Health Options Digest
September 26, 2004
Coalition for Health Options In Central Eugene-Springfield (CHOICES)
In This Issue
From the Editor
View from the South: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Editor's Note: After speaking at the Republican National Convention last month in New York, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger visited Salem, Eugene and Medford before returning to California. CHOICES is very pleased to present his "View from the South."
Ja. This is Arnold Schwarzenegger, currently starring as the Governor of California. Vote for George W. Bush in November. Four more years. Keep a compassionate conservative in the White House. Good for America. Good for freedom around the world.
I just returned from a visit to Ore-uh-GON, my tiny neighbor to the north. Ted is still upset about that energy thing a few years ago. Wasn't during my watch; wasn't during his. I know the great states of California and Oregon can be good neighbors.
But I'm not here to talk about the past. No. I want to talk about the future, about what is good for Oregon. I'm listening to Oregon. I care about Oregon. I hope Oregon will vote for Arnold in 2008. I'm here to... pump you up!
The number one problem in Oregon is health care. Face reality, the Oregon Health Plan is history. Sayonara baby. Your economy is on the skids. Your state legislature is a joke. What you need is real leadership.
Take the little communities of Eugene and Springfield. They plan to reconstruct one hospital for $400 million and another for $85 million. That's peanuts. I made more than that on one movie, Terminator 3. Is this what the community needs? Will this solve the health care problem?
No! This is the work of girly-men. Men with small ideas. Men who think in the box. Men who think the solution is to build a bigger box. To them I say... total recall!
Think on the big screen. A hospital is where sick people go. But most people aren't sick. If you spend half a billion dollars building big boxes for sick people, you've missed the mark. The big issue isn't sickness. It's health. You know what I'm saying?
Think of it this way. You have two choices. Increase supply or reduce demand. But Oregon, like the rest of the country, is going broke trying to take care of a few sick people. Oregon won't be able to keep paying more and more to take care of all the sick people. The only sensible choice is to reduce demand: the number of sick people.
Eugene and Springfield is full of girly-men. Flabby people. Couch potatoes. People who spend all day sitting on their fat butts in offices. People who drive their SUVs half a mile to the local store. People who are going to get heart disease, clog up the hospitals, and bankrupt the community.
What ever happened to the Eugene of Bill Bowerman and Steve Prefontaine? What ever happened to Track Town? What ever happened to a health and fitness conscious community?
Fortunately for you, I'm here to... pump you up! Don't think small by building hospitals. Think big by building a healthy community. People need to walk, run or bicycle to stay healthy. You don't need to be a he-man like me. Just don't be a girly-man. Exercise 3 to 5 days a week. Get your heart pumping. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are discovering that the most effective drug to combat a wide range of diseases is... regular exercise.
I have a business proposition to you. Set a community goal for everyone to exercise more. Invest in public education programs, walking and bicycling paths, swimming pools, gyms, and sports fields. Then make a deal with the insurance companies to give the community a discount based on the better health of the community. Use the savings to give health coverage to everyone in the community and to pay for the exercise programs and facilities. That's good business. That's compassionate conservatism.
Tell the girly-men running your town: If you don't start thinking about the health of the community -- the whole community -- it's total recall for you. Sayonara baby!
And vote for Arnold for president in 2008.
Disclaimer: The preceding commentary is a parody. None of the views presented are those of Governor Schwarzenegger. To the best of our knowledge, Schwarzenegger never visited Oregon -- and probably doesn't even think about his tiny neighbor to the north. Our attorneys tell us parody, especially of a public figure as widely known as Schwarzenegger, is a form of free speech protected under the First Amendment. So please don't sue us.
Week In Review
PeaceHealth received approval to raise $208.35 million by issuing tax-exempt bonds to help fund the $350 million cost of a new hospital.
McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center agreed with the City of Eugene on a scaled-back plan to provide new roads to access the EWEB site where McKenzie-Willamette hopes to build a new hospital.
The State of Oregon recently filed its decision regarding certificate of need. We are still waiting for details about what this means for McKenzie-Willamette's plans to move to Eugene (or Glenwood).
