Mayor Vinis' statement was inadvertently omitted.
Please accept our apologies.
Mayor
Lucy Vinis
I'm often asked why I would run for re-election. The answer is, that in the face of challenging times, we are making progress.
We're preparing to pass our Climate Action Plan 2.0, the framework to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030. While other cities passed resolutions, Eugene passed an Ordinance - a law holding us to our commitment.
The City and County are more closely coordinated than ever before to address homelessness. We're committed to implementing ten recommendations to improve and expand our homeless services. We have hired a Joint Housing Strategist; we have hired an outreach coordinator who is now training five teams to connect with people living outdoors; and we're about to land on a site for a permanent, low-barrier shelter.
The City has created a revenue stream to build affordable housing, the Construction Excise Tax, which is estimated to bring in $1 million per year. The new riverfront neighborhood has the capacity for 500 new units of housing of which 75 would be subsidized, affordable units. This development will also attract new small businesses, bring in tax revenue and create local, fair-wage construction jobs for years to come.
Lastly, I have been a champion for protecting those most vulnerable in our community through passing a Sanctuary City Ordinance and a resolution to condemn abortion bans. Everyone in our City deserves to live a life with dignity and respect. My role as Mayor is to help develop a City in which everyone can thrive. Jon Belcher has worked hard to bring these candidates statements to you in lieu of our traditional candidates forum. Each candidate in a contested primary race was given the opportunity to submit a statement . Eight statements were submitted received and are linked to the candidates names in the list below.
State Representative District 13 Democratic Primary: uncontested
Nancy Nathanson Phone: 541)345-8683 nn413@comcast.net Republican Primary: uncontested
David J Smith Phone: (541)953-1350 djs47@comcast.net
State Representative District 14 Democrat Primary: uncontested
Julie Fahey Phone: (541)505-8717 julie@juliefahey.org Republican Primary:
Rich Cunningham (541)232-7967 richc414@aol.com richcunninghamfororegon.com no response Alison Rhoads (503)875-7441 phantomangel7893@gmail.com
Lane County: Ballot Measure LCC Bond 20-306 Lane County Commissioner Pat Farr farrout72@gmail.com Andrew Ross Phone: (541) 743-5247 carlandross@yahoo.com Sheriff uncontested Clifton G.HarroldPhone: (541) 682-4434 Harrold524@gmail.com Eugene: Mayor (7)
Lucy Vinis Phone: 541-206-8803 Email: info@lucyvinis.com
Robert Patterson Phone: 541-897-2020 Email: emeraldgulch@gmail.com no response Zondie Zinke Phone: 650-743-8588 Email: zondiez@hotmail.com Benjamin Ricker Phone: 503-875-2647 Email: bwricker@gmail.com
Stacey Westover Phone: 541-913-6636 Email: westoverteamsales@gmail.com no response Matthew Yook Phone: 541-729-4372 Email: matthewyook@gmail.com
Thomas Hiura Phone: 541-510-9987 Email: th2762@tc.columbia.edu no response Ward 7 (3) Claire Syrett Phone: 541-434-6164 Email: claire.m.syrett@ci.eugene.or.us Douglas Barr Phone:541-653-0326 Email:dbarr@foodforlanecounty.org
Charles “Cliff” Gray Phone: 541-653-9525 Email: darkgray@aol.com no response EWEB Wards 6 & 7 uncontested
Sonya Carlson Phone: 541-915-2109) Email: sonyaforeweb@gmail.com
State Representative District 14
Republican Primary:
Alison Rhoads
-Pro-Constitution.
-Pro-Limited Government.
-Pro-2A, no red flag law. "SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED".
-Pro-life.
-Pro-Returning Federal land back to the People of Oregon.
-Anti-Illegal immigration, pro immigration reform.
-Pro-Medical Freedom, no forced vaccinations or procedures.
-Anti-Sexualization of kids in schools.
-Anti-Common Core in schools.
-Anti-Cap & Trade, pro free market solutions for greener living.
-Pro-TimberUnity's 4-Point Plan for carbon sequestration.
-Pro-Tax reform, lowering all taxes.
-Pro-Single family zoning, expansion of urban growth boundaries.
-Pro-CPS reform.
-Pro-PERS reform.
-Pro-Govt. Transparency.
-Pro-Govt. Accountability, especially in spending of tax dollars.
-Anti-Attacks on small businesses.
