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It’s beginning to look a lot like… election season!
Last week the deadline passed for candidates to declare for local office in the May 19 primary. And apparently I was on election Santa’s nice list, because I got what I wanted most this year: contested races!
The four Eugene City Council and three Lane County Commissioner races on this year’s ballot all feature multiple candidates for the first time since 2020 (none of the three Springfield City Council races are contested, but we’re focusing on the good here). I was worried back in the fall when filing season got off to a slow start. But turns out people were just procrastinating, so I’m glad to be wrong.
For a full list of candidates and measures in the primary, click here.
County races in the spotlight
Just as election season starts to heat up, so to do the opinions – including from yours truly. This week, I conducted a thought experiment: I injected truth serum into challengers for the two most competitive seats on the Board of Lane County Commissioners – the East Lane and Springfield seats – to get at their motivation for challenging incumbents. Or at least, I pretended to. Take a look at what they had to say.
Speaking of county commissioners, Lookout columnist Joshua Purvis took a deeper look at the recent censure of Springfield commissioner David Loveall to ask an important question: Should voters separate his personal behavior from his voting record?
In the East Lane commissioner race, Eugene letter writer Bill Taliaferro weighed in with an endorsement of incumbent Heather Buch over challenger Jake Pelroy, arguing Pelroy will bring Lane County “more partisan culture wars” while Buch will quietly work to secure wins for her constituents.
By the way, I’m keeping a Lookout op-ed election endorsement tally between now and the primary. Here’s where things currently stand:
Heather Buch, East Lane County Commissioner: 3
Jake Pelroy, East Lane County Commissioner: 2
Everyone else: 0
Want to do something about that? If a candidate for local office has your support (or opposition!), let the community know by writing a letter to the editor at lte@lookoutlocal.com, or just reply to this email. Read our guidelines for writing a letter here.
A fight over watersheds
Voters won’t just be choosing candidates for office in May. They’ll also be voting on a variety of local ballot measures.
One of them, Lane County Measure 20-373 (also known as the Watersheds Bill of Rights), would give county residents more leeway to sue businesses or government agencies for polluting local watersheds through activities like aerial herbicide spraying, and require the county to establish a framework for assessing fines against polluters.
For Eugene letter writer Lily Johnson, protecting rivers and streams is a no-brainer in the midst of a global water crisis.
But the measure is proving to be controversial. Earlier this month, Eugene Water & Electric Board commissioners voted unanimously to oppose it, citing legal concerns. To Eugene letter writer Alan Cohen, EWEB Commissioner John Barofsky’s decision to introduce the resolution opposing it left a bad taste, considering the campaign donations local timber companies have given him.
But fellow Eugene letter writer John Roberts wasn’t having it. He responded to Cohen’s letter, calling his arguments “an unfounded character assassination thinly veiled as a critique of campaign finance.”
Speaking of aerial spraying, this week we started a partnership with longtime Eugene illustrator Jesse Springer, who spent decades creating art and images depicting the political, social and cultural life of Oregon residents. Check out this illustration from 2015 about big timber’s sway over the Oregon legislature.
The politics of pain at the pump
Speaking of elections and politics, have you heard the phrase TACO? Last year it became shorthand for “Trump Always Chickens Out.” Wall Street traders coined it when Trump pulled back from his steepest tariff threats after they spooked investors and pretty much everyone else.
With the Iran war causing a spike in gas prices – they’re up nearly 20% in Oregon over the past month, according to AAA – political analysts are wondering if we’re in for another TACO moment. Trump recently called rising gas prices “a little glitch.” But as CNN political analyst David Goldman’s conversations with a variety of oil analysts explain, chickening out this time may not be as easy as it was with tariffs.
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OTHER Letters TO THE EDITOR
Shining a light on mental health care for homeless youth is appreciated | Letter to the editor
Did LTD pull a fast one on the biggest county in the U.S.? | Letter to the editor
Lane County needs working commissioners, not performance artists | Letter to the editor
Criticism of EWEB commissioner follows a tired, old political playbook | Letter to the editor
Student athletes’ wellbeing takes a back seat when there’s money to be made | Letter to the editor
The clock is ticking to protect Lane County watersheds | Letter to the editor
Here’s why Eugene is the Paris of the Pacific Northwest | Letter to the editor
When did we start seeing our neighbors as threats? | Letter to the editor
With so many religions, elected officials shouldn’t mention any in public meetings | Letter to the editor
John Barofsky’s timber contributions reveal a flaw in our democracy | Letter to the editor
Religious discrimination? What about forcing an atheist to hear prayers? | Letter to the editor
Stop with the sales tax talk, Oregon’s over-taxed as it is | Letter to the editor
No one is untouched when a child is shot | Letter to the editor
PeaceHealth’s emergency department switch betrays its mission | Letter to the editor
A sales tax in Oregon? How about new politicians instead? | Letter to the editor
This week’s guest opinions
Yes, David Loveall was censured. But what should that mean to Lane County voters?
Eugene, Coburg stand with coastal residents fighting any ICE detention camp in Oregon
PeaceHealth, get back to the negotiating table with Eugene Emergency Physicians
Cracks in our emergency care system are glaring. One solution? An engaged public.
Children’s unique ways of reasoning offer lessons for learners of all ages
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