Looking Ahead
On Monday, the Eugene City Council will look at options to pay to fix a backlog of crumbling city streets. At this time, Lane County is declining to look at a county-wide solution to road maintenance problems.
Also on Monday, the City of Coburg is holding a public forum on land use, growth and livability. The forum will include a presentation on Coburg's updated comprehensive plan.
On Wednesday, the Eugene City Council will consider a resolution opposing Measure 37, which critics say would cripple Oregon's land use planning system.
On October 4 and 5, the Springfield City Council and Planning Commission, respectively, will begin reviewing PeaceHealth's revised plans for a new hospital. CHOICES has not yet seen the materials for this application. The sole public hearing is scheduled for November 1.
Rob Zako, Editor
343-5201
rzako@efn.org
Calendar
Monday, September 27 -- Eugene City Council
Eugene City Hall, 777 Pearl St., Eugene
Contact: Lynda Rose, 682-5017, lynda.l.rose@ci.eugene.or.us
5:30 p.m., Work Session, McNutt Room
A. Items from Mayor, City Council, and City Manager
B. Transportation Funding
Monday, September 27 -- City of Coburg -- Public involvement sought for planning
| The Register-Guard | September 26, 2004 |
COBURG -- The city is sponsoring a Coburg Crossroads session Monday night to gather public input on land use, growth and livability.
The meeting will include a presentation on the city's updated comprehensive plan. It will begin at 7 p.m. at Coburg Municipal Courthouse, 32694 Pearl St.
Wednesday, September 29 -- Eugene City Council
Eugene City Hall, 777 Pearl St., Eugene
Contact: Lynda Rose, 682-5017, lynda.l.rose@ci.eugene.or.us
Noon, Work Session, McNutt Room
A. Measure 37 Discussion
B. Economic Development Committee Recommendations: Enterprise Zones
Monday, October 4 -- Springfield City Council
Springfield City Hall, 225 Fifth St., Springfield
Contact: Amy Sowa, City Manager's Office, 726-3700
Work Session
A. PeaceHealth Plan Amendments
Tuesday, October 5 -- Springfield Planning Commission
Springfield City Hall, 225 Fifth St., Springfield, 726-3753
Work Session
A. PeaceHealth Plan Amendments
Monday, October 11 -- Eugene City Council
Eugene City Hall, 777 Pearl St., Eugene
Contact: Lynda Rose, 682-5017, lynda.l.rose@ci.eugene.or.us
5:30 p.m., Work Session, McNutt Room
A. Items from Mayor, City Council, and City Manager
B. PeaceHealth/West University Area Transportation Planning
Monday, November 1 -- Springfield City Council & Springfield Planning Commission
Springfield City Hall, 225 Fifth St., Springfield
Contact: Amy Sowa, City Manager's Office, 726-3700
Public Hearing
A. PeaceHealth Plan Amendments
Tuesday, November 23 -- Springfield Planning Commission
Springfield City Hall, 225 Fifth St., Springfield, 726-3753
Regular Meeting
A. PeaceHealth Plan Amendments
Monday, December 6 -- Springfield City Council
Springfield City Hall, 225 Fifth St., Springfield
Contact: Amy Sowa, City Manager's Office, 726-3700
Regular Meeting
A. PeaceHealth Plan Amendments
PeaceHealth
PeaceHealth cleared to sell bonds to finance new hospital
| The Register-Guard | September 23, 2004 |
The Oregon Facilities Authority has approved PeaceHealth's request to raise $208.35 million by issuing tax-exempt bonds, which will provide a major source of financing for its plans to build a new $350 million hospital in Springfield.
Of that amount, $160 million will finance capital projects, mostly related to the planned new hospital at RiverBend, with the balance used for capital projects at PeaceHealth hospitals in Florence and Cottage Grove.
The balance, $48.35 million, will be used to refinance part of PeaceHealth's Western Lane 1994 Series bonds at a lower interest rate.
PeaceHealth plans to cover at least half of the expected $350 million construction cost of the new hospital from cash reserves. Private donations and tax-exempt bonds will cover the balance.
PeaceHealth's chief financial officer, Skip Kriz, said the new financing will lower the cost of hospital construction and thus the cost of health care for Lane County residents.
