Health Options Digest
April 4, 2004
Coalition for Health Options In Central Eugene-Springfield (CHOICES)
In This Issue
From the Editor
Email List Update
Around March 24, Eugene Free Network suffered a serious file server crash that caused it to lose all its email lists, including the CHOICES email list. EFN is working to restore the lost email lists from backups.
In the meantime, we will continue to publish Health Options Digest on our web site. We will also send notice "by hand" to an older and incomplete version of our email list.
We apologize for the inconvenience and hope EFN can resolve the problem soon.
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Week in Review
There wasn't much news last week.
PeaceHealth bought out Arlie & Co., giving them another couple million dollars in short-term profits. Arlie says it was "forced" to sell. Of course, Arlie's profits are coming from our pockets -- either directly from health care payments, or indirectly from payments through employer or government health insurance programs. We wonder why there hasn't been more outrage that patient money has gone to enrich Arlie's coffers by $20 million or so.
Willamette Community Health Solutions, a nonprofit spinoff from the McKenzie-Willamette/Traid merger, is moving to Eugene. But McKenzie-Willamette is also laying off 39 nurses.
On Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a $275-billion, 6-year transportation funding bill. But the bill must be reconciled with a $318-billion version that the Senate pass in February and a $256-billion version proposed by the Bush administration. President Bush is threatening to veto either version for being too costly. What happens in Washington will have an effect on what happens in Lane County because the House version of the billion includes $15 million for reconstructing the Interstate-5/Beltline interchange, which is critical to the opening of the new PeaceHealth hospital.
Have you picked up your copy of the Voters' Pamphlet... the one with a picture of a tree stump and Secretary of State Bill Bradbury on the cover? If not, look for this handy guide, dated April 1, which is available for free at fine businesses all over town.
Speaking of the Voters' Pamphlet, ballots will be arriving in the mail in another month and due back by May 18. If you aren't registered to vote (or want to change your party affiliation), the deadline is April 27: http://www.co.lane.or.us/Elections/RegisteringToVote.htm
Beyond voting, write a letter to the editor, contribute money, or volunteer for the candidate(s) of your choice.
In Oregon, you can contribute up to $50 per year ($100 for a married couple file jointly) to the policital campaign of your choice, and the State of Oregon will reimburse you 100% when you file your state income taxes next year: http://www.dor.state.or.us/InfoC/101-662.html
One good way to volunteer is to help a candidate canvas door-to-door. It's fun, easy and an important way to exercise our basic democratic rights. Moreover, it's a good way to meet your neighbors and to smell the tree blossoms. {end}
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Looking Ahead
You are probably getting tired of hearing us say that a new PeaceHealth hospital isn't a done deal until the attorneys and judges say it is. It'll be another couple months before we hear anything definitive.
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Rob Zako, Editor
343-5201
rzako@efn.org
Calendar
Monday, April 5 -- Springfield City Council
Springfield City Hall, 225 Fifth St., Springfield
Contact: Amy Sowa, City Manager's Office, 726-3700
6:45 p.m., Work Session, Jesse Maine Room
1. Vacation of a Portion of Laura Street Public Right-of-Way Located on Assessor's Maps 17-03-22-44 Tax Lot 7500 and 17-03-27-10 Tax Lot 5000.
7:00 p.m., Regular Meeting, Council Meeting Room
Public Hearings
1. Springfield Inventory of Natural Resource Sites.
2. Vacation of a Portion of Laura Street Public Right-of-Way Located on Assessor's Maps 17-03-22-44 Tax Lot 7500 and 17-03-27-10 Tax Lot 5000.
3. Public Hearing and Adoption of a Resolution Amending Ambulance and Emergency Medical Services Fees.
Business from the City Manager
1. Matricula Consular.
2. Council Initiation of an Amendment to the Metropolitan Area Public Facilities and Services Plan Table 8 and Map 4: Planned Electrical Facilities.
