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KEEP HOLVEY Paul Holvey should be retained as District 8 state representative. He understands the critical need for real reform in this state to provide tax relief for small businesses and working families while increasing revenue to our schools and colleges. With Holvey in Salem, the fat cats and out-of-state, mega corporations may have to start paying their fair share of taxes on the wealth they take from Oregon. Please join me in sending Paul back to Salem to fight for us. Marston Morgan , Eugene
GOOD FOR EUGENE My friend and neighbor, Paul Conte is running for EWEB commissioner for Wards 1 and 8. I plan to vote for him and encourage you to do so, too. Paul has already demonstrated his ability to do the job during his temporary appointment as "at-large" EWEB commissioner. He takes the time to understand thoroughly every side of the complicated issues he makes decisions about and to then propose practical, do-able solutions; like his proposal to eliminate tiered residential electric rates because they are unfairly high to the customers who cannot afford housing that is most energy efficient. And while Paul is a strong conservationist and doesn't want anyone to pay more than is necessary, he is very aware that the job entails much more than just being "for the environment" or "for lower rates." Paul is a hard worker who has owned a successful small business and been involved in many efforts over past years to foster Eugene's livability. Paul is good for Eugene. Jennifer Barwood, Eugene
CHARACTER COUNTS EWEB Commission races tend to draw little involvement but in this primary there is one contested race — the Wards 1 & 8 position. On first look the candidates, John Simpson and Paul Conte, appear to be very similar. They both are very intelligent and hard working, but they are opposites in their ability to work with others. I discovered this when they were chairs and I was a board member of our neighborhood association. During my 11-year tenure on that board, John Simpson was one of our most respected leaders. He skillfully developed consensus and implemented the results. When he completed his term and turned his energy to chair the Eugene/Kakegawa Sister City Committee, we were sorry to see him go. Paul Conte, on the other hand, was one of the worst chairs we have had. He was unwilling to consider anyone else's opinion and acted unilaterally several times without board approval. When the board tried to discuss their concerns, Paul resigned rather than participate — completing only six months of his two-year term. We were not saddened by his departure. You may be wondering if I am alone in this assessment. All I can say is that Paul was a member of another board, EWEB, appointed to complete a vacated position a couple of years ago. He did stay to the end of the term but now four of the EWEB commissioners are endorsing John Simpson and none are endorsing Paul Conte. You do the math!
Jon Belcher, Eugene
EDITOR'S NOTE: For the record, one current EWEB board member we were able to reach, Ron Farmer, says, "Although both are good candidates, I lean toward Paul Conte."
UNCHECKED EXPANSION Wal-Mart on West 11th has submitted a request for a permit to expand into a "supercenter." Do you know that a single "superstore" can generate as many as 20,000 car trips daily? Is this really what we want or need in Eugene? In response to public interest and concern over Wal-Mart's request, Betty Taylor, Eugene city councilor, proposed that there be a six-month moratorium on building proposals to allow the community time to consider the impact of this kind of growth. Four councilors voted "yes," four voted "no," and Mayor Torrey cast the tie breaking "no" vote. That's that. But, who really gets to decide whether we continue to have this unchecked corporate chain-store expansion? Who has to live with the negative impact, like traffic congestion, sprawl into precious (and protected) wetlands, increased air and water pollution, more non-living wage jobs, fewer dollars staying in the local economy, empty local business store-fronts due to Wal-Mart's well known predatory pricing practices? We do. What would have been wrong with waiting six months to facilitate a dialogue between interested parties? What about community input or democratic debate on such subjects? Or is our democratic process being thwarted? Are "we the people" powerless to influence decisions that affect our community's quality of life? Not if we take a stand; not if we speak out; not if we vote with our voice and pocketbooks. Other communities have done it and we can do it, too. Communities can influence local political and economic quality of life decisions. Sometimes when you see how the "good old boy wheeler-dealers" make things happen, it just doesn't feel like it. Enough already. Debra McGee, Eugene
YOUR VOTE IS YOUR VOICE A few days ago I found a button that my dad got when he was in college. Jumbled with promotional buttons from his old job, old Eugene Celebration buttons and a random mix of silly and strange buttons, this one caught my eye. It said, "If I were 21 I'd vote for Barry." I turned 21 this week and I've been voting for three years. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for many of my peers. It shouldn't surprise us that tuition is going up and entry level jobs are going down when only 36 percent of the 18- to 25-year-old age group showed up to vote in the last presidential election. Issues that matter to us are ignored by politicians because we aren't the ones who elect them. It's great to hear about groups like the Oregon Bus Project (cover story, 4/15). On the UO campus the New Voter Project is working to register as many people as possible and encourage them to use their votes. Your vote is your voice. Politicians make decisions that will affect your life. If that's not enough of a reason to vote think about how hard my dad and his generation worked to give us that voice. Now that we have it, use it! Keely Hartel, Eugene