With tax-exempt bonds, the entities that lend PeaceHealth the money will receive interest payments from PeaceHealth that are exempt from taxation.
McKenzie-Willamette/Triad
Council Moves Forward on Triad's Requests
The Eugene City Council is moving forward on a plan to spend nearly $12 million dollars for a road extension to the EWEB property. McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center/Triad wants to build a hospital there, but one of its main concerns was access to the site.
Hospital officials originally told the Eugene City Council it would need at least three access points to the property. Now it appears the hospital will be satisfied with only two. In addition to the current 4th Street access, the hospital is asking the city to extend Patterson Street underneath the railroad tracks to the current EWEB property by 2007. This would alleviate the need to also extend Agate Street to the property, a move which didn't have full council support and would have cost an additional $10 million dollars.
City staff will come now back to the councilors with an agreement that will likely tie the road construction on Patterson Street to the construction of a hospital at the EWEB site.
Triad agrees to forgo Agate plan
By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard | September 23, 2004 |
Avoiding a $10 million expense and sidestepping a potential minefield of opposition, the Eugene City Council on Wednesday killed a proposal to extend Agate Street west along the Willamette River to provide additional access to a proposed riverfront hospital site.
Triad Hospitals Inc., based in Texas, is trying to buy a 23-acre parcel of the Eugene Water & Electric Board headquarters property to build a new McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center. Triad, majority owner of McKenzie-Willamette, wants to replace its aging Springfield facility with a five-story, $85 million medical center.
In order to use the riverside property for a hospital, however, Triad needs additional access to the site. The city has tentatively agreed to fund that road work with urban renewal district tax receipts. (more...)
State Makes Decision Regarding Certificate of Need
Late breaking news in the continuing story of whether McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center/Triad is going to make a move to Eugene. The hospital, as you probably know, has a couple of hurdles to pass before it can move. One is from the State Department of Human Services.
We just learned Friday afternoon the state has filed its decision regarding certificate of need. What does this mean? The certificate of need is essentially a definition that creates a service area for a hospital. In other words, most of McKenzie-Willamette's patients come from Springfield, so that is its service area.
In order to move to Eugene, McKenzie-Willamette wanted the state to change the way a service area is defined. In its report, the state did not do that. Instead, it's created a special process where a hospital can move under specific circumstances. The problem is that the language used in the state's filing is so complex, the hospital doesn't know whether it fits that profile.
Hospital officials will likely sit down with the state next week to determine exactly what this means, and whether the state's decision will interfere with a move to Eugene.
Health Care
Letter -- LIPA needs to fix its service
By Dan Arkin, Past President, Lane Independent Living Alliance, Eugene
The Register-Guard | September 21, 2004 |
The editorial "Advice for LIPA: 'Perception is reality' in customer service circles" (Register-Guard, Sept. 2) conveys an impression that maybe Lane Individual Practice Association's faults aren't so bad. While the editorial page editors are very supportive of people with disabilities and their intentions are good, the real situation is far more serious.
The editorial said "a huge component of the complaint [about LIPA] ... revolves around patients' perceptions that they are not being treated with respect." Oregon Health Plan clients' feelings, it said, were badly hurt by LIPA and they want an apology. LIPA is portrayed as commendably willing to address concerns and do a better job, and its staff are -- "no reason to doubt" -- professional, genuinely compassionate caregivers. From a year and a half listening to many complainants about LIPA, I know these portrayals are flawed.
Dignity and apologies are certainly needed, but the 28,000 on LIPA's OHP coverage first want the treatments, medications, equipment and supplies they are entitled to without unwarranted hassles or delays. LIPA must fulfill promises to expedite approvals to avoid dangerous or agonizing periods when medications have run out. Doctors want consistent LIPA authorization procedures that don't challenge their professional judgment or countermand their orders.
State and federal investigators have found such problems but have merely scratched the surface. The Register-Guard should reserve its praise until the full story is revealed.
Anatomy of a Hospital Bill
Uninsured patients Often Face Big Markups on Small Items; 'Rules Are Completely Crazy'
By Lucette Lagnado
The Wall Street Journal | September 21, 2004; Page B1 |
How much does an overnight stay at a Virginia hospital cost? If Medicaid is paying, the answer is $6,000. If Paul Shipman is paying, it's $29,500.
