COOPMAN AND THE JWN
Ted Coopman and the Jefferson Westside Neighbors board seem to think their opinions represent those of everyone in the neighborhood. They don’t.
I’m not going to argue that Coopman’s JWN doesn’t do good things. Monroe Park is cleaner and better maintained because of them. But active membership of neighborhood groups like this is limited to a demographically biased subset of neighbors — people with enough time and motivation to track all the details of certain issues and take part in meetings and votes at inconvenient times that exclude people who have kids or work nontraditional hours.
Folks paying attention to the letters page over the past couple of years might have noticed that there has been far more contention over JWN board-related issues than any other neighborhood association from various unrelated neighbors. Personally, I would love for the board to take these criticisms seriously and reflect on whether they are acting in what is truly the best interest of the neighborhood, according to all of our preferences, or if they are acting for a vocal minority and their own self-interest. Perhaps some polls that meet their threshold for statistical significance.
Until then, I’m not voting for Coopman!
Morgan Cissel
Eugene
LET THE VOTERS DECIDE
Eugene is fortunate to have two smart, committed, progressive women running for state representative in House District 8. Both have wonderful — although different — credentials and a deep commitment to the issues of our day: climate change, affordable housing and health care, to name the top three on my list.
It has been deeply disturbing to receive multiple postcards attempting to smear Doyle Canning’s reputation — an effort that seems to be endorsed by Peter DeFazio, an Oregon icon to many. The tone is one of personal attack and vendetta.
I won’t spend my time figuring out who is behind the scenes pulling the strings. Political manipulation is not attractive. As a lifelong Democrat, I am disheartened to see my party use the divisive tactics we’ve grown so accustomed to on the national scene.
Please let these talented women speak for themselves, and let the voters decide who will best represent them in Salem.
Personally, I will celebrate when either of these wonderful women is elected and hope that there is room for the other to stay in politics. We need more women like them and less ugliness coming from deep-pocketed individuals with hidden agendas and personal vendettas.
Barbara Sklar
Eugene
COMMENDING PAT FARR
As a resident of one of the modest neighborhoods that would be most impacted by the proposed stadium at the Lane Events Center, I have followed discussions of this issue by the Lane County Board of Commissions with interest. Pat Farr is the only Commissioner that — to my knowledge — has spent time visiting with, listening to and learning from residents in the proposed stadium’s “blast zone,” and sharing these observations with the entire board.
While I do not reside or vote in Commissioner Farr’s district, I can commend him to those who do. His qualities of curiosity, compassion and common sense should serve his constituents well.
Tom Williams
Eugene
A DISENFRANCHISED DEMOCRAT
I am a lifelong Democrat. After the 2020 census and redistricting, I have been disenfranchised, thanks to Gov. Tina Kotek and the Democratic Party of Oregon.
If you live south of 30th Avenue and east of East Amazon, you got thrown into a mostly rural district, Linn County. This district is so conservative, no Democrats are even running for State Rep. This is why I feel disenfranchised.
Kotek, et. al, didn’t follow the rules for redistricting when they did this, just because they didn’t like the previous state representative, a fellow Democrat. Shame on you!
April Simandi
Eugene
A RETIRED JUDGE EXPLAINS
As a long-retired local Circuit Court judge, I can appreciate Bob Springenberg’s thoughts about electing judges (EW letters, 5/16). While the topic of judicial selection and retention has been the subject of many volumes of essays, the shorthand answer is judges are different from most other officials.
Their role demands the constant, utmost adherence to impartiality and avoidance of outside influences. Thus, if a judge is doing his or her job properly, they need to steer clear of many of the usual community involvements in which other elected officials generally immerse themselves, to ensure that they don’t give even the appearance of partiality toward any group or issue. So, generally, it is a good thing that most voters don’t know who the judges are. That usually means that judges are not generating controversy.
Why judges mostly run unopposed is a complex issue involving the explanation above, and the satisfaction (or dissatisfaction) of local attorneys. Again, as a general rule, a sitting judge does not draw an opponent unless some group of local attorneys is highly unhappy with the judge’s performance. Since running against a sitting judge is sort of like biting the hand that feeds you, it is rarely done, and is rarely successful.
Jim Hargreaves
Eugene
A TRIAGE CENTER FOR EUGENE
Our first priority must be to establish a triage center this side of the Willamette. Thousands of seniors and students will be killed and maimed when the Cascadia fault rips a 7 to 9 magnitude quake through the Whit. Let’s see how much of the University district plant can be made seismically sound and efficient for health care workers. PeaceHealth University District hemorrhaged money for decades applying costly band-aids to indigent frequent fliers with complex social needs. Let’s volunteer for neighborhood committees to inventory disaster supplies in neighborhood schools. Dio we have defibrillators, bandages, tourniquets, oxygen and IV setups handy? Who has the keys?
Next, let’s meet as neighborhoods to rank priorities. We did this in the JWN for the Scobert Garden remodel. We listened to the proposals, heard from community members with concerns about what goes on in park bathrooms, then applied sticky dots to posters to make a rough frequency graph of concerns.
Improved access to mental health will make us safer than spending half of our budget on public safety.