PROUD TO BE A DEMOCRAT I have never been more proud to be a Democrat. Whether at the local, state, or federal level, the Democratic Party is offering candidates who are smart, experienced, and dedicated to helping those who have been intentionally left behind. Sure, there are differences within the party as to who should be the Democrat representing us as mayor or councilor, but can anyone say we have chosen bad candidates? I don't think so. Can anyone say we have chosen folks who are without immense talent or integrity? How would you like to be a lobbyist who had to go into Peter DeFazio's office and try to offer him campaign money as bait to switch his vote against something he felt important to Oregonians? That is integrity. Or try to convince Kitty Piercy, Andrea Ortiz, Betty Taylor, David Kelly or Democratic Lane County commissioners like Peter Sorenson to go along with something that was against the interests of the poor and the powerless? That is compassion . It takes guts to get out in front of the people and offer to be a leader, and whatever happens in May or November, we Democrats did well in choosing candidates with that courage. Sometimes it is difficult to see the difference between political parties, but not here, not now. I have lived in places where I felt no one represented me in local or federal office, and that is a lonely feeling. All I had were Ralph Nader types, pretending to be for the people, but never having the guts to become Democrats and hold office. Hugh Massengill , Eugene
ENDORSE BETTY TAYLOR Once in a while a person with intelligence, integrity, experience and devotion to the people she or he serves will run for office. We now have such a person in Betty Taylor. She truly works for the long-term good of our community. Betty speaks out for the kind of progress that enhances the very quality of life that attracts people to live and work in Eugene. She supports helping our existing local businesses and promoting a healthy downtown, as well as protecting area waterways and trees. Voters in Ward 2 who believe in open and accessible city government should join the many organizations and leaders who endorse Betty, and cast their votes for this wise and hard-working candidate. Marjorie Tracy, Eugene
VOTING WITH ENVY I'll mark my ballot with excitement and a little envy this spring. I'm excited to vote for Bonny Bettman and Kitty Piercy. Candidates so competent and committed to conservation and compassionate community values can always count on my vote. Yet I'm envious of my former neighbors between 13th Avenue and the river because they get to vote for Andrea Ortiz, and I do not. When I was in Ward 7, I never got any good choices for City Council on the ballot. Instead, my only choice was Meisner. Don't get me wrong. I think Meisner is a decent, intelligent guy. For instance, a while ago I tried to get the council to protect civil liberties by voting against a dangerous ordinance. The ordinance took powers of punishment, which any kid knows are supposed to be the purview only of judge and jury, and handed them to the police, by letting them decide who was allowed the freedom to frequent our downtown. When I cited the Bill of Rights' guarantee that liberties shall not be taken away with out due process, Meisner mumbled along earnestly, as if he sort-of, kind-of, almost knew the Fifth Amendment by heart. I was shocked, then when, instead of voting with Kelly and Taylor to protect civil liberties, he blithely black-eyed the Bill of Rights by voting with Nathanson and company to implement the ordinance. Ward 7 could do worse than Meisner, I suppose, but finally it has a chance to do better. Elect Andrea Ortiz. Martin Champion, Eugene
NEW LEADERSHIP NEEDED This year (finally) our nation's environment will be a high priority among voters. The same will be true for Eugene residents when they cast their ballots for the May 18 primary. In that regard, the R-G editorial staff was off the mark when they chose to endorse the Ward 7 incumbent Eugene City Councilor Scott Meisner. In choosing Meisner, the editorial staff mistakenly used the word "independent" to characterize him. The evidence, as judged by public interest groups, would indicate otherwise. This incumbent has primarily served private interests in his decision-making, to the detriment of his constituents. Examples: The Oregon League of Conservation Voters gave Meisner a dismal 10 percent rating — an "F" for Failure by any measure! That, by itself, should give pause to constituents considering a vote for him, but there's more. A recent EW review of city councilor votes gave Meisner low marks as well: He only voted to support Eugene's livability a mere 20 percent of the time and, even worse, voted only 14 percent of the time in the interest of Ward 7's poor. By contrast, Andrea Ortiz has been endorsed by the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, Oregon Natural Resources Council Action PAC, Educacion y Justicia Para La Raza and Local 1724 of the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Andrea has the support of a wide variety of community activists working tirelessly for the public good. The voters of Eugene's Ward 7 deserve better: new leadership in the person of Andrea Ortiz. John Jordan-Cascade, Eugene