A year ago, Mr. Shipman, a 43-year-old former furniture salesman from Herndon, Va., experienced severe chest pains during the night. An ambulance took him first to a community hospital emergency room, and then to Inova Fairfax Hospital, Fairfax, Va. Suspecting a heart attach, doctors first performed a cardiac catherization to examine and unblock the coronary arteries. Then, they inserted a stent, a small metal device that props open a blocked artery so the blood flows better to the heart.
Lacking health insurance, Mr. Shipman says he was worried about the cost. The next morning, too anxious about his bill to stay, Mr. Shipman checked himself out of the hospital against medical advice.
Since then, Mr. Shipman and his wife, Alina, have received hospital bills totaling $29,500 for what they say was a 21-hour hospital stay. In addition, there were other bills: some $1,000 for an ambulance trip, $7,000 for the cardiologist who performed the stent procedure, and several thousand dollars for the local emergency-room visit. IN all, the two-day health crisis left the Shipmans saddled with medical bills totaling nearly $40,000.
Once solidly middle class, the couple says the debt triggered a gradual unraveling of their lives. "middle class or not, when you have a bill of $37,000 hanging over your head, that's all you think about," says Ms. Shipman, 36 years old and until recently a secretary at George Washington University. "You eat, sleep and breathe that bill."
Like many of the 45 million Americans who don't have health insurance, the Shipmans gambled -- unwisely, as it turns out -- that they could make do without it. Among the many factors they didn't take into account was the high markup hospitals tag onto care for uninsured patients, charging them far more than what they charge patients covered by big private or government plans for the same care.
Robert Samuelson -- Prognosis: Stalemate
By Robert J. Samuelson
The Washington Post | September 22, 2004, Page A31
|
Our health care system is a frustrating mix of routine miracles and scandalous failures. The miracles abound; Bill Clinton's recent open-heart surgery was cutting-edge a few decades ago. Failures also abound. In 2003, 45 million Americans lacked health insurance, and medical spending spiraled furiously upward. Since 2000 private insurance premiums have increased 59 percent, reports the Kaiser Family Foundation. Both George Bush and John Kerry say they'll "fix" the health care system, but their campaign proposals suggest that neither is serious.
To be serious would require admitting that the basic problem does not lie with insurance companies, trial lawyers, hospitals or any of the usual suspects. It lies with public opinion. We Americans want the impossible. We want our health care system to provide everyone with good care covered by comprehensive insurance, prevent insurance companies or government bureaucrats from dictating our choice of doctors, hospitals or treatments, and hold down costs. Well, we can have any two of these goals -- but not all three. If everyone has coverage and choice, costs will skyrocket. No one is empowered to control them. But controlling costs involves limits on insurance or choice. (more...)
Dear Abby -- Path to Good Health Starts with Small Steps Every Day
| By Abigail Van Buren | September 2, 2004 |
Dear Abby: I know you care passionately about individuals taking steps each day to improve the quality of their lives. Please help me spread the word about improving the health of millions of Americans.
Nearly two out of three Americans are overweight/obese and at risk for diabetes, heart disease and other illnesses associated with obesity. Recent studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that overweight and obesity may soon surpass tobacco as the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. People need to know that conquering weight gain is more about taking a daily walk around the neighborhood than running a marathon.
Please encourage your readers to see for themselves how small steps can lead to big health benefits. Taking the stairs instead of the escalator, substituting fruit for sweets, and eating only half portions of dessert can add up to giant steps on the path to a healthier life.
Earlier this year, we introduced a program and Web site called Healthy Lifestyles to help individuals and families make healthy choices about their diets and physical activity. The site, www.smallstep.gov, provides hundreds of simple suggested steps to get people started.
-- Tommy G. Thompson, Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Dear Secretary Thompson: You're right, mail on the subject of obesity does cross my desk. I'm pleased to promote your campaign because I want to do my part in helping my readers help themselves to longer, healthier lives.
It's interesting that you mentioned "steps" to better health, because coincidentally, I received the following a few days before your letter came:
Dear Abby: When I hit the scale at 250-plus, my blood sugar shot up and I knew it was finally time to take action. I had read an article about walking 10,000 steps a day and decided to try it. It changed my life.