-Pro-Drug treatment in secure facility instead of jail, pro investment in treatment centers instead of lavish new city halls, etc.
-Pro-Fixing homeless crisis.
Lane County: Lane County Commissioner Pat Farr
My wife Debi and I celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary this year. We are proud of our three caring, compassionate children: Paddy, a mental health counselor; Evan, a teacher; and Luke, a manager for Starbucks in San Francisco. Our grandchildren brighten our lives.
Local business drives our economy. I worked at Jerry’s as we grew from a dozen employees into the largest independent Home Center in the US. I was FOOD for Lane County’s Executive Director as we weathered a crippling crisis to become the preeminent nonprofit in the region, distributing 7 million pounds of food annually. I received recognition by the US Senate for my work there. In 2016, Michelle Obama invited me to spend a day at the White House celebrating Operation 365, Housing 404 Homeless Veterans.
I am running for re-election to continue my focus on poverty and homelessness and successful work in stabilization of services including economic development, public safety, equity and access, climate change and health and human services. During my years we progressed from being on the State “watch list” for potential financial failure to having our Moody’s Financial Rating increased twice. This took an enormous effort, bringing the county into structural financial balance. We currently have the highest Moody’s rating Lane County has ever had.
I am endorsed by Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis and all City Councilors in my district, Chris Pryor, Claire Syrett, Mike Clark, Jennifer Yeh and Greg Evans.
Please follow my Lane County COVID-19 updates on Facebook and at www.ForumLane.com
Andrew Ross
I am the only Democrat running for the North Eugene County Commission position, against a conservative-leaning incumbent. I have been a Eugene resident since 1991, a homeowner in the district since 2007, and have a son at Holt Elementary.
As an attorney practicing in downtown Eugene for 22 years, I have seen first-hand the need for restorative justice and investment in court programs that prioritize rehabilitation over punishment.
I have encountered people every day who have been pushed to the margins of our community by our housing crisis, our lack of living-wage jobs, our addiction epidemic or our lack of mental health support services.
As a landlord, I’ve worked hard to keep rents affordable, in the face of an ever increasing housing shortage. I want to help ensure all can find affordable housing, and increase the amount of accessible housing for those in need.
I support unions, and I also know that living wage jobs are key to making sure families can afford to stay in our community. We need to foster an environment that attracts business and keeps entrepreneurs local by investing in the health, education, and quality of life of our workforce.
I’m running because we have a moral imperative to work together to improve the quality of life for all of Lane County. That means we need better court facilities, better treatment options, better wages, more affordable housing, and public transportation that reaches more people. I look forward to working with you to help Lane County thrive.
Eugene: Mayor (7) Zondie Zinkewww.solidarityplatformeugene.org
What motivates me to run for mayor is a sense that we need to significantly shift our priorities at the local level. The Covid-19 crisis makes this all the more evident.
We have the highest per capita rate of homelessness in the United States. Official counts show the number of people made homeless locally increased by 33% in a year. We must prioritize people's bottom-line survival and wellness needs. Our community deserves robust social safety nets.
Eugene’s current Climate Action Plan is alarmingly inadequate. Even if all recommendations of the plan were activated, our city would fall short of non-negotiable 2030 climate goals by upwards of 50%. We must learn from Covid-19 that any delay means options decrease and consequences intensify.
Meeting our climate and equity goals will require deep reconsideration of how our local government directs economic development. Eugene follows the norm of trickle-down economics. We extend tax-breaks, incentives, and investments to high-end developments. The idea being that these will provide a stronger tax base for community resilience down the road.
However, what we have seen in Eugene, as in every city across the nation, is that this model concentrates wealth while impoverishing communal resources.
To start, I would end tax-breaks for exclusive Downtown developments and terminate disproportionate public investment in the high-end Riverfront. Instead of enabling concentration at the top, I would direct our economy under the guidance of a local Green New Deal. Thus, we might approach meaningful equity and the prospect of a habitable planet.
Benjamin Ricker
For a while Eugene banned dogs from the city’s downtown business core. No dogs, aside from service animals, police dogs, and dogs belonging to people who rent downtown. It came and went, but the downtown dog ban did its job, which wasn’t even about dogs in the first place. It was really about homeless people, and communicating two distinct messages at once.
