Eugene Weekly : News : 09.02.04

News Briefs: Local Republicans Stump for Kerry | Permaculture Experts to Gather in Eugene | Yellow Wristbands a Big Hit in Eugene | Cost of War Growing | Activist Alert | Early Deadlines | Corrections/Clarifications |

Slant: Short opinion pieces and rumor-chasing notes

News:

Torrey vs. Piercy?

Write-in threat throws wrench in mayoral election.

LOCAL REPUBLICANS STUMP FOR KERRY

A group of local Republicans held a press conference at the Vet's Club on Aug. 26 to announce the creation of a newly formed Oregon Republicans for Kerry. Operating under the slogan "Country before party," ORK emphasizes that the politically moderate Kerry team would better represent mainstream Republican values than the conservative right-wing Bush administration.

Jean Tate stands up for Kerry.

Some ORK members seem unlikely allies of Democrats. Former Republican Gov. Vic Atiyeh's nephew, George Atiyeh, is the steering committee's co-chair; retired Army veteran and longtime Republican Mark Flowers also sits on the committee.

"We feel we are not represented by the Bush administration, and we feel that John Kerry would represent our concerns as mainstream Republicans," says ORK spokeswoman Patsy Hand. "The term 'compassionate conservative' is a media tagline. A compassionate president would not send American soldiers to war without exhausting every other means. A compassionate president would not roll back environmental regulations and put Americans in danger by putting toxins in the air and rivers."

Veteran Jim Kissman has been a Republican since he was first eligible to vote — in 1952 — when he cast his ballot for Dwight Eisenhower. Ironically, says Kissman, Eisenhower established the Arctic wilderness area that Bush wants to open for oil drilling. And in his 1960 farewell address, Eisenhower warned the nation to beware the military-industrial complex. Now, says Kissman, corporations linked with the White House, such as Halliburton, have too much influence on the military.

Ken Shulman, a local painting contractor, is most concerned with Bush's fiscal policies. "I just made up my mind a few days ago to vote for Kerry," says Shulman. "George Bush has been squandering money on a lot of things that are just not helping to create jobs." He says that although the economy was strong at the end of Clinton's presidency, Bush's irresponsible fiscal policy caused the current recession. Shulman says that the president's tax cuts benefitted the rich, but they failed to help him as a small business owner.

Howard Ollis, a local retired veteran, is also fed up with the Bush administration. "I've never voted Democrat in my life, but I am definitely voting for John Kerry," he says. "A lot of my friends are mad at me, but I'm voting for Kerry because Kerry is a better presidential candidate."

The upcoming election will decide America's standing in the eyes of other nations, says Ollis. "This election is going to be a referendum on our country," he says. "If we re-elect this president, the world is going to say, 'OK, Americans really believe they should be attacking countries, invading nations and being an oppressor.'"

Ollis says that the Bush administration violates the boundaries between church and state. "I believe in God, but I don't believe the president has any right to bring God into his decision process," he says. Ollis hopes that stem-cell research — which Bush opposes on religious grounds — could lead to treatment for his daughter's kidney problems.

Florence resident Jim Rassmann, a Vietnam veteran campaigning for Kerry, also spoke at the press conference.

ORK will host a meeting for undecided Republicans to discuss the issues at 7 pm Wednesday, Sept. 8 at the UO Continuing Education building, 975 High St.. RSVP at 465-8150.

Patsy Hand says the local group is not a PAC and is only philosophically connected to the national Republicans for Kerry group at www.republicansforkerry04.org

— Kera Abraham

PERMACULTURE EXPERTS TO GATHER IN EUGENE

The Eugene Permaculture Guild is planning its eighth Annual Northwest Regional Permaculture Gathering the weekend of Sept. 10-12. This year's theme will be "Towards An Enduring Bio-Region."

"As global, national and local trends evolve, the wisdom of looking closer to home to satisfy more of our cultural and economic needs is making more sense," says Jan Spencer, one of the organizers.

The event will begin at the Maitreya Eco Village in west Eugene. Registration begins at 3 pm Friday with a keynote talk by Dr. Allan Kapular at 7 pm. The cost is $20 to $40 per day; work trade and scholarships are available, call 302-3247.

The gathering will include workshops, panel discussions, hands on and plenary sessions, along with traditional permaculture topics such as composting, healthy soil, gardening and eco-forestry. There will also be a track relating to this year's theme, such as urban redesign, local food security, urban-rural partnership, economic democracy, voluntary simplicity and local culture.

