As we interviewed candidate after candidate for our elections coverage and endorsements issue, R.E.M. played in our heads (or at least in heads of us over a certain age or into ’90s bands):
“It’s the end of the world as we know it
And I feel fine.”
Despite those dire feelings, Lane County and Oregon is awash with people who care about democracy and want to see the world — and this community — become a better place.
Our editorial board interviews people, watches debates, reads stances and evaluates, sees where the campaign money is coming from, discusses and thinks again.
In the May primary, Eugene Weekly endorses in nonpartisan races (such as city councils and the Lane County Commission, where someone might be a Democrat or a Republican, but the seat is not elected via a political party) and the Democratic primary.
Oregon has closed primaries in partisan races, so only Dems can vote for Dems in those races in May and the GOP can only vote for the GOP. Even though we know Republicans are among our avid readers, we’re pretty sure those folks don’t turn to us for our election endorsements — but hey, if we are wrong, let us know, the world gets weirder all the time!
Read on and let’s save democracy one vote at a time, while we still can. — Camilla Mortensen
Federal
U.S. Senator
Jeff Merkley, Paul Damian Wells
Congress House District 4
Val Hoyle, Melissa Bird, Dan Bahlen
The EW editorial board kicked off most endorsement interviews with the basic question of “Why run?” And with the upheavals of the current Trump administration, why run again — especially for Congress? Val Hoyle said her father, himself once a politician, asked her: “Are you going to walk away at this time of history? Are you going to walk away from this righteous battle?”
Hoyle said no, she’s not walking away, she’s committed.
We don’t always agree with Hoyle’s votes — but we do agree with her scrappy nature.
Melissa Bird in particular, pulls no punches when it comes to questioning the more mainstream Democrats and in these times, questioning votes and stances on everything from immigration to Israel is deeply necessary. She is also tenacious. But Hoyle’s depth of experience makes her a stand-out in this contest.
State
Governor
Tina Kotek, Forest (Fora) Alexander, James Atkinson IV, Donnie M Beckwith, David W. Beem, Brittany Jones, Cal Kishawi, Steve William Laible, Tristan Sheppard, Miranda Weigler
Once upon a time — about four years ago, it’s highly possible we endorsed Tina Kotek for governor and said “she’s smart, she’s competent and she has the charm of your cool lesbian aunt.”
Then last year, we got pretty pissed when now-Gov. Kotek’s office turned down the extradition of EW’s embezzler from Ohio. So one of the many things we asked the governor when she stopped by the office was about that whole extradition thing — the non-Republican elephant in the room.
She told us, “My office is an office where it says, ‘Hey, if we’re not getting it right, we will course correct.’” It was a learning experience, she said, and that gets to the heart of our endorsement — trying to do the right thing, and changing it up if needed. That’s refreshing in the Trump era, where the nation’s leader pretends like he doesn’t make mistakes.
Of Trump, Kotek says, “We’re making progress. We have to stand up against Trump, and I think I’m the most qualified person to do that, and I think it’s really important right now.”
And on the hot-buttonest of hot-button state and local issues — housing and homelessness — Kotek reports having “financed or put in the pipeline” about 17,600 homes since she took office. “I like to say that we have thrown everything and the kitchen sink at this,” Kotek says.
Her administration reports 6,286 shelter beds supported, 5,539 households rehoused and almost 26,000 households receiving eviction prevention assistance. But the issue continues to grow.
“Every community has to do their part. They need to have services. They need to have shelters. You’re going to be more successful if you can stay in the community where you’ve experienced homelessness. That’s why everybody has a responsibility,” Kotek says.
Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries
Christina E. Stephenson, Chris Lynch (nonpartisan race)
State Senator
4th District
Floyd Prozanski, unopposed
6th District
Sierrah Williams, unopposed
7th District
James I. Manning Jr., unopposed
State Representative
7th District
Kori Rodley, Ky Fireside, KC Huffman
Energetic first-time candidate Ky Fireside brought up good points with actionable plans. But Kori Rodley has the experience necessary to represent Springfield at the state level. Rodley, who is in her second term as a Springfield city councilor and is a mother and disability rights advocate, says her top priorities are health care, education, infrastructure and housing.
As a city councilor, Rodley has supported and advocated for projects like the Laura Apartments, which will provide stable housing for domestic violence survivors, and now wants to take her experience to the next level. She believes the Legislature sometimes has blinders on, looking only at the Portland metro area. If elected, Rodley says she wants to take off those blinders and advocate not just for Springfield, but for other smaller cities around Oregon.
Rodley says her budget experience will translate into figuring out how to balance the budget to maintain key services. “2027 is going to be a big year for that, trying to figure out what we do with money and what gets cut and what doesn’t get cut,” Rodley says.