3. Approval of Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway Resolution.
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Monday, April 5 -- Mayor's Economic Development Committee
1:00 p.m., Bascom/Tykeson Room, Eugene Library, 100 West 10th Ave., Eugene
1. Presentations from Local Experts
2. Organize into Subcommittees
Contact: Tom Coyle, 682-6077, tom.g.coyle@ci.eugene.or.us
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Opportunities
County seeks members for health advisory panel
| The Register-Guard | April 2, 2004 |
Lane County's new Community Health Centers Advisory Council needs six citizens to help make sure the county's new community health centers provide the best quality health care for the county's low-income, uninsured and underinsured residents.
The council will give advice on the development of health clinic programs and to county staff members and the Board of Commissioners, as well as reviewing budgets, progress toward service goals, appropriate hours for the clinics and the most important medical services to offer.
The advisory council will have a total of 15 members, of whom eight will be "consumer" members eligible to be served by the health centers. This recruitment will be for the consumer members, who will serve three-year terms.
Applications for the unpaid volunteer positions may be obtained from the county commissioners' office in the Public Service Building at 125 E. Eighth Ave. in downtown Eugene or by calling 682-4203. Completed applications must be returned to the same location by 5 p.m. on April 9.
Applications may also be obtained at the county Web site at http://www.lanecounty.org/BCC/AdvisoryCommittees.htm.
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PeaceHealth
PeaceHealth Expands Riverbend Site
| KEZI | April 1, 2004, 5:45 p.m. |
PeaceHealth's Riverbend site is now larger. The hospital just bought a 12 and a half acre site just north of its Riverbend property. Arlie and Company owned the Springfield property. The hospital has wanted the land for a long time. They say it will help designers position streets and the commercial property at the site. There are only two other lots privately owned in the area. The hospital says it has no plans to try and buy those properties. Peacehealth says it doesn't know what will actually go on the 12 acres -- for now, it's focusing on the hospital building only. That project is on hold, until a ruling from the court of appeals. The court is expected to make a ruling sometime in May. If it's in PeaceHealth's favor, construction on the new hospital could begin this summer.
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Strained Relationship?
Thursday night, we told you that PeaceHealth's Riverbend site had grown. The hospital acquired twelve acres from developer Arlie and Company. But, Arlie and Company now says this sale is testing its relationship with the city of Springfield.
In fact, Arlie and Company says it was forced to sell the property because of action taken by the Springfield City Council. The property is made up of a little more than 12 acres just North of the planned Riverbend Hospital. Arlie and Company says it planned to develop a nodal village on the land: a place where people could work, shop, and live, next to the hospital.
There's a catch, though. PeaceHealth also wanted zoning for nodal development, known as mixed use commercial. There's a limited amount to go around. Only 33 acres were approved by ODOT and the Springfield City Council. So, PeaceHealth and Arlie were in competition.
When the decision came, Arlie received five acres for mixed use, Peacehealth got the rest. That's when Arlie says, it gave up. The developer could have requested more acres for nodal development, but it felt its chances of seeing another zone change for nodal development on the site were slim. So it sold to Peacehealth, blaming the city of Springfield.
The city says, it's disappointed the developer has mixed feelings about the sale, and that Arlie could have had a successful development if it hadn't sold. The city also says it's committed to working with the developer in the future, but Arlie says this decision has created an "extremely strained relationship" with the city.
We asked the folks at Arlie and Company if they are considering taking this dispute to court. They wouldn't rule it out, but said, they hope it doesn't come to that.
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RiverBend hospital adds more acreage
By Christian Wihtol
The Register-Guard | April 3, 2004 |
SPRINGFIELD -- In a move that effectively silences a major critic of the controversial RiverBend hospital development plan, PeaceHealth has bought out all of Arlie & Co.'s land holdings next to the site.
PeaceHealth paid a steep price for Arlie's 12.5 acres: $4.15 million, according to a deed filed this week with Lane County. The company bought the land a little more than two years ago from resident Glen Schnetzky for about $2.4 million.
It's the second time Arlie has made a hefty profit from PeaceHealth. In 2001, the nonprofit hospital corporation paid $34 million for 160 Gateway acres that Arlie had spent about $16 million assembling. That acreage is where PeaceHealth is now proposing to build its RiverBend hospital, plus offices, stores and housing.
The latest deal removes a nasty bur from under PeaceHealth's saddle. (more...)