Other practical presentations will cover food fermentation, healthy diet, water gardens, animals and conflict resolution. Special events will include a presentation on "Peak Oil" at 7 pm Saturday, and a Land Use Bike Tour at 3:15 pm Saturday. Children's sessions are also planned.

Spencer says the gathering will also move forward the composition of a "Green Paper," a set of principles, ideas and strategies for moving Eugene in a greener, bio-regional direction. The paper will be offered to the city and citizens of Eugene in the fall.

For more information, call 344-7196 or visit www.heliosnetwork.org/epg

YELLOW WRISTBANDS A BIG HIT IN EUGENE

In 1996, champion cyclist Lance Armstrong — then only 25 years old — was diagnosed with advanced testicular cancer that had spread to his brain and lungs. His doctors gave him a 50 percent chance of survival.

While undergoing chemotherapy, Armstrong founded the Lance Armstrong Foundation to support research and advocacy programs for young people with cancer. While he struggled to regain his health, the cyclist told himself to "live strong." Not only did he survive the cancer, but Armstrong also went on to win six consecutive titles — from 1999 to 2004 — at the Tour de France. And he's credited with helping reinvigorate the sport of road biking.

Right before the annual Tour last July, the foundation and Nike unveiled a new promotion to raise money for children with cancer: rubber wristbands reading "Live Strong." The wristbands — the same bright yellow as Armstrong's trademark jersey — have been successful beyond the foundation's expectations; more than seven million have sold for $1 each. Proceeds go toward programs for cancer victims.

The wristbands were a huge success in Eugene and across the nation. Celebrity support helped sales — John Kerry, Bruce Willis and Jay Leno wear them proudly. "It's a feel-good thing, and it's a wonderful cause," says Micah Hudson, manager of the local Nike store. "It's a really easy way to get involved with a cure of some sort. The people who made a real impact are the people who bought them in bulk. Our last sale was a sale for 900, and that sold us out."

The bands also sold out at local bike stores such as Paul's Bicycle Way of Life. Tom Stockton, a mechanic and sales associate at Paul's, said that customers were happy to put money toward the cause, and the trendy wristbands helped to promote bicycling as part of a healthy lifestyle. "It opened a lot of eyes," says Stockton. "It did get a lot of people into our store."

For more information, visit www.wearyellow.com and www.laf.org

— Kera Abraham

COST OF WAR GROWING

The cost to the U.S. of the war in Iraq has surpassed $130 billion, according to http://costofwar.comThe site has a running counter and the total can be compared to other costs to society. For example, Iraq's $130 billion would pay for 2.5 million additional public school teachers for one year, provide health insurance for 55.8 million children for one year, give four-year scholarships for 3.3 million college students, etc.

Website authors Niko Matsakis and Elias Vlanton say they are not affiliated with any political organization. "War affects everyone, not just those directly involved in the fighting," they say in a statement on the site. "This webpage is a simple attempt to demonstrate one of the more quantifiable effects of war: the financial burden it places on our tax dollars." — TJT

ACTIVIST ALERT

After a two year absence, the Desert Conference is returning to the Malheur Field Station in southeastern Oregon, Sept. 9-12. Author William Kittredge and former Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt will present keynote addresses at the event. Registration materials and complete information about the conference is available at ONDA's web site: www.onda.org

The Oregon Bioneers Conference will be telecast live via satellite Oct. 15-17 at LCC's Center for Meeting and Learning. Amy Goodman, Terry Tempest Williams, Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins and many others will present. For more information, visit www.bioneers.org

Russell Sader will talk about the mayoral write-in campaign, the West Eugene Parkway and other hot topics when City Club resumes at noon Friday, Sept. 10 at the Hilton.

EARLY DEADLINES

Eugene Weekly offices will be closed Monday, Sept. 6 for Labor Day and early deadlines will be in effect for our Sept. 9 issue. The deadline for advertising will be noon Thursday, Sept. 9. Questions? Call

484-0519.

CORRECTIONS/CLARIFICATIONS

Last week's Health & Fitness story on yoga and Pilates included an incomplete list of Pilates centers offering mat classes and/or individual sessions. Inadvertently left out were The Pilates Center, 1680 Willamette, 465-1680, www.pilatescenter.org and the Downtown Athletic Club, 484-4011, www.downtownac.com

In last week's review of The Corporation, the correct name of the mental health manual should have been Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition) or DSM-IV. Thanks to alert reader, Matteo G. Luccio.

