Mayor's State of the City Address 2006 By Kitty Piercy It's good to be with you all here today. It has been a full year since I took my oath of office and spoke to many of you with great determination and optimism about the future of our community. Last year, I was joined here by many who hope to see Eugene step up to its full potential. Like me, they believe that if one place in this country is going to do it right — to ensure the well-being of our people, our natural resources and our economy — it should be here in Eugene. In truth, there were others in the room with more reservations and more skepticism. They worried that the fractious nature of Eugene politics would hold us back from accomplishing our goals. So how has it gone this past year? We have had no lack of major civic issues to address. It has been a pretty exciting year. I have thoroughly enjoyed being your Mayor. That's right, enjoyed it. It's a privilege and I thank you once again for giving me this unique opportunity to work with you and for you. Much has been achieved and much is left to do. A special "thank you" to my family, my husband, David, and those who have worked hard with me to make last year's promises translate into action. And, a special thank you to the City Manager Dennis Taylor and all our city staff who use their talents daily on behalf of our community.   Working together I would like to begin by talking about how we work together in Eugene, given our different points of view. Our high level of civic engagement is our asset. Many of us choose to live in Eugene because of that very attribute. It is important to hear from all parts of our community, to take advantage of the high level of expertise we have available, and to make policy decisions based on that broad range of information and perspectives. I am proud of the thousands of citizens who take the time to communicate their views as well as volunteer in our neighborhood associations, non-profits and civic organizations. It has been fun to open the city hall doors to a wide spectrum of concerns and interests. It is hearing all those voices and listening to them carefully that enables me to be the Mayor for all Eugene. Following up on last year's proposals to improve our public process/communication How have I followed up on last year's proposals to improve our public process and communications? Along with city councilors, I have had Mayor's one-on-one sessions in grocery stores throughout the city: we simply set up a table and make ourselves available to talk with residents. It has been a great place to reach out to folks. These sessions have been well-attended, interesting, fun and have provided great opportunities for easy and informal conversations on any issue. I also have given regular mayoral updates on two radio stations and one television station. In addition, we improved the city's web site communications (it's getting faster, please have patience) and worked to strengthen neighborhood associations and newsletter communications. I began with a goal to strengthen the relationship with River Road/Santa Clara. Several city-fostered committees are now working hard, making recommendations for better service delivery and communications. While these are significant steps forward, the relationship between the City and the unincorporated area is still a complicated and uneasy one. Trust is building, but we are not there yet.   Working with City Councilors More than I could have predicted, I have enjoyed working with our city councilors. They are intelligent, hard working, dedicated people. I want to publicly thank each of them for their long hours of meetings, of poring over documents, of doing their utmost from their individual points of view to serve this community. It has been my goal to respect and learn from each of them. They are individuals representing different constituencies and do not always agree, but they do work hard to respect the views of all, to engage our residents and to carefully use the expertise we have. They aim for the win/win when it is possible. When we first began working together a year ago, the council had just one agreed-upon priority. This year we adopted eight clearly defined priorities. This is more than talk. Let me share these priorities with you and how we are moving forward on them.    • Priority #1 - Restaff Fire Station 9. Just this morning we celebrated the restaffing of Fire Station Nine near Valley River and this year we also opened two other new stations in downtown Eugene and in Santa Clara.    •   Priority #2 - Complete and Consider Police Department Reviews and Implement Appropriate Changes.    We passed a measure to put in place a Police Civilian Review Board and an Independent Auditor. In addition, our Chief of Police has committed to a policy of community policing that will make our neighborhoods safer and empower our citizens to participate in creating a safer community. • Priority #3 - Conclude Discussion of City Hall Complex.    We completed the initial review and have begun a city hall public engagement process to determine the kind of structure that would best meet our community needs and truly offer a place for civic engagement and democracy to thrive. •   Priority #4 - Facilitate the Development of a Hospital in Eugene's Central Core. There is a hospital site chosen by McKenzie Willamette/Triad now under consideration. It is not in the preferred central city area but it is in Eugene. •   Priority #5 - Push Arts and the Outdoors as a Theme for Eugene. We adopted the city motto "World's Greatest City for the Arts and Outdoors." In one year's time, we moved to achieve my proposal that we promote our area's combination of arts and the outdoors. We adopted an official motto, landed the Olympic Trials and welcomed new art galleries. Kudos to all involved in our parks and recreation activities. Kudos for the vast range of performance offerings, including internationally recognized dance and music