Eugene Weekly : News : 08.05.04
News Briefs: Barnhart Predicts 'Nasty' Campaign | Lustier Lovers Eschew Meaty Meals | Wyden Criticized for Enviro Record | Local Kerry Office Coming Together | Corrections/Clarifications |
Slant: Short opinion pieces and rumor-chasing notes
News:
Manager Lashes Out
Dennis Taylor fights against external auditor.
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Bus Project Aug. 6-7 Oregon Bus Project is inviting everyone to join the fun with a kickoff event and canvass training beginning at 10:30 am Saturday at Skinner Butte Park. Some 150 volunteers from around the state will be descending on Eugene to hit the streets for candidates Floyd Prozanski, Phil Barnhart and Bev Ficek. Downtown art walk follows along with free pizza at Cozmic. Friday evening there is a John Kerry fundraiser at Valley River Inn, with discussion of Kerry's visit to Oregon next week. Contact jamesmattiace@yahoo.com or call 914-0293. |
BARNHART PREDICTS 'NASTY' CAMPAIGN
Rep. Phil Barnhart says his House District 11 seat is being targeted by well-funded right wing ideologues making false accusations, and he's hoping fellow Democrats and progressive independents won't take his victory for granted as the November election nears.
Barnhart represents Central Lane and Linn counties and his opponent in November is Republican Michael Spasaro. The two candidates are distinctly different in education, experience and attitude.
Spasaro has a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and recently retired from 30 years as a police officer and federal DEA special agent. Spasaro is endorsed by pro-life and anti-tax organizations. Barnhart is a psychologist, attorney, educator and lawmaker with the endorsement of labor, environmental and pro-choice organizations.
Barnhart says he's concerned about the tactics used by Spasaro and Spasaro's supporters, and he's not looking forward to what he foresees as a "dirty, nasty campaign" over the next few months.
Letters supporting Spasaro went out to Republicans in the district this week from the well-funded Oregon Right to Life PAC saying that Barnhart is "pro-abortion" and Spasaro will "advocate for the interests of House District 11 residents, both born and unborn."
More letters went out July 27 from Oregon Citizens for a Sound Economy claiming that Barnhart supports a sales tax and "voted to spend your tax dollars on a multi-million dollar boondoggle, a new major league baseball stadium for the city of Portland."
These allegations are wrong, says the Democrat. Barnhart says he hasn't supported a sales tax since 1993, and the stadium he voted for would be financed by an income tax paid only by the major league players.
Barnhart says he's also concerned that Spasato is misrepresenting him on his website, saying Barnhart has voted for "extreme, partisan policies," and is "out of touch with the people who live in this district." Barnhart notes he won 62 percent of the vote in the 2002 election.
Spasato did not respond to questions about his campaign by press time. Barnhart can be reached at 484-5119 or phil@philbarnhart.com — TJT
LUSTIER LOVERS ESCHEW MEATY MEALS
Members of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) have never been shy when it comes to their marketing campaigns. PETA's newest campaign, "Live Make-Out Tour," is no exception.
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If you happened to be walking around downtown on your lunch break July 28; you may have noticed something a bit odd, even by Eugene standards. Two PETA members, Ravi Chand and Bethany Walker, were lying embraced on an inflatable air mattress on the corner of 10th and Willamette.
Dressed only in their underwear the couple was giving the wide-eyed lunch goers quite a sultry show. "We are here to draw attention to the fact that going vegetarian is the best thing you can do to jump-start your sex life," said Chand. Chand added, "Vegetarians are usually slimmer, sexier, and have more energy and endurance in and out of the bedroom."
In between their long passionate kisses and gentle petting, Chand and Walker passed out free vegetarian starter kits in front of a large banner reading, "Vegetarians Make Better Lovers" to let the visually stimulated onlookers know how they could spice up their own sex lives.
For information about going vegetarian and the Live Make-Out Tour, go to www.peta.org
WYDEN CRITICIZED FOR ENVIRO RECORD
Sen. Ron Wyden is taking heat this week from activists in Portland concerned about his voting record on wilderness and forestry issues.
Joe Keating of the group Back 2 the WALL, is helping organize a "Wyden Accountability Week" in Portland to point out the senator's contradictory stands in Congress.