IRRESPONSIBLE RULING Thank you Alan Pittman for the candidate voting records of April 8. It demonstrates a true picture of what we can expect from Nancy Nathanson and Scott Meisner. They do not recognize the relationship between a healthy environment and a healthy economy with their votes for a road through our West Eugene Wetlands, against improving storm water collection, against funding Toxics Right to Know and against protecting our streams and beautiful trees in Eugene. I'm also concerned with their support of another developer slush fund for the Riverfront Urban Renewal Park. Where is fiscal and environmental responsibility? Ruth Duemler , Eugene
HEROIC DEFENSE? Like most people I know, I'm a little hazy on many details of U.S. history. The passage of time, together with subjective accounts of motives and events, makes it difficult to really know what happened and why. When a movie such as The Alamo comes along, we gain strong impressions of our history, impressions made more vivid by the persuasive power of Hollywood filmmaking and the simplification inherent in all storytelling. It is important to recognize who is telling the story, however, and Lois Wadsworth might consider how a movie made by a Mexican (or any foreign) film studio might differ from the one she gushes over in her review of April 15. The ragtag embattled underdog is guaranteed to gain the (U.S.) viewers' sympathy, particularly when history is turned on its head, and the Manifest Destiny of U.S. expansionism and aggression against a weaker nation is portrayed as heroic defense against a well-equipped, armed occupation force. The occupation, siege and battle of the Alamo was but one chapter in decades of provocative U.S. maneuvering into Mexico. Our government made no secret of the fact that it wanted territory that didn't belong to it. Many Americans wanted to annex the entire country. That which they couldn't acquire by peaceful means, they took by warfare. Before hostilities ended, the U.S. had gained over 500,000 square miles of Mexican territory. Henry David Thoreau was tossed in jail for his peaceful protest and later wrote Civil Disobedience in response. If current events weren't similarly rife with provocation, illegal occupations, and U.S. public acceptance of rhetoric that sounds much like the Manifest Destiny of an earlier era, then a positive recommendation in EW for a propaganda film might pass without notice. But a movie can be more than simple entertainment, and in times like these, even an arts editor at EW needs to be somewhat informed. As they say, those not familiar with history are destined to sit through some dreary reruns. John Morris, Florence
MARKETING VIOLENCE The UO is marketing a leading cause of college student dropouts, violence against women, and student death by subcontracting its broadcast message formation to ESPN. The university receives money to sell the university's image to sports networks which leads to commercial broadcasts of university events becoming 100 percent supportive of alcohol use. Furthermore, the exclusive deal terms that the university representatives brokers with Anheuser-Busch are kept secret from the students and public that supports the institution at the request of the beer company. As a student and member of the Eugene community, I feel that the result of this lack of responsible regulation by the UO is the polar opposite of the university mission statement. The college states it supports diversity, caring, civic responsibilities, learning and anti-discrimination. Yet no other messages involving alcohol are supported by the UO on its commercial broadcasts other than the support of use of the product. The result of UO contracts clearly discriminates, thwarts learning and stifles diversity. Until the UO invests 50 percent of its name to commercial broadcasts that question the use of alcohol or eliminates the ads, it is in gross violation of its mission statement. A learning institution has no business validating its most disruptive influence, especially without investing in a diversity of ideas about it from a dime of the beer ad profits. Please contact Student Life to add your voice to this issue. Mike Meyer , Eugene
U.S. DICTATOR Journalist Bob Woodward has just given us two new stunning pieces of information: 1) President Bush has made a secret deal with the Saudis to influence the November elections by manipulating gas prices, and 2) President Bush revealed Iraq war plans to Saudi Prince Bandar before he showed them to his own Secretary of State Colin Powell. Can we trust a president who uses his influence to manipulate world events without consulting even his own cabinet? When will we stop believing we could never have dictatorship in our own country? Ingrid Wendt, Eugene
LETTERS POLICY: We print as many letters as space allows. Please limit length to 250 words and submissions to once a month. All letters are subject to editing for length and clarity, and must include address and phone number. E-mail to editor@eugeneweekly.com, fax to 484-4044, or mail to 1251 Lincoln, Eugene 97401.
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