At first I couldn't walk more than 6,000 steps without hurting all over. It was discouraging, but it was my last hope, so I cut back to a more manageable number of steps and increased gradually -- by about 500 steps a week. After three months, I was finally up to 10,000 steps a day.
I lost a pant size in three months, but there were more benefits: My appetite changed. I enjoy salads, vegetables, fresh fruit, lean meat. I began to discern the difference between being full and being satisfied. I stopped craving food between meals.
It has now been a year, and I have lost more than 40 pounds and increased to 11,000 steps a day. My blood sugar and blood pressure have normalized.
Please, Abby, encourage your readers to check out a 10,000-step program. Information is readily available on the Internet -- just type "10,000 steps" into your browser. The only cost is a good pair of walking shoes and a pedometer.
-- Leaner And Healthier in New York
Dear L And H: Congratulations for your progress and thanks for sharing your secret. When it comes to exercise, sometimes the hardest step to take is that first one.
Now, I have a favor to ask of Secretary Thompson. Please do Americans a favor and issue government guidelines about what "low carb" means. Too many people are bingeing on "low-carb" products in the belief they can eat unlimited amounts and still lose weight. Some of those products contain more carbs in one serving than a dieter should consume in an entire day, and too much fat as well.
Editorial -- Muddling the message: Federal nutrition data is being widely ignored
| The Register-Guard | September 23, 2004 |
A Register-Guard
Raise your hand if you ever consulted the federal government's "food pyramid" for guidance about nutrition.
Thought so. Most citizens of Fast Food Nation would have better luck reeling off the ingredients of a Big Mac (two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun) than naming a single item listed on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's hoary nutrition chart (oatmeal? liverwurst?).
The nation's dietary dilemma is as obvious as the supersized passengers struggling to pry themselves out of airplane seats apparently designed in the days when adult men looked more like a young Ozzie Nelson than an old Orson Welles.
Even if few people pay direct attention to the chart itself, the periodic updates to the food pyramid could be an effective weapon in the waistline war, if the government did a better job of getting the word out. But the Agriculture Department's media budget apparently won't cover hiring the wizards who whip up those slick presidential campaign ads. (more...)
Nearby Developments
Bakery might become site for new UO arena
Plans for a new basketball stadium move forward again after cost overruns last year stalled them
By Ben Brown, News Reporter
Oregon Daily Emerald | September 20, 2004 |
Plans for a rebuilt and modernized McArthur Court are moving forward at the Williams Bakery site, though not as quickly as originally planned.
University Vice President for Administration Dan Williams -- who is not affiliated with the bakery -- said work has been going on behind the scenes since University President Dave Frohnmayer stalled the project indefinitely in February 2004 because of its $180 million pricetag.
At that time, the University was planning to build on its secondary site at Howe Field, at the corner of University Street and East 18th Avenue. (more...)
Developer defends gas plant in Coburg
By Joe Harwood
The Register-Guard | September 22, 2004 |
COBURG -- City councilors in this bucolic town of 980 souls pelted energy developer Gary Marcus with questions Tuesday night in their first public opportunity to address his proposed 900-megawatt power plant.
Marcus wants to build the natural gas-fired generating facility two miles north of town on about 100 acres of farmland. The proposal has sparked heavy opposition in Coburg and in the Eugene-Springfield area since Marcus submitted an application last December.
Most of those opposed point to the estimated 1,150 tons of air pollution the plant would emit each year.
Marcus told the Coburg City Council and about 40 people attending the meeting that opponents have used data out of context and scare tactics to unfairly demonize the $485 million project. (more...)
Power Plant Delayed
Proposed Coburg gas-fired generator hits resistance.
By Kera Abraham
Eugene Weekly | September 23, 2004 |
The West Cascade Energy Facility, a proposed 900-megawatt, natural- gas-fired power plant to be sited in Coburg, is facing new hurdles from local government. Several recent developments will delay permitting for the plant for at least 18 months.
