theory favored by many conservatives that would have given sweeping power to state legislatures to establish rules for presidential and congressional elections and let them draft electoral maps giving huge advantages to the party already in control. But that’s one good decision out of a litany of decisions — made by folks taking huge gifts from rich people — that hurt the poor, people of color, reproductive rights and the thousands of student loan borrowers who are still under the crushing weight of debt and an unfair loan system.
• The folks at CORE Eugene are looking for young artists ages 16 to 24 — they are working with local artist Erick Wonderly Varela on a mural and have the first planning session 11 am to 2 pm July 13 at Zephyr House, 692 Jefferson Street. CORE (Community Outreach through Radical Empowerment) already has a strong track record “supporting, empowering and advocating” for young people and using art in their materials. For more information, email info@COREEugene.org.
• “Protecting Children from Online Predators” is the theme of the next City Club of Eugene (noon to 1:15 pm, July 7) at the Maple Room inside the Inn at the 5th. Speakers are Ryan Dwyer, an FBI supervisory special agent; Kari Skinner, 4J School District director of safety; and Sarah Stewart, executive director, Kids FIRST.
• For a few wonderful hours this week, registered Democrats — some of them thoroughly woke — joined Trump-supporting Republicans, Second Amendment enthusiasts, fans of the military, private and public school supporters, muscle car drivers, vaccine skeptics, Ms. Wheelchair Oregon, an Elvis impersonator and at least one fairy who appeared to have escaped from the Oregon Country Fair to wave American flags and celebrate the birth of our sometimes problematic nation at the annual Creswell Fourth of July parade on Tuesday. Everyone smiled, no one felt threatened, children were enthralled by candy tossed from floats and lots of folks enjoyed barbecue and stood for the national anthem later at the park — and we all saw what it’s like to put community before politics. Good job, Creswell!
@eugeneweekly Creswell 4th of July Parade — Democratic Party of Lane County, Humvees, electric vehicles, ballet dancers, Miss Wheelchair Oregon (who got the biggest applause), schools, more cars and at least one Elvis. A lot of candy. Eugene needs a parade. #EugeneWeekly #localnews #july4 #july4th #smalltownparade #creswelloregon ♬ Party In The U.S.A. – Miley Cyrus