Torrey vs. Piercy?

Write-in threat throws wrench in mayoral election.

BY ALAN PITTMAN

Winning a major election as a write-in is unusual, but so is a write-in candidate backed by the major media and mounds of cash from developers.

Moderate Kitty Piercy defeated conservative Nancy Nathanson in the May mayoral primary with a 52 percent vote, meaning that Piercy's name will be the only one appearing on the November ballot. But state law still allows anyone else to run as a write-in candidate, and Mayor Jim Torrey, a Republican conservative, says he is considering the option.

Winning a major contested election as a write-in candidate is extremely rare but not unheard of. The late Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina was first elected in a write-in campaign. Thurmond, a conservative backer of segregation, won 143,444 write-in votes in 1954.

Thurmond's campaign was helped by reports of back-room dealing by his opponent, the strong backing of the state's newspapers which printed instructions on how to mark the ballot and a massive campaign including the distribution of pencils with Thurmond's name on them.

While write-in victories are common in small, often uncontested elections, they are very rare in major elections. But there are examples:

´ Washington, D.C., Mayor Anthony Williams was elected as a write-in in a 2002 primary campaign after he was knocked off the ballot by a scandal involving alleged forged signatures.

´ In 1999 liberal Tom Ammiano used a write-in campaign to win 45,000 votes and force a run-off in the San Francisco mayors race, which he lost. In his write-in campaign, Ammiano used an army of volunteers distributing fliers to try to overcome being outspent by a factor of 100 to one.

´ In 1958 Arkansas segregationist Dale Alford won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. The controversial election featured the last-minute delivery of an extra 20 boxes of ballots marked with stickers printed with Alford's name.

´ In 2001 Bill Barnett launched a write-in campaign for mayor of Spartanburg, S.C., five days before the election and won.

Lane County Elections Director Annette Newingham says there's never been a successful major write-in campaign in her 14 years with the county. "I would never say it's impossible," Newingham says, but "it's probably not highly likely."

Newingham says "historically people normally don't" write in candidate names on ballots.

But historically write-in candidates don't have a quarter of a million dollars to spend on their campaigns, as Torrey has said he may do.

Much of that campaign cash will likely come from developers and land speculators hoping to invest in a mayoral swing vote that will help them cash in on urban sprawl.

When he was first elected mayor in 1996, Torrey outspent his opponent Jim Weaver 5-1, raising $76,000 in cash from developers, contractors, builders, Realtors and other pro-sprawl interests. The investment by development interests paid off as Torrey has served two terms as a solid supporter of tax breaks and subsidies, and weak regulation for developers and big business.

Besides developer cash, Torrey's other big asset is The Register-Guard. The paper is owned by a family with major development investments and has been a staunch backer of Torrey in numerous editorials and news articles. In 2000, the Guard gave Torrey a front page "news analysis" article featuring a Torrey blast against pro-environment councilors running for office. The paper declared that a threatened progressive majority on the City Council would create "rancor and dissent" on the elected body and quoted Torrey in a headline, "This is going to be a train wreck."

The Guard has already showered Torrey's possible write-in campaign with a half a dozen articles and opinion pieces, mostly positive. But even the Guard may find buying the mayor's race with $250,000 in developer cash, hard to swallow. In a Aug. 31 editorial the paper asked, "what makes it worth another quarter of a million dollars to retain the mayor's office?" and suggested voluntary spending limits.

The specter of a write-in may mean that Eugeneans don't know who their next mayor will be until well into November. "It's very time consuming" counting write-in ballots, Newingham says.

Newingham says she will only count the write-ins if Piercy fails to win more than 50 percent of the machine-counted vote. To count write-ins, election rules require four separate people working in two, two-person teams to examine each write-in ballot. Name misspellings will count as long as voter intent can be determined. Newingham says she doubts more than one person in Eugene is named Jim Torrey.

Newingham says she isn't worried about Florida-like ballot counting problems in what could be a close election. "At this point in time, I'm not getting too excited about it. The likelihood is not great, even though it is possible, and we'll deal with it if it occurs."

But there is the potential that the election could end up in the courts due to the added complexities of a write-in candidate. For example, instructions on the ballot require voters to mark a machine-readable arrow and write in the candidate's name. If the arrow isn't marked but the name is written in, write-in votes might not be counted unless election staff happen to catch the error.

In the May primary, 41,856 people voted in the Eugene mayor's race.