Lane County candidates are getting out and about more to visit with residents and discuss the issues ahead of the May 19 election. 

We were pleased to play a small but vital role in that work. Lookout Eugene-Springfield organized and hosted two forums last week — one for county commissioner candidates and another one for Eugene City Council candidates. 

These marked the first times Lookout Eugene-Springfield organized candidate forums, so we learned a lot — but we know we can always do better. Drop us a line to let us know how we did.

If you missed the forums, we also have YouTube links of the event. The forum for county commissioner candidates had three sessions, one for each race.

Here are the county commissioner race videos:

The session for Lane County commissioner candidates representing the Springfield district: incumbent Commissioner David Loveall, Springfield Mayor Sean VanGordon and William Monsoor. 

The session for candidates representing West Lane District 1: Incumbent Commissioner Ryan Ceniga and Thomas Hiura.

The session for candidates representing East Lane District 5: incumbent Commissioner Heather Buch, Jake Pelroy and Bob Zybach. 

Here are the videos of Eugene City Council candidates:

The Ward 3 race between John Barofsky and Jennifer Smith, and the Ward 5 race between Mike Clark, Athena Aguiar and Jasmine Hatmaker. (Both wards are in the same video.)

Eugene’s Ward 4 race between Jennifer Yeh and Tom Stedman and the Ward 6 race featuring Greg Evans and Tai Pruce-Zimmerman.

And we’re just getting started: In the days and weeks ahead, we’ll have more information about all the candidates in our coverage.

Warnings of Armageddon proclaimed at City Club forum

The Eugene City Club’s forum for Democratic candidates running for the Fourth Congressional District seat had a scheduling problem: U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle, the Democratic incumbent, couldn’t attend because Congress was in session and there were important votes. (Lane County Commissioner Laurie Trieger read a statement in Hoyle’s stead.)

From there, the audience heard well-spoken Melissa Bird of Corvallis and Daniel Bahlen, who told the group he is homeless and running without any money. 

At the City Club, the microphone is free.

Bahlen made the most of the opportunity. At times, he stood up, loudly declaring stern warnings and grandiose plans to dominate global politics. 

“You won’t succeed at all,” said Bahlen, who ran for the seat in 2024 as a Libertarian. “I will succeed, and I’ll do it myself. I’ll be made speaker of the House. I’ll remove (President) Trump, and I’ll become your next president.”

At another point, he even warned the group of the need to prepare for Armageddon, the name of an apocalyptic battle with religious overtones.

Polite, scattered applause after each Bahlen pronouncement soon gave way to awkward silence at the end of each answer – especially after he declared himself the Antichrist.

Bird, on the other hand, received supportive applause from the audience, who seemed pleased to hear her thoughtful answers to questions. 

You can watch the entire forum here and decide for yourself how it went. That City Club forum will be broadcast at 7 p.m. today on KLCC.  

Lane Co. waste collection, Trump OKs disaster funds

Lane County waste challenges: Facing declining landfill revenues, Lane County is pursuing an agreement with a hauler to use the county’s landfill instead of a site near Medford. No deal yet.

Trump declares disaster: President Donald Trump signed off on a disaster declaration for Lane County and a handful of others hit by severe rainstorms. 

— Ben Botkin

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Inside Eugene City hall with Grace chinowsky

Traffic deaths are down: Traffic fatalities fell in Eugene last year for the first time since 2020. Take a closer look at the numbers inside a report shared by city transportation staff on Wednesday. 

Revisiting economic development staffing: Remember how the mayor split the council’s 3–3 vote to add $800K worth of economic development staff a couple of weeks back? Well, the proposal is getting a second look. Councilor Lyndsie Leech last week directed the city manager to schedule a follow-up discussion on the proposal in June, when more councilors will be present to weigh in. 

Public hearing tonight: The Eugene City Council will discuss two topics tonight at 5:30 p.m. that have attracted much interest: the Public Health Standards project and the University of Oregon’s proposed land-use changes in the East Campus neighborhood. Here’s the meeting agenda — stay tuned for our recap.

Checking in on Springfield With lillian Schrock-Clevenger

Obie in Springfield: Last week, the Springfield Economic Development Agency agreed to give Obie Cos. a year to determine if development on the former US Bank site on Main Street is feasible. The developer of Eugene’s 5th Street Market is already considering building apartments on an adjacent city-owned parking lot. In a letter to city staff, Brian Obie said the new parcel “offers a strategic opportunity to create a cohesive and vibrant mixed-use district that complements the character and momentum of downtown.”

Payroll tax hearing: The City Council is holding a public hearing and first reading for a payroll tax ordinance at its meeting tonight. Councilors earlier this month agreed on a three-year payroll tax rate of 0.1% applied to both employees and employers working in Springfield. City leaders say the payroll tax, which would help pay for city services and programs, would diversify the city’s tax base and make it more equitable. The earliest the payroll tax could take effect, if approved, is January 2027.

Councilors to choose new member: Also this evening, councilors will deliberate and decide which candidate to appoint as interim Ward 4 councilor, a position left open when Beth Blackwell resigned at the end of last year. The council interviewed candidates earlier this month.

beyond lane county

No cut school days: Gov. Tina Kotek issued an executive order that prohibits school districts from trimming days to balance budgets, the Oregon Capital Chronicle reported.

Republican governor candidates: Oregon Journalism Project published a roundup showing how much money Republican gubernatorial candidates are raising for their campaigns.

Farm stands: State Rep. Ken Helm, a Beaverton Democratic lawmaker and land use attorney, spoke to Oregon Journalism Project about farm stands and urban growth boundaries.

Public Meetings this week

Monday

  • The Eugene City Council will meet for a public hearing at 5:30 p.m. 
  • The Springfield City Council will meet for a work session at 6 p.m. to discuss wastewater and stormwater rates.
  • The Springfield City Council will hold a regular meeting at 7 p.m. for a public hearing on a payroll tax ordinance and to deliberate and choose a Ward 4 interim councilor.

Tuesday

  • No Lane County commissioners’ meeting. 

Wednesday

  • The Eugene City Council will meet at noon for Bethel and University neighborhood planning. 
  • Lane Community College has a pair of noteworthy meetings: At 3 p.m., the Board of Education will meet to consider the administration’s proposal to close two LCC programs, Health Information Management and Criminal Justice. At 5 p.m., the LCC Budget Committee will gather for its first meeting of the budget season.
  • The Springfield History Museum Advisory Committee will meet at 5:30 p.m.

Do you have story ideas or tips? Send them our way — ben@lookoutlocal.com | grace@lookoutlocal.com | lilliansc@lookoutlocal.com

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Ben Botkin covers politics and policy in Lane County. He has worked as a journalist since 2003, most recently at the Oregon Capital Chronicle, where he covered justice, health and human services and documented regional efforts to combat fentanyl addiction. Botkin has worked in statehouses in Idaho, Nevada, Oklahoma and, of course, Oregon. When he's not working, you'll find him road tripping across the West, hiking or surfing along the Oregon Coast.

Grace Chinowsky graduated from The George Washington University with a degree in journalism. She served as editor-in-chief of the university’s independent student newspaper, The GW Hatchet, and interned at CNN and MSNBC. Grace covers Eugene’s city government and the University of Oregon.