Lane Regional Air Pollution Authority (LRAPA) has put a one-year hold on developer Gary Marcus' application for a permit to release emissions from the plant. To better assess the potential impacts that emissions could have on the airshed, LRAPA will do on-site ambient monitoring and collect wind data for one year.
Such monitoring is required under the federal Clean Air Act. But according to LRAPA, additional monitoring was not required. "Marcus could have insisted that we process his query immediately," says LRAPA Permit Section Manager Robert Koster, "but we applied what pressure we had, and he agreed to that [permit hold]." (more...)
Country Coach plans to buy farmland for expansion
| The Register-Guard | September 21, 2004 |
JUNCTION CITY -- RV maker Country Coach Inc. confirmed Monday that it aims to buy 73.5 acres of farmland east of its factory complex for future expansion.
The land, owned by Junction City resident Elna Reerslev, is next to 22 acres already owned by Country Coach's parent company, National RV Holdings Inc., of Perris, Calif.
National RV has an agreement to buy the 73.5 acres for $3 million, the company said Monday.
The purchase and expansion hinge on the land being brought into Junction City's urban growth boundary and rezoned to light industrial use from agricultural use, the company said. (more...)
The Judge & the Architect
Hogan and Mayne go head-to-head on the design for the new federal building.
By Sylvie Pederson
Eugene Weekly | September 23, 2004 |
For U.S. District Judge Michael Hogan, who studied law in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Supreme Court building long represented the archetype of a courthouse. Yet the new federal courthouse under construction at 8th and Mill in Eugene, a project in which the judge has been passionately involved, is thoroughly contemporary in design. In the words of The New York Times architectural critic Nicolai Ouroussoff, the Wayne Lyman Morse U.S. Courthouse ranks "among the great examples of American civic architecture -- as important, in our day, as the neo-Classical monuments of a century ago." (more...)
Jerry Diethelm -- Millrace Anyone?
Riverfront plans conflict with urban waterway vision.
By Jerry Diethelm
Eugene Weekly | September 23, 2004 |
"The mills of justice grind slowly," they say, "but exceedingly fine." Wouldn't it be grand if those judicious millers in their new signature courthouse had a real water source again to turn those metaphoric wheels?
And wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to follow a resurfaced Millrace once again through the federal courthouse neighborhood and down and through a splendid new gateway underpass to the Willamette riverfront -- our public downtown riverfront? I'm talking about the area between the EWEB headquarters building and the old Art Deco steam being brought to urban life by a substantial public passage and a Millrace running through it to the river. (more...)
Transportation
Bus Rapid Transit expected to launch in 2006
Construction of Eugene's first hybrid-electric bus route is underway
By Jesse Dugan, Freelance Reporter
Oregon Daily Emerald | September 20, 2004 |
Bus Rapid Transit, Eugene's latest transportation project that involves hybrid-electric buses, new bus stations and revamped city streets, is in its beginning stages of construction.
Phase one of the BRT project involves construction on both Franklin Boulevard in Eugene and Pioneer Parkway Boulevard in Springfield. When completed, BRT will provide buses with their own lane, signal priority, exclusive right of way and fewer stops. It will use a prepay system to keep the boarding process quick.
Admission will be free for University students.
BRT blossomed out of a need to create a faster and more efficient bus system, said Mark Pangborn, assistant general manager for the Lane Transit District. (more...)
Council returns to rocky subject of road funding
By Edward Russo
The Register-Guard | September 26, 2004 |
The politically tricky topic of paying for street repairs and maintenance is back on the agenda of the Eugene City Council.
During a Monday work session, councilors will hear from City Manager Dennis Taylor, who is recommending that the city increase its local gas tax by 2 cents a gallon and impose a special assessment for street repairs against home and business owners. Taylor's plan would raise $4.5 million to help deal with a growing backlog of street repair work, according to a staff report to councilors.
Given their history, the proposals are sure to ignite debate. (more...)
Elections
Measure tackles property compensation
By Charles Beggs
The Associated Press | September 26, 2004 |
SALEM -- Oregon voters will get a chance in the Nov. 2 election to decide a property compensation issue -- again.
Measure 37 is an initiative to require government either to pay landowners when regulations reduce property values or waive the rules that force those values down.
It's much like a measure passed in 2000 but overturned in court on technical grounds.
