The Friday, Sept. 18, meeting of the City Club of Eugene will feature the two contenders in the Nov. 3 election for the Ward 5 seat on the Eugene City Council: Athena Aguiar and Mike Clark.

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

The meeting will allow voters to hear directly from the candidates about their priorities, values and governing approaches. The discussion will focus on issues such as housing affordability and supply; homelessness and public safety; economic development; downtown revitalization; climate policy; and infrastructure.

The candidates will respond to moderated questions posed by KLCC reporter Zac Ziegler, and submitted by the audience. 

Clark is the incumbent councilor for Ward 5, first elected in 2006. He has served on a number of city committees, including human rights, budget and capital improvement. He also worked with Kids First and the Pearl Buck Center. His professional background is in mortgages and marketing.

Aguiar is an environmental restoration technician, environmental activist and fundraiser. After working briefly as a timber cruiser, she joined the Fund for the Public Interest to help bolster ecological progress and conservation efforts. She is active in community groups, including the Toxics Board, the Police Commission and the Library Advisory Board.

Ward 5 includes areas north and east of the Willamette River and portions of Santa Clara.

The program will be livestreamed and will be available on the City Club of Eugene’s YouTube channel. Meetings are rebroadcast the following Monday at 7 p.m. on KLCC 89.7 FM and as an episode on the club’s podcast.

The City Club of Eugene explores significant local, state and national issues and helps shape new approaches and solutions to problems.