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McKenzie-Willamette/Triad
Hospital's spinoff headed to Eugene
By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard | March 30, 2004 |
At least one part of McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center will be moving to Eugene before the end of the year.
Willamette Community Health Solutions, the nonprofit arm that spun off from McKenzie-Willamette when the hospital merged with for-profit Triad Hospitals Inc. last year, plans to lease 20,000 square feet in a proposed office building at 2650 Suzanne Way, off Crescent Avenue in northeast Eugene.
Following the merger last October, McKenzie-Willamette stopped providing nonacute services such as home health care and occupational medicine. Hospital officials then created a new nonprofit corporation -- Willamette Community Health Solutions -- to fill the void.
Additional services provided by Willamette Community Health Solutions include hospice care, adult day care, patient education, mental health services and employee assistance programs. The McKenzie-Willamette Community Health Foundation was also folded into the new organization.
All told, the new nonprofit corporation employs 120 workers, said Margie Brooks, executive director of the foundation.
Brooks said Willamette Community hopes to be in its new building by December. (more...)
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Nursing Layoffs
Springfield -- Six months after Triad Hospitals took over management of McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center, officials are laying off more than three dozen members of the nursing staff.
McKenzie-Willamette officials say they're still feeling the effects of being excluded from some preferred provider insurance plans, despite winning an anti-trust lawsuit against PeaceHealth. They also say patient volumes are down due to the sluggish economy.
The nursing structure is being redesigned and restructured, leading to the layoff of 19 registered nurse and licensed practical nurse positions.
Thirty-six certified nursing assistants and aide positions are also being cut. McKenzie-Willamette officials say other hospitals across the state are seeing lower patient volumes as well. (more...)
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McKenzie-Willamette to lay off nurses amid restructuring
By Tim Christie
The Register-Guard | April 2, 2004 |
McKenzie-Willamette Hospital is preparing to lay off 39 nurses May 1, citing lower-than-projected patient volume, exclusion from a key insurance contract and a lagging economy.
"It's making everyone here very, very sad," hospital spokeswoman Rosie Pryor said Thursday. "These are steps we had all hoped to be in a position to avoid."
The hospital, which has a total work force of 850, is engaged in a "reduction and reorganization plan" that will eliminate some nursing positions and create others, Pryor said. The net effect is the elimination of 27 certified nursing assistants, nine registered nurses and three licensed practical nurses, Pryor said. (more...)
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Nearby Developments
Springfield officials eye rise in fees
By Bob Keefer
The Register-Guard | March 30, 2004 |
SPRINGFIELD -- Residents can most likely look forward to increases in planning and ambulance fees and the imposition of a new utility tax as the City Council works its way toward a balanced budget for the 2004-05 fiscal year.
At a work session Monday night, the council heard staff presentations on all three possibilities as ways to make up a $500,000 gap between income and expenses for the coming budget year, which starts July 1. No action was taken, but discussion made it clear that all three measures are contenders for the council's approval.
Judging from councilors' comments, planning fees will almost certainly rise by more than 40 percent from their current level. The fees currently cover about 35 percent of the city's land use planning costs. The council Monday night made it clear it would like to recover at least half of the cost. (more...)
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Council eyes new general fund revenue
By Jaime Sherman
The Springfield News | March 31, 2004 |
Springfield residents could soon pay more for city services.
City councilors have tentatively agreed to pursue new funding sources to balance the city's general fund budget in the coming fiscal year.
During a work session Monday, councilors accepted proposals to increase land development review fees and to add a utility tax. They directed staff to return with ordinances to enact the plans, which will be designed to narrow a $500,000 revenue shortfall for fiscal year 2005.
While the proposal to increase development fees to recoup 50 percent of cost from 29 percent was accepted with little question, the plan that received the most criticism was the one to create a utility tax. (more...)
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Springfield City Beat: And what's 2 plus 2?
| The Register-Guard | April 3, 2004 |
When the City Council raised its planning fees in November, councilors thought the city would then be recovering an average of 50 percent of its planning cost from developers.
The city had been collecting, on average, 29 percent of the money spent on planning subdivisions. In November, the council raised the rate by 21 percent. So 29 percent plus 21 percent equals 50 percent, right?