A big difference this time is that the new measure would require government to quit enforcing rules if it didn't pay.
Backers say the measure would stop government from taking people's property rights without paying.
Foes say the proposal could dismantle Oregon's often-vaunted statewide land use planning law, the first of its kind in the nation when passed by the 1973 Legislature. (more...)
Governor opposes all 6 measures
By Brad Cain
The Associated Press | September 26, 2004 |
SALEM -- When it comes to the six initiative measures on Oregon's Nov. 2 ballot, Gov. Ted Kulongoski has some simple advice for voters: Just say no.
The measures, which range from a ban on gay marriage to an expansion of Oregon's medical marijuana law, would represent a "major step backward" for the state, Kulongoski said. (more...)
Group asks Torrey to mull campaign
A group wants the mayor to run for re-election as a write-in candidate
By Omie Drawhorn, News Reporter
Oregon Daily Emerald | August 17, 2004 |
A group of Eugene citizens has banded together to persuade Mayor Jim Torrey to run for a third term as a write-in candidate in this fall's general election.
The group has set up a Web site and has run a full-page ad in The Register-Guard with the words "Run Jim Run" in large letters across the top to show its support of the city's current mayor. The ad also included a letter to the citizens of Eugene from former Eugene mayor Jeff Miller encouraging people to fill out reply cards or to go to the group's Web site to show support for Torrey.
Kitty Piercy won the primary mayoral election in May with more than 50 percent of the vote, so only her name will appear on the ballot in November's general election.
Torrey said he appreciates the support. (more...)
New city councilors avoid labels
Recently elected council members and mayoral primary winner have plans for Eugene
By Omie Drawhorn, News Reporter
Oregon Daily Emerald | September 20, 2004 |
With the addition of incoming city councilors Andrea Ortiz and Chris Pryor, and the likely installation of Kitty Piercy as Eugene's new mayor, some people are already labeling next year's city council "liberal."
The political change-up has even prompted a group of Eugene citizens -- led by former mayor Jeff Miller -- to launch "Run Jim Run," a campaign aimed at re-electing Mayor Jim Torrey.
In the May primaries, Piercy defeated Ward 8 City Councilor Nancy Nathanson in the mayoral race and garnered more than 50 percent of the votes, so her name will be the only one to appear on the November ballot. Ortiz and Pryor were elected in the same primary.
Torrey identified more with the business community, Ortiz said.
Ward 2 City Councilor Betty Taylor said she hopes and expects that Piercy and the incoming council will be more receptive to environmental concerns.
Piercy said she doesn't want herself or the city councilors to be "pigeonholed as liberals." (more...)
Sadler's Sense: Credibility or State of Our State
Our increasing precarious exercise in self-government
| By Russell Sadler | September 10, 2004 |
Editor's Note: Mr. Sadler gave the following talk to the City Club of Eugene.
Some people aren't willing to accept the results of elections like they used to. What's happening? Why don't elections settle controversies anymore?
I think there are three reasons. One, so few people vote anymore that some people are no longer willing to accept the results of elections as an authentic "voice of the people."
Two, there is a widespread feeling the initiative and referendum are being abused by well-heeled interests who buy their way onto the ballot to skirt the constitutional checks and balances built into the legislative process.
Three, certain factions in our political system have become so polarized they are unwilling to accept a victory by the other side and are pushing the envelope of acceptable use of the political system. (more...)
Other
Coburg councilors order extensive audit of city's books
| The Register-Guard | September 25, 2004 |
COBURG -- Citing possible accounting irregularities, the City Council has ordered a performance audit of the city's 2003-04 books, accounts and finances.
The council voted to seek the independent audit, more extensive than an annual, state-required audit, during its regular session Tuesday. At a special meeting Thursday night, councilors learned that the audit probably will cost $10,000 to $15,000. City Administrator Mike Hudson estimated that it would take six to eight weeks.
City Recorder Peggy deMontmorency, who was also the city's finance officer, was placed on paid administrative leave July 20. Hudson has declined to discuss the reason for that action, citing privacy laws regarding personnel matters. He said Friday that "some accounting irregularities were noted" at the time she was suspended from duty. (more...)