QuickTake:

Eugene City Council candidates for Ward 5 and Ward 6 will be featured at the club's Friday session.

Candidates for two positions on the Eugene City Council will outline their priorities, values and governing approaches during the Friday, April 3, meeting of the City Club of Eugene.

The meeting begins at noon at WOW Hall, 291 W. Eighth Ave. Club meetings are free to attend and open to the public. 

Friday’s meeting features candidates in the May 19 election for the Ward 5 and Ward 6 council seats. They’ll offer brief comments about why they’re running and answer questions from the audience and the session’s moderator, Zac Ziegler of KLCC.

The program will highlight both shared priorities and key differences in how candidates propose to address Eugene’s most pressing challenges.

Three candidates are running for the council seat representing Ward 5, which includes areas north and east of the Willamette River and roughly west of Coburg Road:

  • Athena Aguiar is an environmental restoration technician, environmental activist and fundraiser. She is active in several community groups, including the Toxics Board, the Police Commission and the Library Advisory Board.
  • Mike Clark is the incumbent Ward 5 councilor and was first elected in 2006. He has served on a number of city committees, including budget, human rights and capital improvement. His professional background is in mortgages and marketing.
  • Jasmine Hatmaker is a mortgage specialist with a background in real estate sales. She serves as a board member for SquareOne Villages and Lexy’s Playground and has volunteered for organizations such as Food for Lane County, Burrito Brigade, Community Supported Shelters, the NAACP and Greenhill Humane Society.

Two candidates are running for the seat representing Ward 6, in the northwest corner of Eugene:

  • Greg Evans is the incumbent Ward 6 councilor, first elected in 2013. He retired from the position of chief diversity officer at Lane Community College. For the city, he serves on budget and intergovernmental relations committees, as well as on the boards of Lane Transit District, the Lane County Fair, the National League of Cities, and the League of Oregon Cities. 
  • Tai Pruce-Zimmerman is a stay-at-home father who has previously worked as an accountant. He serves as the chair of the Eugene Budget Committee and the co-chair of Active Bethel Citizens  neighborhood association and previously served on the Bethel School District Budget Committee and the Housing Tools and Strategies Working Group for the city of Eugene. 

Friday’s program will be livestreamed on the City Club of Eugene’s YouTube channel. Club meetings are rebroadcast Mondays at 7 p.m. on KLCC, 89.7 FM, and are available later as episodes on the club’s podcast.

The club has other election forums scheduled:

  • April 10, some of the candidates for Eugene-area seats on the Lane County Board of Commissioners will be featured.
  • April 17, Democratic Party candidates for the 4th Congressional District position will speak.

Lookout Eugene-Springfield candidate forums 

Separate from the City Club of Eugene events, Lookout Eugene-Springfield is planning two candidate forums in April: Here are the details:

  • Lane County Board of Commissioners forum: 2 p.m. Monday, April 13, at the Wildish Community Theater, 630 Main St., Springfield.
  • Eugene City Council forum: 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 15, at WOW Hall. 

Admission to both Lookout forums is free, but registration is encouraged. 

Mike McInally is a Pacific Northwest journalist with four decades of experience in Oregon and Montana, including stints as editor of the Corvallis Gazette-Times and the Albany Democrat-Herald.