groups, choral and vocal groups, repertory and local theatre offerings, as well as national touring shows. Kudos for the cooperative galleries, genre-specific galleries, and new galleries. In fact, we even have an official gallery district just across the street. And you are standing here today in a well-known and appreciated performance hall, our own magnificent Hult Center. •   Priority #6 - Launch Neighborhood Initiative. We have undertaken a neighborhood initiative. As I proposed, we have begun to strengthen the City's ties to neighborhoods by recognizing the important role of neighborhood associations in our planning processes, funding more newsletters and website opportunities, and reaching out to our RiverRoad/ Santa Clara residents and neighbors. •   Priorities #7 and #8 - Develop City Council Position on Racial Issues; Develop a Strategy to Help the Homeless In Eugene. We have continued to address race and homelessness. A year ago, I talked about our desire to be a welcoming community for all. To reach that goal, we have begun educating ourselves through privilege training. Staff also participates in training and strategic planning sessions. Both internally and externally, we have committed ourselves to staying the course. Putting a civilian review board and independent auditor in place is part of the "action, not just talk" that has been asked of us. Our priority to reduce homelessness is challenging. We work with partners to grow our supply of low-cost housing in Eugene and yet we recognize that too many have no home at all. We also strive to address the rights and access to services, including the library, for those without addresses. We applaud our Police Commission and Human Rights Commission for the work they do to help inform and guide us. We thank the representatives of communities of color who serve on both these bodies and those who met with the council to help focus the work we have ahead. I invite you to keep working with us. And all of these priorities have required intensive efforts by our cty staff and we very much appreciate the work they do. Most of these priorities will require continued commitment on the part of our City Council and staff to make real changes for the people of our community. Each has a role in meeting the Council Goals for Eugene: safe community; accessible and thriving culture and recreation; effective accountable municipal government; fair, stable and adequate financial resources. The fifth goal is one I would like to highlight now and tell you about the work underway. That goal is sustainable development and it is a cornerstone of my commitment to you.   Building a more sustainable Eugene Eugene has long had a commitment to environmental stewardship. Our growth management policies reflect this commitment. Yet, in recent years, economic success and preservation of our natural resources have often been pitted against each other. One year ago I said I thought Eugene wants both and that is what I put forward in my five-point economic plan. I suggested we look at how to make Eugene a more sustainable community, one that protects it natural and human capital while being economically successful - the triple bottom line. Thus, I launched the Mayor's Sustainable Business Initiative. The Mayor's Sustainable Business Initiative I launched this initiative for solid economic and environmental reasons, and today some of our brightest business, social, and academic leaders representing all political persuasions are working hand-in-hand on a new vision for our future. Under the talented guidance of Bob Doppelt (UO), Dave Funk (Funk/Levis) and Rusty Rexius (Rexius Forest Products), a 16-member task force has hosted a series of roundtables to better assess what we can do locally to foster the growth of businesses that produce sustainable products. The philosophy behind a sustainable economy is to have thriving businesses that create jobs with good wages and benefits. Our businesses can be successful without damaging the quality of the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the ground we live on, and they will save money in the long run. Economic success and natural resource preservation can go hand-in-hand. The SBI is an effort to develop an economic sector that is well-suited to Eugene and could capitalize on the growing interest and need for sustainable products. Examples are natural foods, natural products, bio diesel, alternative energy, green building, recycling, education and investment. Out of these roundtables came recommendations that will be prioritized by the task force. These will then be directed to the City Council as appropriate or to other agencies and bodies for consideration. The SBI will also address ways to better educate and engage our community in sustainability and to encourage all businesses to adopt these practices. The October-November issue of "Open for Business" published by the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, focused entirely on embracing sustainability, and the Chamber has made sustainability one of its 2006 goals. I trust this will give us opportunities to work together. Businesses across this country have saved millions of dollars by becoming more sustainable. We can pump up our economy and carve out an economic niche that is right for Eugene by finding ways to encourage and support the development of sustainable practices and products. We can be a city on the front edge of what is right and what keeps our economy healthy. In short, we can make Eugene a place with an unparalleled quality of life - the most desirable city in the northwest. Not "Anywhere, USA," but beautiful, clean, and prosperous Eugene, where rivers flow under clean skies, businesses grow, children thrive, and where people know their voices count. This is an exciting opportunity! Now let's talk about the future The Eugene City Council and I have some accomplishments under our belts but many are just beginnings. In order