Back to class, councilors.
The rate is now about 35 percent, which is what you get when you increase 29 percent by 21 percent.
That's why the council is, once again, considering raising the recovery rate to 50 percent as the new budget year looms.
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Springfield City Beat: Lawmakers push water projects
By Bob Keefer
The Register-Guard | April 3, 2004 |
Our congressional delegation has stepped in to try to save the Springfield Millrace restoration and a second threatened environmental project in Eugene.
Concerned that the Army Corps of Engineers has put its $4.1 million share of the $6.4 million millrace project on hold, Rep. Peter DeFazio drafted a letter and signed it along with U.S. Sens. Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden, asking the Corps to get the project and a similar restoration project for Eugene's Delta Ponds "moving forward once more."
The letter went Friday to John Paul Woodley Jr., assistant secretary for civil works at the Corps. (more...)
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'A Jewel in the Rough'
By Christopher Stollar
The Springfield News | April 2, 2004 |
The Smiths will soon add another member to their family, but city plans are delaying the arrival.
Misa Smith and her family are moving closer to finalizing architectural plans for a Smith Family Bookstore at the corner of Laura Street and Hayden Bridge Road, but the exact design and layout of the new bookstore is contingent on the city's Laura Street realignment project. (more...)
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Toby's moving to Springfield
By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard | April 1, 2004 |
Toby's Family Foods LLC, the maker of Toby's Tofu pate, will celebrate its 20th year in business by doubling production capacity as it prepares to break into the health-conscious California market.
And the company will be moving away from its longtime home city of Eugene.
The company last month agreed to a five-year lease on a 19,200-square-foot facility at 1160 Shelley St. in Springfield. The building is one of eight warehouses in the McKay Business Park.
Toby's new home will be more than double the 9,000 square feet the company now leases at 497 Highway 99N in Eugene, Toby's President Jonah Alves said. (more...)
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New skyline may rise in city's future: Oregon Research Institute anticipates grant to help fund 6-story office building
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | March 31, 2004 |
CORRECTION (ran 4/1/04): The Eugene City Council last year agreed to sell the former Sears building in downtown to the Oregon Research Institute for $400,000. An article on Page A1 of Wednesday's Register-Guard listed an incorrect figure. Also, Solarc Architecture & Engineering of Eugene is helping design ORI's proposed downtown building. Solarc's name was omitted from the article.
A dramatic new addition to the downtown Eugene skyline -- a six-story office building for the Oregon Research Institute -- now appears a near certainty.
Earlier this month, ORI employees learned the organization has a good chance at landing a crucial $4 million federal grant, money that the Eugene-based behavioral study firm would use as a down payment toward a new headquarters. (more...)
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Wal-Mart 'supercenter' not so super to some in Eugene
By Joe Mosley
The Register-Guard | April 1, 2004 |
Faith Rahill believes Wal-Mart is "destroying the heart of America" by forcing out smaller competitors, and Bill Gardiner fears expansion of the retailer's West 11th Avenue store will upset the "caring ambiance of Eugene" by forcing hard-edged corporate values upon the city.
Cheryl Meeker goes so far as to cite Wal-Mart's nationwide rise in recent years as "the best example of capitalism collapsing on itself."
Rahill, Gardiner, Meeker and more than 50 others have lambasted Wal-Mart in e-mails to Eugene Planning Director Tom Coyle over the past week. The flood of opposition to the chain's plans to expand its West 11th Avenue store to "supercenter" status -- at a total of 217,951 square feet -- has focused on the retailer's disdain for unions, its alleged strongarm tactics with suppliers and its potential to monopolize local commerce.
But Coyle's job is all about land use, and he can only throw up his hands when the debate turns to politics or philosophy. (more...)
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Council grapples with ballot wording
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | April 1, 2004 |
Divert. Stimulating. Subsidize.
Have a problem with any of those words? The Eugene City Council did on Wednesday, preventing them from becoming part of the ballot statements that voters would read as they decide whether to repeal or uphold Eugene's recently expanded Riverfront Urban Renewal District.
