At Lookout election forum, Eugene City Council hopefuls discuss housing, public safety

Candidates for the Eugene City Council laid out different approaches to issues like housing and economic development during a Wednesday, April 15 public forum ahead of the May 19 primary election. 

The event, hosted by Lookout Eugene-Springfield at WOW Hall in Eugene, was moderated by Lookout Opinion Editor Elon Glucklich and Grace Chinowsky, Lookout’s Eugene city government correspondent. 

The forum was divided into two hour-long sessions, with candidates from Ward 4 and Ward 6 going first and candidates from Ward 3 and Ward 5 featured in the second hour. Candidates answered the same set of questions in each session.

Wards 4 and 6: Housing and license plate readers 

In the races for Ward 4 and Ward 6, housing and debates over whether Eugene should bring automatic license plate readers back took center stage. 

Ward 4 covers much of northeast Eugene, including the Harlow neighborhood and parts of the Cal Young neighborhood. Ward 6 in northwest Eugene includes most of the Bethel neighborhood. 

Candidates generally agreed that Eugene’s housing shortage is a significant challenge. 

Incumbent Ward 6 Councilor Greg Evans said there are very few new places to build new housing in Eugene. He pointed to places like Bethel and the Lane Community College basin as some of the remaining options, but noted that the LCC basin lacks basic infrastructure — like sewage and electricity.

Evans said getting families with children to stay in Eugene will be a challenge in the future, noting that housing costs are high and many families are struggling to make ends meet.

“We are looking more at multicommunity development, which we’re seeing happen in the downtown area and other areas of town. But there’s also a significant demand for single-family housing,” he said. 

Evans also noted that his son and his partner, who both work for the government, recently bought a $415,000 house in north Eugene and are struggling to make ends meet. He said both now work second jobs in addition to their full-time roles.

Tai Pruce-Zimmerman, who is challenging Evans in the Ward 6 race, echoed a similar sentiment. He said he and his wife wouldn’t be able to afford the house they bought nearly a decade ago today, which has doubled in value. 

“The housing market in Eugene has been pricing people out aggressively for at least that decade since we’ve been here. We absolutely need a dramatic increase in our housing stock,” he said, adding that the housing shortage and the lack of affordable housing has led to the number of individuals experiencing homelessness to increase significantly.

Incumbent Ward 4 Councilor Jennifer Yeh emphasized that Ward 4 doesn’t have a lot of empty lots but said there’s still some room for more high-density housing. 

Ward 4 candidate Tom Stedman said the area needs to increase its public transportation options and add more bike-friendly trails in order to serve more high-density housing. He said he has seen more college students move to the area in recent years due to a lack of housing near the University of Oregon.  

The candidates were asked whether they would support the city of Eugene bringing automatic license plate readers back. The city terminated its contract with camera vendor Flock Safety last year, citing concerns that the data could be accessed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Stedman said he would only support placing readers on police patrol cars. The other candidates didn’t rule out supporting a different camera system in the future, stressing that they would support it only with strong community backing and clear data privacy protections.

Wards 3 and 5: Budget worries, economic growth and housing needs

In the races for Wards 3 and 5, candidates discussed the city of Eugene’s long-term financial stability, economic development and how to expand housing supply while keeping the city affordable.

Ward 3 covers parts of south Eugene, including the South University, Fairmount, and Laurel Hill neighborhoods, as well as parts of the West University neighborhood and most of the University of Oregon campus. Ward 5 in north Eugene includes much of the Cal Young neighborhood and parts of the Santa Clara neighborhood.

Candidates generally agreed that Eugene’s budget deficit will require both spending discipline and new revenue streams. 

Ward 5 candidate Jasmine Hatmaker said the city should take a closer look at how funds are currently allocated before making cuts, while also exploring ways to generate new revenue streams.

“I would like to see a more detailed review of the budget and where all of these funds go,” Hatmaker said.

Ward 3 candidate Jennifer Smith emphasized the importance of community input in shaping budget priorities, arguing that maintaining critical quality-of-life services should remain central to any financial decisions.

“Our quality of life is what makes people move here and what makes people want to stay here, so to erode any of that would be detrimental” to Eugene, Smith said.

Incumbent Ward 5 councilor Mike Clark pointed to broader structural challenges, noting that city costs are rising faster than revenues due to state laws that limit how much property taxes can increase every year. He and other candidates — including Ward 3 candidate John Barofsky — stressed that economic development will be key to improving the city’s financial outlook.

“The only real long-term solution is for us to do economic development well,” Clark said. 

Candidates also discussed why Eugene has lagged behind comparable cities in job growth. Some pointed to missed opportunities and policy decisions, while others emphasized the need for stronger partnerships with local institutions like the University of Oregon and regional economic groups.

Barofsky, the Eugene Water & Electric Board commissioner for Wards 2 and 3, said collaboration between public and private sectors is already improving and could help keep skilled workers in the area. Meanwhile, Ward 5 candidate Athena Aguiar argued that housing affordability is directly tied to economic development, noting that workers can’t stay in Eugene if they cannot afford to live in the city.

“A lot of the University of Oregon students end up having to move to Portland or to another city in the United States” after they graduate, Aguiar said. 

Clark said the city is not building nearly enough housing units to meet demand, citing state estimates that Eugene needs roughly 1,600 new units per year over the next two decades.

Other candidates highlighted tools like tenant protections, tax incentives for development and expanding housing along transit corridors. Hatmaker pointed to policies that could help renters stay in their homes — such as the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act. She also said there needs to be more new affordable housing construction outside of downtown Eugene.

Multiple candidates also connected the housing shortage to homelessness and public safety concerns. Several noted that increasing housing supply could help address both issues, while others emphasized the need for more coordinated services, including mental health care and crisis-response programs.