Lookout Eugene-Springfield’s article previewing the Eugene City Council Ward 3 race quoted candidate John Barofsky as saying he wants to represent people who have “written a paycheck, as opposed to signing the back of a paycheck,” noting that business owners, not their workers, are his main focus. At least he’s honest about it.

Barofsky has his priorities backwards. I’m deeply involved in my union at the Oregon State Capitol and I keep close tabs on our local government. I’ve seen firsthand that organized labor faces real headwinds, not tailwinds, whenever we go to policymakers with our issues. Instead of a healthy, housed and educated workforce being treated as the key ingredient for economic development, people like Barofsky think the best way to create jobs is to deregulate businesses and privatize services.

The cost of living in today’s society continues to skyrocket. It’s important that our government representatives be people who “sign the backs of paychecks” and are members of the working class. That’s why Lane County’s Central Labor Chapter and local unions have endorsed Jennifer Smith in the Ward 3 race.

She understands what it’s like to live paycheck to paycheck and the visceral stress of knowing one emergency can ruin your whole livelihood. As Eugene navigates its budget crisis and considers which services we can afford to continue providing, it is Smith’s perspective — not Barofsky’s — that will represent our interests.

Ryan Moore
Eugene