Community Voices Weekly: Feelin’ federal

Happy Sunday, Lookout Eugene-Springfield,

There’s a saying that all politics is local. I’m not sure if the past week’s batch of guest columns and letters to the editor proves or disproves that. But from immigration to the environment, decisions coming out of Washington, D.C., were on Lane County writers’ minds.

There was Eugene resident Tricia Hedin’s letter about the $50,000 the city is paying to install a new sidewalk alongside the Eugene Federal Building, following a federal project to install temporary fencing around the building in the aftermath of protests against Trump administration immigration policies earlier this year. “I certainly hope the bill is being forwarded to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security,” Hedin wrote.

On the topic of immigration enforcement and ICE, Eugene guest columnist James K. Newton wrote that federal agents wearing masks erode public trust in law enforcement. “If they are really protecting us from ‘bad hombres,’ why do they need to hide their own identities?”

Eugene letter-writer Tom Derungs focused on federal environmental policy — namely, the push to open up backcountry wilderness areas to logging through a repeal of the so-called “roadless rule.” Making good on that push “threatens nearly 2 million acres of pristine and peaceful public forests in Oregon. It puts the safety of our already overwhelmed firefighters at risk,” Derungs wrote.

America at 250

It’s nearly America’s big day. On Saturday, the nation blows out 250 candles for its semiquincentennial celebration.

How do Americans feel about it? The answer seems to be: conflicted.

National pride appears to be at an all-time low, according to a recent NBC News poll. Why so low? Perhaps because nearly 80% of respondents said the “American dream” is harder to attain today than in the past — 9 percentage points higher than a decade ago, and much higher than the 45% who said so in 1986.

I’d love to hear why you are proud — or aren’t — to be an American as the country turns 250. Send me a letter, and I’ll publish your thoughts this week: lte@lookoutlocal.com

Big bucks for downtown housing

Last week, the Eugene City Council parted ways with $8.6 million in public funds to get the long-stalled downtown apartment project at 1059 Willamette off the ground.

The Lookout Eugene-Springfield Editorial Board had thoughts. While celebrating the potential for much-needed housing in the city core, our editorial gave City Council some words of caution: If it took nearly $9 million more in public incentives to get the project moving than the city first thought, how much more might the city need to chip in to get six other planned downtown housing projects built?

Reflecting on Springfield library cuts

Since starting at Lookout last September, I’ve heard a few times from Springfield resident James Lauinger. He is a former mayor of Kirkland, Washington, who moved to the area and who volunteers his time at the Springfield Public Library.

He’s written about the importance of a vibrant main street to a town’s identity. Central to Springfield’s downtown identity, he says, is a strong library that draws children and families to the city core.

That might get a bit harder starting in July, when the library reduces staff and closes on Mondays in the wake of city budget cuts.

“But the decision has been made, and we must move on and be positive that we, with the help of the community, can use our demonstrated strengths to look into the future and plan for a continued successful library that this community loves,” Lauinger wrote.

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Eugene is paying for a sidewalk around the federal building. Why don’t we invoice the feds instead? | Letter to the editor

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