"Wyden has a vision for our federal forests," says Keating. "His vision is not the preservation of our last remaining wilderness but rather the saving of small areas of old growth trees while industrial logging continues and dominates. His vision for our wilderness is that of a large theme park. He does not have a conservation ethic. He is the consummate politician."
Keating says Wyden has adopted former Sen. Mark Hatfield's strategy of "two steps forward and one step back" when it comes to wilderness preservation. Wyden has a mixed record on natural resource issues and has angered many environmentalists with his recent backing of Bush's Healthy Forests Initiative. Wyden's much-lauded Mount Hood wilderness expansion bill is also criticized for loopholes that allow heavy logging in the region.
Back 2 the WALL can be reached at back2thewall_pdx@yahoo.com or call
(503) 234-2613.
LOCAL KERRY OFFICE COMING TOGETHER
An official campaign office for Sen. John Kerry and other Democrats has been established in Eugene at 114 E. 16th St. As EW goes to press, the phone number, fax and e-mail addresses have not yet been announced.
"They are just getting things under way in Eugene," says Lisa Sohn of the Portland office. The local office is called the Carry Oregon Coordinated Campaign Headquarters and its first dignitary visit was supposed to be Rep. Peter DeFazio Aug. 4, but the congressman postponed his visit at the last moment. DeFazio is awaiting details about the Oregon visit next week of Kerry and John Edwards as part of their national post-convention tour.
Kerry and Edwards will be touting their new campaign book, Our Plan for America: Stronger at Home, Respected in the World.
Until local numbers are available, the Oregon contact for volunteering in the Kerry/Edwards campaign is (503) 232-5894 and house parties in the area are being coordinated by Mac Prichard at (503) 725-8921. Or visit www.johnkerry.com
CORRECTIONS/CLARIFICATIONS
In the July 22 Music column by Vanessa Salvia regarding the local band Cabinessence, one of the band member's names was incorrect, due to an editor's error. The guitarist and vocalist's correct name is Jacob Arnold.
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SLANT Hey, it's August and where'd everybody go? Streets are nearly deserted at times. But not everyone's at the beach or in the mountains. School districts are busy filling staff vacancies in anticipation of the coming invasion. PeaceHealth lawyers are mulling over plan amendments to submit to the Springfield Planning Commission to keep RiverBend hospital alive. Springfield officials, meanwhile, are trying to get Glenwood's zip code changed from Eugene to Springfield in order to entice McKenzie-Willamette to build its new hospital in Glenwood. Neighbors in the Fairmount area east of the UO campus are pondering the potential impact of a $180 million basketball stadium at the Williams' Bakery site. On top of huge traffic, parking, noise and development issues, area residents and businesses are facing the prospect of aroma change in the neighborhood — from fresh-baked bread to stale sweat socks. Bruce Anderson will be a guest on JPR's Jefferson Exchange Friday morning from 8 to 10 am (1280 AM), and the program is repeated from 8 to 10 pm. Anderson is the outspoken editor/publisher of the Anderson Valley Advertiser (AVA) in northern California who's commuting back and forth to Eugene and plans to start a newspaper here called 'Gene. What's Anderson all about? His fans, such as columnist Alexander Cockburn, say Anderson is "one of the most vivid pens of our time" and compares him to "Paine, Twain, Steffens and H.L. Mencken." His opponents, such as Mike Sweeney of Ukiah, say Anderson will "deliberately lie in order to sell papers, settle scores, or just abuse people for his own pleasure" (see Sweeney's 24-page exposé of Anderson at www.LiarUnlimited.com). A July 14 article in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat says Anderson "is known for a bruising, confrontational style that some say often overlooks reality and fact, though Anderson defends as satire the fictional interviews, quotes and anecdotes he's published. … Cruel, crazy, brutal, abusive and outright fictional are some of the terms used by some of his past targets." The article also quotes former AVA writer Michael Koepf saying, "Only crazy people will miss Bruce Anderson" when he moves to Eugene. Well, folks, he's already here, he's itchin' for a fight, and he's on the radio. Whitey Lueck, cofounder of the Eugene Tree Foundation, was the guest speaker at the final City Club meeting July 30 before the summer break, and he tossed out some radical ideas, by Eugene standards. He raised a few eyebrows when he said it's OK to cut down some big old urban trees, even if they aren't diseased, as a way to avoid problems in the future. The important thing, he says, is to keep planting a variety of new conifers and deciduous trees so we maintain a healthy urban forest. What do you think? Ballots in last week's EW are still coming in and we'll wait another week before publishing the results. The opinion poll asks how YOU think the city should spend $30 million squirreled-away for a new police palace. Can't find last week's paper? An interactive ballot is also on our website at www.eugeneweekly.com/2004/07/29/news.html SLANT includes short opinion pieces and rumor-chasing notes compiled by the EW staff. Heard any good rumors lately? Contact Ted Taylor at 484-0519, editor@eugeneweekly.com |
Manager Lashes Out
Dennis Taylor fights against external auditor.