District critics have until April 8 to gather the signatures of 3,722 registered voters to place the referendum on the ballot, possibly for the Nov. 2 election. (more...)
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City entertains idea for new housing
By Randi Bjornstad
The Register-Guard | |
More affordable housing may be coming downtown Eugene's way, and it might be a good idea for future tenants to develop an appreciation for the eclectic musical styles -- rock, punk, reggae, ska -- favored by their next-door neighbor-to-be.
The city has acquired a little less than an acre of land in the 200 block of West Eighth Avenue, adjacent to the Community Center for the Performing Arts, better known as the WOW Hall.
The parcel, bought from Wells Fargo Bank for $560,000, could accommodate as many as 30 units of affordable apartment units, as well as commercial development on the ground floor, said Tom Coyle, executive director of the city's planning and development department. (more...)
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Commentary: Eugene could be model for jobless prosperity
| By Don Kahle | April 4, 2004 |
If President Bush wants to create prosperity without jobs, he should take a close look at Eugene. We are now two decades into a bold attempt to grow our economy without focusing directly on jobs.
Don't bother telling Eugene that it can't be done -- that simply inflames the utopian spirit that drew many of us here in the first place. Never mind it's never succeeded in a place without natural barriers (mountains, oceans) as boundaries -- we'll be first. After all, this is Oregon and Oregon Loves Dreamers. Eugene is just like Oregon, only more so. (more...)
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Mayor's Ad Hoc Committee on Economic Development
The City of Eugene is conducting a comprehensive review of its economic development strategy. Mayor Torrey has called for the formation of an Ad Hoc Committee on Economic Development. The Committee is charged with evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of City policies for achieving Eugene's broad economic goals, and providing specific recommendations to the City Council as to how they can best achieve those goals.
To understand the City of Eugene's economic development goals and strategies, the Committee will review past economic development strategic plans and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the past plans. The Committee will provide insight into the current and potential state of the local economy, the challenges it faces, and the policies that the City could adopt to achieve economic objectives while balancing its current goals. The Committee will take their conclusions to the City Council in August 2004, when the Council will make decisions about appropriate next steps for public involvement and decisionmaking. (more...)
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Transportation
Editorial: Partnerships move road projects forward
| The Springfield News | March 31, 2004 |
The signs of summer road construction are appearing in Springfield, and residents couldn't be happier -- at least for the end result.
After hours of public hearings and negotiating, two major road projects are finally moving forward. The city of Springfield has the Oregon Department of Transportation and Lane County Public Works to thank.
The two agencies are funding the Jasper Road Extension and South 42nd Street improvements. The Jasper Road project will begin this year with the first construction trucks rolling in next Monday, while the 42nd Street project remains in the planning stage.
The county is funding the two-phased Jasper Road project, which will improve the intersection at Highway 126 and Main Street and connect the Eugene-Springfield Highway to the Springfield-Creswell Highway, or Jasper Road, at a total cost of $4.9 million.
Conceptually the extension has been discussed since the 1960s. In the last few years, the city has worked with Lane County to broker deals with property owners for right of way.
Connected to the Jasper Road project is a plan to improve 42nd Street. Earlier this month, ODOT gave the city jurisdiction over the road and handed Mayor Sid Leiken a check for $4.125 million for improvements.
The transfer was inspired by the efforts of Jeannine Crane, who witnessed the death of 7-year-old Daniel Ryan Lindsey two years ago along the dangerous stretch of road. In testimony before public officials, Crane said safety improvements would have saved the boy's life. The project is scheduled to begin in the next few years.
Officials from the city, ODOT and Lane County often get attention for not working together to fund road projects, but on these projects, they deserve praise. Their financial backing and engineering skills will improve safety on major byways and ensure our roads can accommodate future growth.
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Road Work Ahead
Eugene drivers' gas tax dollars are going to work in the next few months. The city of Eugene's transportation planning engineers have major construction projects slated for this summer.
The projects include re-paving pothole-damaged streets, creating bicycle lanes, and most dramatically, converting a one-way street to two-way traffic. Most of the major changes will take place from July to September, on a section of Willamette Street, between 13th and 19th Streets. (more...)