8th District
Lisa Fragala, unopposed
12th District
Charlie Conrad (Independent, write-in for Democrat), Amber Smith (Democrat)
House District 12 ranges from Blue River to Cottage Grove and is one of Lane County’s many districts that straddles conservative and progressive areas. Charlie Conrad is running as an Independent Party candidate, but Cottage Grove’s progressive Blackberry Pie Society suggests writing him in on the Democratic ballot, and we are down with that.
A former Republican, Conrad lost his seat in the last election to a candidate who lacked his thoughtful positions on abortion and transgender health care issues. We’d like him back.
13th District
Nancy Nathanson, unopposed
14th District
Julie Fahey, Erik Glass
Judge of the Circuit Court, 2nd District
Historically, Lane County has not had a lot of contested races for circuit court judge. Judges run unopposed so often that voters forget it’s an elected position. We suspect in our divisive era, more and more judges will run challenged in Lane County and across the state, and folks will want informed opinions on the candidates.
That said, readers know that Eugene Weekly has a case in Lane County Circuit Court — our embezzler pleaded guilty to five felony counts but won’t be sentenced until May 27 — so we won’t be endorsing in any judges’ races this year. Read a story on the race between incumbent Amit Kapoor and challenger Katina Saint Marie in this issue and extended Q&A online.
Position 3
Bradley A. Cascagnette, unopposed
Position 4
Charles M. Zennache, unopposed
Position 6
Amit Kapoor, Katina Saint Marie
Position 10
Kamala H. Shugar, unopposed
Position 15
Clara L. Rigmaiden, unopposed
Position 16
Jessica E. May, unopposed
Position 17
Allison Knight, unopposed
Lane County
Lane County Board of County Commissioners
West Lane, Position 1
Thomas Hiura, Ryan Ceniga
It’s difficult to separate Ryan Ceniga from the shitshow that is David Loveall — they so often vote in concert — and that’s unfortunate because, as Lane County commission chair, Ceniga has shown he can be thoughtful and measured.
We didn’t get a response to our outreach for an interview with Ceniga and Thomas Hiura on the other hand has compelling reasons to run as well as a passion for politics. He tells us, “My story as a bisexual, half-Japanese person in this community who has been homeless and who works really hard and wants to see a better community that’s inclusive, and everybody has a chance — that’s why I’m running.”
Springfield, Position 2
Sean VanGordon, William Thomas Monsoor, David Loveall
Honestly, at this point, most of us are members of the “anyone but Loveall” party, but that said, Sean VanGordon is a strong candidate for this Lane County Board of Commissioners position, even if the incumbent wasn’t being accused of retaliation and talking about women as strippers on a stripper pole.
VanGordon, current mayor of Springfield, gets a lot done for the city in what’s basically a volunteer position and could do a lot more in a full-time position on the county board, he tells us. “What ultimately I’m asking voters is to really believe in a third way. Roads don’t have to be a partisan thing. Public safety doesn’t have to be a partisan thing. The idea that everybody has a future here doesn’t have to be a partisan thing.”
And he tells us, “I think my superpower in politics is my ability to talk to different people in different situations and share with them why things occur the way they do, and then take those facts and explain them to a different group in a language that makes sense to them.”
We like that superpower.
East Lane, Position 5
Heather Buch, Bob Zybach, Jake Pelroy
This one is easy. Heather Buch is thoughtful, careful and manages the diverse perspectives of a “very purple” rural district that has communities from Blue River to Cottage Grove to Oakridge that are very different but share the same “basic needs.” She understands the needs of her constituents, from mental health to housing.
Jake Pelroy has a lot of lawn signs but not a lot of substance beyond the usual right-wing tendency to blame red tape. He seems to have entered the race to team up with David Loveall (a bad idea) and because he’s still hoping to stop CleanLane, the county’s efforts to take food waste and recyclables out of the garbage before it goes to the landfill.
We need thoughtfulness and balance from county commissioners — the folks who decide on issues from public health and housing to land use. One ongoing major point is whether Oakridge’s TV Butte should be returned into a gravel mine against the wishes of the majority of the small, rural town it’s near.
Lane County Measures
Measure 20-373
YES Establishes rights for watersheds and clean water; County, private enforcement
Who knew the rights of nature could be so polarizing? The Lane County Watersheds Bill of Rights has caused no small amount of discussion. The main dissent seems to be “but what if there are lawsuits?”
The measure “establishes irrevocable rights for all our watersheds to exist, flourish, regenerate and naturally evolve, free from contamination and degradation, and which thereby protects their integrity and natural diversity both now and for future generations.”
And with the way the world is going, that’s a bright light we need. Are we concerned there will be lawsuits? Sure, but that’s also the nature of laws, politics and the legal system, so let’s fight for the environment and make it a good one.
Measure 20-380
YES Supporting 4-H youth and Oregon State University Extension Programs across Lane County
From the Master Gardener program to 4-H’s role in training youths to raise animals, the contributions to both rural and urban needs Lane County gets from 4-H and OSU Extension cannot be underestimated. A property assessed at $243,405 would pay $12.17 per year — it’s worth it.
