Semple Can Get It Done

Look at the six candidates for Ward 1 City Council. Each has his or her pitch. One claims “We need new leadership at City Council who can get big things done,” without providing any record of how the candidate has ever gotten “big things” done. Another candidate touts that “We need bold and dynamic leadership to change with Eugene,” but that candidate’s statement on issues has nothing other than lists of motherhood-and-apple-pie aspirations — not a single concrete “bold” proposal.

Only one candidate has a history of concrete accomplishments to make Eugene a better, safer, more caring community, and that candidate is Councilor Emily Semple. Before some of the other candidates were old enough to vote, Semple was on the ground fighting for the rights of homeless individuals to have shelter and medical care. Only Semple has led the Eugene Sustainability Commission and City Council to adopt a practical and enforceable ban on one-use, plastic utensils and polystyrene carry-out containers.

None of the other candidates has demonstrated the knowledge and on-the-ground actions that Semple has brought to bear in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She not only acted in her position as City Councilor to press Lane County to increase and rationalize their COVID-19 testing, Emily volunteered with her neighborhood organization to produce much needed personal-sized bottles of hand sanitizer that were donated to Cornerstone Community Housing.

For Ward 1, experience matters, and Semple stands above all the other candidates in that regard.

Paul Conte

Eugene