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City plans meeting about Willamette Street work
| The Register-Guard | April 1, 2004 |
The Eugene Public Works Department will hold an open house today from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. to provide information on two upcoming projects to improve Willamette Street.
Willamette from 13th Avenue to 19th Avenue is scheduled for paving repair work this summer. At the same time, Willamette from 13th Avenue to 18th Avenue will be converted to a two-way street.
The city contends converting Willamette to a two-way street will provide better access to and from the new fire station being constructed at 13th Avenue and Willamette, as well as providing better access to local businesses.
The city plans to start the work in July and finish in early September.
The open house will be held at the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, 1401 Willamette Ave. For information about the two-way conversion, contact Chris Henry at 682-8472.
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Commentary: For some, transit is a necessity, not a choice
| By Marc Schlossberg | April 1, 2004 |
The Lane Transit District's initial decision to eliminate a fare-reduction program for those with disabilities should cause us to reflect on the purpose of public transit. (more...)
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Highway bill hits obstacle in House
By Jim Abrams
The Associated Press | April 1, 2004 |
WASHINGTON -- A major highway and transit spending bill temporarily stalled Wednesday in the House as Republican leaders struggled to deal with a presidential veto threat and disunity within their ranks.
After hours of closed-door meetings, House Republicans said they were ready to try again today to pass a six-year, $275 billion bill. The veto threat still loomed, although the main point of dispute among lawmakers was how the states would divide up one of the largest pots of money that Washington makes available to states. (more...)
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GOP drives highway bill amid veto threat
| The Register-Guard | April 2, 2004 |
WASHINGTON -- House Republicans, openly defying President Bush's call for spending restraint, pressed ahead Thursday with a $275 billion highway and mass transit bill that exceeds a White House spending ceiling, bestows thousands of projects on lawmakers' districts and requires Congress to consider adding more money two years from now.
A veto threat issued by the White House budget office on Tuesday appeared to have hardened the determination of GOP members -- including many fiscal conservatives -- to pass the legislation. The House began debating the bill and amendments Thursday. Final action is expected today.
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House Clears Six-Year TEA-21 Renewal Bill
| Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP) | April 2, 2004 |
House Action: Today, the U.S. House of Representatives approved its TEA-21 renewal bill (H.R. 3550), providing $275 billion in federal funding for highways, bridges, transit and safety programs over six years. Of this total, about $51.5 billion is guaranteed for transit programs, $217 billion for highway programs and the remaining funds for certain research, safety and other activities.
For STPP President Anne Canby's statement on the legislation, please go to:
http://www.transact.org/news.asp?id=45
The full House of Representatives approved H.R. 3550 on a 357-65 vote, despite the Bush Administration's clear statement of opposition to the bill, objections that focused on the bill's funding level and provisions that forcing Congress to "reopen" the law and raise additional funds next year. For the Administration's Statement of Policy on H.R. 3550, go to: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/legislative/sap/108-2/hr3550sap-h.pdf
Prior to floor action, the House Rules Committee heard from House Members who wanted to offer 59 amendments to the bill. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) sought permission to offer an amendment to guarantee clean air funding to local areas under the CMAQ program, but the Committee did not allow her amendment. During the House floor debate, however, she did get a commitment from one of Committee leaders to revisit the underspending of CMAQ dollars and related issues in a future bill, such as a technical corrections bill or the reopener bill next year.
In the end, the Rules Committee made 23 amendments in order, which were subsequently debated and disposed of during two days of deliberations on the bill. While a handful of amendments were accepted by Committee leaders during floor action, most were defeated, either by voice vote or by recorded vote. One that was accepted was another Johnson amendment that requires the Federal Highway Administration to report annually to the public on the use of federal transportation funds by the states.
The House did approve a large "Managers' Amendment" that included additional changes and modifications to the Committee-adopted bill that passed last week in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. In this package were provisions that provided for the additional revenues for the bill as well as provions negotiated with the House Science Committee on the research title including a strengthening of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). The package provided additional member project earmarks and some support for short line railroads. There were further revisions to environmental provisions of the bill, such as the inclusion of a 5-state pilot program on NEPA delegation that is limited to ITS and Transportation Enhancement projects. On clean air, areas are given 12 months before a conformity lapse occurs and there is a requirement that the MPO and air agency must agree before the current 20-year conformity horizon in long-term plans is reduced to 10 years. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) was able to secure a $9 million ($1.5 million annually) pilot program to support innovations by MPOs and states in improving their planning and public engagement efforts in the managers' amendment.