BY ALAN PITTMAN
City Manager Dennis Taylor publicly lashed out at city councilors July 28 for even suggesting that the city might need an independent external auditor in the wake of police sex scandals.
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| Dennis Taylor |
Suggesting the need for an independent auditor "undermines the very credibility people have in their government," said a red-faced Taylor in successfully siding with council conservatives against an external auditor. "Frequently people say we don't trust the city manager," Taylor said. Councilors saying they need audits outside the city manager's control adds to public distrust, "creates undue tension," and "undermines the whole profession that I'm a part of," Taylor said.
"It's juvenile to frame the issue in that way," responded Councilor Bonny Bettman. An independent auditor would increase public trust in city government, not decrease it, she argued.
Councilor David Kelly said elected officials weren't attacking staff's trustworthiness by calling for an independent auditor. "I really resent that accusation," he said.
Kelly pointed out that many other cities with the city manager form of government like Eugene operate well with an external auditor. "Somehow Western civilization survives."
With two Eugene police officers recently imprisoned for using their city jobs to coerce sex from more than a dozen women over nearly a decade without the police department stopping them, Bettman argued an independent auditor would help restore trust in the city government.
The city has more than just a public relations problem and must make concrete reforms, according to Bettman. "It is unwise for us to assume that that [police scandal] is not indicative of chronic systemic problems in the organization."
A citizens Charter Review Committee recommended unanimously that the council hire an independent city auditor two years ago but then Acting City Manager Jim Carlson successfully fought off referring a needed charter change to the ballot. The committee recommended that the council hire the auditor to provide independent oversight of city operations.
But Taylor said he can audit himself. If the council wants an auditor, "You have one with the city manager," he said. Taylor said he often hires and supervises audits of city operations.
Councilor Betty Taylor said such auditors hired by the manager have little real independence. "The person would want to keep the job," Councilor Taylor said. "The person would want to please and say, 'Yes, everything is fine.'"
Bettman said an external auditor wouldn't change the city manager structure of government power, as Dennis Taylor and council conservatives argued. The auditor will just provide the council with factual information and have no actual power, she said. By giving the manager independent confirmation, outside audits actually "will provide more power to the city manager," Bettman said.
But Dennis Taylor continued to argue against independent oversight. He claimed he didn't know how the city could afford the $85,000 to $100,000 annual cost of an auditor given "all the other unmet needs" the city has.
"I'm really surprised" at the claim that the city can't find money for an auditor, Kelly said. "That feels disingenuous and almost obstructionist."
Kelly noted that the manager recently found $29 million in internal money for a new police station. Too often, Kelly said, "if staff wants something the money is found, if staff doesn't want something we are in terrible fiscal shape."
Bettman said auditors save money by reducing government waste. She said studies have found that independent auditors can save 200 to 400 percent more than they cost. Bettman said there's also a big value in establishing public trust. "How much are you going to value accountability and credibility of the organization?"
Dennis Taylor's strident opposition to this kind of public accountability provided echoes of an earlier time in city government. Former City Manager Mike Gleason held tight rein over city government in Eugene for 15 years until he resigned a decade ago amid accusations that he ignored the City Council and made the city bureaucracy more about protecting and serving itself than the people.
Reforming city government will be difficult without an external auditor, according to Bettman. The councilor said the city has "very long-standing employees that have built alliances" and can be an "obstacle" to change.
But Dennis Taylor lead a majority of councilors against submitting a charter reform measure to voters. Bettman withdrew her motion for an independent auditor when it was clear a council vote would fail.
In January a newly elected progressive majority may try again for an independent auditor that reformers see as common-sense, good government. Bettman asks, "What's wrong with more accountability?"