Lane County Sheriff
Carl E. Wilkerson III, unopposed
City of Eugene
Eugene City Council
Ward 3
John Barofsky, Jennifer Smith
Longtime Beppe and Gianni’s near-campus staple John Barofsky says he’s in a “transition place with my business, with the restaurant that I’ve run for 28 years in Ward Three,” and ready to run for office. He’s no stranger to budgets and city business from his work on the city budget committee, planning committee and EWEB board.
Some voters have had questions about where his campaign donations are coming from — including resource extraction companies and the Chamber of Commerce’s Life Lane — wondering if they mean he leans rightwing, and we wondered about that too. He points out that his donors are also his longtime customers.
He edged out political up-and-comer union steward Jennifer Smith with his clear specifics on everything from clean power to budget cuts.
We asked candidates several questions we crowdsourced from EW readers, including if they would be willing to cut the Eugene Police Department budget to fund other programs. Barofsky’s response was practical: “EPD is a large portion of the General Fund. And if we talk about having to make reductions, I believe that proportionally it’s going to have to take some cuts.” He also drew upon his own experience with addiction to inform his responses on CAHOOTS-like services.
Ward 4
Jennifer Yeh, Tom Stedman
Jennifer Yeh, in her near decade on the council representing northeast Eugene’s Ward 4, has been strong on renter protections, decarbonization and middle housing. She’s been thoughtful in her votes and in representing her north Eugene ward.
Tom Stedman is a compelling candidate despite his lack of political experience. He brings street knowledge from years of working with CAHOOTS, as well as his work as a union shop steward, and explains his positions on difficult matters such as municipal budget cuts with a refreshing lack of political jargon.
We try to balance a need for stability and experience in governance with a need for fresh ideas, and we’d love to see Stedman around the council chambers some more, but Yeh has earned another term on the council in our vote.
Ward 5
Mike Clark, Athena Aguiar, Jasmine Hatmaker
We don’t agree with all of Mike Clark’s political positions — sometimes his libertarian streak is a little wide — but we like his well-informed, common sense approach to the city’s problems. He was also a longtime renter as well as a single father, so despite his political differences from our liberal leaning board, he’s relatable.
We also really like Athena Aguiar’s energy and Jasmine Hatmaker’s passion. Aguiar has a dynamic, refreshing voice we’d like to see in office, but we also see the need for a little libertarianism on the City Council — let’s not forget Clark was saying the EWEB building was a good city hall while his fellow councilors dragged their feet and Eugene lacked a city hall for way too long.
Luckily, it’s a primary election, so we’re going to invoke our periodic use of dual endorsement in the primary. Choose the council stalwart who bucks the trend or the new-to-politics candidate, who might buck the trend a little differently!
Ward 6
Tai Pruce-Zimmerman, Greg Evans
Tai Pruce-Zimmerman says he ran after incumbent Greg Evans said he was not going to pursue his seat. Evans then changed his mind, and after some time, Pruce-Zimmerman decided to campaign. We reached out repeatedly to Evans for an interview but got ghosted.
In the Trump era, we prefer government officials who appreciate the role of the press in transparency. We also appreciate Pruce-Zimmerman’s budget committee experience and fresh energy, as well as compassion. When we asked him about his stance on banning panhandling, he said, “I don’t think we need to be criminalizing compassion ever, but really, especially at this moment in our community where togetherness and community building is what we need so much.”
Eugene Water and Electric Board commissioner
Wards 4 & 5
John Brown
At-Large
Alexi Miller, Eric Dziura
It says a lot about this area when we have so many good candidates for seemingly wonky offices like the EWEB board. Eric Dziura and Alexi Miller are both passionate and actually a little wonky — in a good way — and to be honest, either choice is a good one.
We tipped the scales at Miller because he just had that extra fillip of passion for the environment that we’d like to see right now, with so much at stake when it comes to power and water.
Eugene Measures
Measure 20-376
YES Removes gender-specific pronouns from the Eugene Charter.
Measure 20-377
YES Amends the Eugene Charter to remove city residency requirement for department heads.
In this age of instant communication, we see little benefit in restricting Eugene’s leadership to people who live inside the city limits. We lose more than we gain by forcing department heads to live here, especially when our charter means the head of Eugene-Springfield Fire has to live in Eugene.
Measure 20-381
YES Authorizes a five-year local option levy for the funding of library operations.
We love libraries, and we hate the fact that library budgets are the first to be slashed in hard times. Eugene Public Library offers free information to everyone in town, as well as a warm and beautiful place to sit and relax. Absolutely, fund the library!
City of Springfield
City Council
All races are unopposed
Measure 20-384 Willamalane Park & Recreation District
YES Preserve park safety, recreation, and ongoing maintenance with five-year levy