Homeless folks I spoke with back then heard loud and clear what the city was saying: You are not welcome here. Others were pleased to see the city take action against certain classes of people who make shopping downtown uncomfortable. Anyhow, the city didn’t renew it. The sun set on the dog ban, and away it went.
But that’s not all. Suspicious new rules began to surface shortly thereafter, like a panhandling ordinance that would have penalized motorists caught giving food or money to roadside beggars. Then came the recent planting strip decision, where the city tweaked code purely to make it harder for homeless people to find places to rest.
I began going Monday evenings to city council work sessions years ago, first as a reporter, and now because it’s difficult to wring much useful information from the newspapers here.
I’m a Solidarity candidate running for mayor. I don’t aim to win. I’m running because I want incumbents to explain the reasons they supported cruel policies like the dog ban and the planting strip decision.
Matthew Yook
What motivates me to run for mayor is a sense that we need to significantly shift our priorities at the local level. The Covid-19 crisis makes this all the more evident.
We have the highest per capita rate of homelessness in the United States. Official counts show the number of people made homeless locally increased by 33% in a year. We must prioritize people's bottom-line survival and wellness needs. Our community deserves robust social safety nets.
Eugene’s current Climate Action Plan is alarmingly inadequate. Even if all recommendations of the plan were activated, our city would fall short of non-negotiable 2030 climate goals by upwards of 50%. We must learn from Covid-19 that any delay means options decrease and consequences intensify.
Meeting our climate and equity goals will require deep reconsideration of how our local government directs economic development. Eugene follows the norm of trickle-down economics. We extend tax-breaks, incentives, and investments to high-end developments. The idea being that these will provide a stronger tax base for community resilience down the road. However, what we have seen in Eugene, as in every city across the nation, is that this model concentrates wealth while impoverishing communal resources.
To start, I would end tax-breaks for exclusive Downtown developments and terminate disproportionate public investment in the high-end Riverfront. Instead of enabling concentration at the top, I would direct our economy under the guidance of a local Green New Deal. Thus, we might approach meaningful equity and the prospect of a habitable planet. www.solidarityplatformeugene.org
Ward 7 (3) Claire Syrett
I am seeking my third term representing Ward 7 on the Eugene City Council. I am the most qualified candidate for this position given my accomplishments over the past eight years and my knowledge of the priorities of my River Road constituents.
I have followed closely the River Road neighborhood planning efforts and attended several neighborhood planning meetings. I have advocated that our city street and sidewalk standards allow for flexibility so that River Road can maintain its rural character while also benefiting from safe street and sidewalk infrastructure. I have collaborated with neighborhood leaders to ensure that the City maintains its commitment to this vital planning effort through all its phases.
I worked to find additional funding for our parks, recreation facilities, libraries and public safety system all of which are basis city services needed for the enjoyment of the high quality of life in our city.
I successfully advocated for the adoption of our Vision Zero policy which seeks to eliminate all serious injury and deaths on our streets. I support the expansion of transit service, including EmX, to help reduce our carbon emissions and provide more transit options to residents.
I successfully moved the city budget committee to pass a motion setting aside one million dollars to be dedicated to building a publicly funded low barrier homeless shelter.
I appreciate this opportunity to connect with River Road voters during this challenging time. I hope I can count on your vote in May.
Sincerely,
Claire Syrett
Douglas Barr
I've been married for 29 years. I work for Food for Lane County. I'm also an elected member of the Eugene neighborhood association Active Bethel Citizens.
Chair The Willamette and Kalapuya high schools’ student pantries. I'm asking for your vote to help us end Eugene's statistical reign as a #1 homeless city in the United States. Have you ever had an idea that would help people and save money ? That's my position!!
Eugene and Eugene's taxpayers need to move forward to other city business such as schools, jobs, climate change, infrastructure, creating business, healthcare and more.
Being a Food for Lane County employee and living off Highway 99 has me on the front lines of the food and housing insecurity crisis. Working to do my part and seeing this struggle daily is how I came up with my new idea.
In 2018 I came up with an idea on how to tackle the food insecurities with the homeless and low income students within the Bethel School District. Along with others, we collaborated with our communities Unsung Hero’s, organizations, Rotary clubs and volunteers. We now have two pantries within Willamette and Kalapuya high schools. Needless to say, we're putting a major dent in students being able to have access to food.
My new idea will help stop the homeless suffering, save taxpayers money , while along the way help Eugene move forward into the future together.
Please Vote for Douglas Barr City Council Ward 7