Next Steps for the Bill: The House is now in recess for two weeks for the Easter Holiday, with the Senate scheduled to out for just one of the two weeks. During the break, Committee staff will review differences between the House and Senate bills in preparation for negotiations between House and Senate transportation leaders. After the Easter recess, each chamber must appoint a small delegation of Senators and Representatives, known as conferees, who will work to develop a consensus bill (i.e. conference agreement). Once an agreement is reached, the House and Senate must approve a conference agreement before it goes to the President for his signature.
An immediate concern for Congress upon returning from the Easter recess is how to address the looming expiration of TEA-21, which occurs on April 30. The conferees will be unable to finish their work by April 30 so a further extension will be needed.
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Elections
Slant: Betty Taylor
| Eugene Weekly | April 1, 2004 |
Sounds like a couple of young bucks have been tooling around Ward 2 pulling Betty Taylor yard signs out of the ground and hauling them off. Betty's re-election campaign manager Kate O'Donnell tells us about 100 signs are missing, or about half the total. Was this just a prank by some vandals who don't like Betty or thought they were doing her challenger Maurie Denner a favor? It was an idiotic idea. The signs will be quickly replaced, and they are worth enough to make this theft a Class C felony with a potential penalty of five years in prison and a $100,000 fine. Witnesses have described in detail the culprits and their vehicles (a maroon pick-up and a green hatchback) and a $200 reward has been offered for their arrest and conviction. Contact the campaign at 344-1946.
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Slant: Andrea Ortiz
| Eugene Weekly | April 1, 2004 |
Andrea Ortiz is challenging incumbent Scott Meisner in Ward 7 and Andrea has been a bit of an enigma regarding her views on environmental and land use issues. She appears to be getting her environmental ducks in a row. She says she supports fully funding Eugene's Toxics Right to Know program. She will continue to be active in fighting industrial pollution and cleaning up the rail yards in her ward. She is opposed to the West Eugene Parkway out of concern for wetlands, and favors alternative transportation. She wants enhanced protections for Eugene's municipal watersheds and calls for restoring natural areas in Alton Baker Park. She wants to maintain our existing urban growth boundary. She favors an increase in recycling, expanding system development charges and "development of a citywide plan to reduce contamination in our streams and rivers by limiting pesticide use." These positions, complementing her background in local education and human rights, make her a viable candidate. Scott started off well, but he's been slipping. The Oregon League of Conservation Voters gave him a 10 percent rating for the past two years, down from 78 percent several years ago.
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Slant: Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce Endorsements
| Eugene Weekly | April 1, 2004 |
The Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce has predictably endorsed pro-sprawl candidates for upcoming council and mayor races. The chamber just doesn't get it. Unfettered growth might generate short-term profits and jobs for construction industries, but it's unsustainable and in the long run damaging to our economy. Our future prosperity is linked more to quality of life than to concrete. And by taking these narrow stands, the chamber is alienating a big chunk of what should be its constituency and membership -- small businesses that place high value on the livability and unique character of our community.
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Commentary: Vibrant Democracy
Attitude and openness are keys to effective leadership.
| By Mary O'Brien | April 1, 2004 |
One of the most memorable books I ever read is Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci's Interview with History, published in 1976. Each chapter is an interview with a different political leader, each of which was lured by Fallaci into revealing how they viewed themselves as leaders. The result is stunning, because most (e.g., Ayotollah Khomeini, Henry Kissinger, the Shah of Iran, and Indira Ghandi) show themselves to be frighteningly arrogant, delusional and contemptuous of the populace they lead. Two exceptions emerge: Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, and West German Chancellor Willy Brandt. Both Meir and Brandt see themselves as merely temporary servants (albeit with positive contributions to offer) within a standing office of their respective democracies. (more...)
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