to really address many of last year's priorities, we will have to make them this year's priorities as well. To the extent we can, we should ensure that our budget reflects those priorities. •   We will get the Police Civilian Review Board up and going and hire an outside auditor. We will strengthen our public safety capacity through community policing, address property crimes, and ensure our downtown is safe and enjoyable. •   We will complete the city hall public engagement process and determine the structure that best suits our community needs. It is an opportunity to build something worthy for generations to come. • Eugene will have a full-service hospital under way. •   Through the implementation of community strategies, we will measure successful steps in addressing racial issues and homelessness. We will commit to making Eugene a welcoming, inclusive community across race, ethnicity, gender, age, class (and even the river). •   We will treat our youth as a community asset and engage them in our policy-making. •      We will enact a neighborhood initiative that will strengthen and support neighborhood associations and their participation in our city planning processes. •      We will work to see that our downtown is fully occupied with local and new stores, non-profits, galleries, clubs, restaurants, greenspace and housing - a place that draws our community together all year long. We will continue to foster our downtown as the cultural epicenter of the world's greatest city for art and the outdoors. We will even address concerns about parking. And more… •    Plans for the 2008 Olympic Trials will strengthen our tourist capacity, support our economy, and provide opportunities for our community members, young and old. It will enhance the collaborative work of our city and our university. •   We will be successful in gaining congressional support for the development of an environmental education center in the wetlands. This project has been on the drawing board for a few years and offers opportunities for students, community members and conferences/tourism. •    We will strengthen our relationship with regional partners, respecting our differences while fostering opportunities for working together. •    We will work collaboratively and successfully with our regional partners to solve West Eugene traffic problems, improve connectivity and protect the West Eugene Wetlands •      We will see the successful completion of Phase II of the Mayor's Sustainable Business Initiative and recommendations will be forwarded to the council that will help Eugene become an even more sustainable community. Eugene will support the growth of sustainable products and practices as a key part of its economic development strategy. Through regional and state collaboration, Eugene will become a center of excellence for sustainable practices and products, taking on a statewide leadership role and attracting new business and visitors to our community. •      We will recommit ourselves to Eugene's Growth Management policies and measure how we are doing to accomplish those policies.   The world in which we live While I have talked about what we worked to accomplish and some rather ambitious goals for the year ahead, it is important to acknowledge that we live in a country at war, where many families are making huge sacrifices. We live in a country where our social service infrastructure is being cut, affecting people here at home and across our state. There are too many who struggle to be housed and fed. Health care is harder to access all the time. I hope that former Gov. Kitzhaber will call upon us to support a single-payer system. Something simply has to be done. The gap between the rich and the poor grows. I am proud of our local efforts to provide clinics and stop-gap services for the uninsured. I am saddened that those with mental illness lack services that are so needed. We live in a country where drug addiction affects so many lives and has such a huge impact on our quality of life, social service and public safety systems. We have worked with our regional partners to address these issues but resolution is far away. We will continue to apply the best practices we can locally. We live in a country where our public schools struggle with inadequate funding at all levels. While we are fortunate here in Eugene to have a high quality of education, the challenges grow. The survival of a good public school system seems imperative for a civil and just society and yet it continues to be undercut. Our children depend on us to provide them with the education they need to be prepared for tomorrow. Our institutions of higher education need to be available to all our children or they will be left behind and our society will suffer. The City will partner with our school districts and institutions of higher education whenever we can. You will be asked to continue supporting local measures that fund our schools and our library, the core of our quality of life here in Eugene. We live in a state where Measure 37 brings into question the future of our land use policies and the future of Oregon as we know it. We need to engage in a discussion about the future and all the communities, farms, and natural resources these policies help us protect. We will watch the court decision regarding this important issue and its impact on our city. We live in a larger context of state, national and international policies. Now, more than ever, it is clear that the work we do at home is important. Doing our part for peace, for justice, for access to education, religious freedom, access to healthcare, food, shelter - our part to care for the resources we have so that they are there for the future, for our children and their children – is vital. We are truly fortunate to live here. I know you will join me in continuing to care and act upon that caring. I am so very proud to be your mayor.
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