Eugene councilors pick a new city boss, poaching Beaverton’s city manager 

Jenny Haruyama is the Eugene City Council’s choice to be the next city manager.

The Eugene City Council unanimously picked the Beaverton city manager to the role, Wednesday. Now, she and council president Greg Evans will negotiate a contract. 

The serious, time-consuming process offered a moment of levity when Evans made the motion for the council to pick Haruyama from among the three finalists. Evans initially struggled to correctly pronounce her name, pausing momentarily when making the motion.

“I gotta learn to say her last name,” Evans said in the middle of his motion. “This is embarrassing. I’ve been practicing this, actually.” 

He’ll have a while longer to practice. The city and Haruyama haven’t yet announced her start date.

As Eugene’s city manager, Haruyama will work as the city’s chief executive, managing more than 1,500 city employees and a $1.9 billion two-year budget. The finalists, which also included Eugene’s interim city manager Matt Rodrigues and Lake Oswego City Manager Martha Bennett, came from a list of about 50 applicants following a recruitment firm-led national search.

EWEB turbine, Lane County budget, affordable housing

Even without Eugene councilors picking a new city manager, government officials were up to plenty. 

Turbine plan stokes controversy: The Eugene Water & Electric Board’s plan to use a turbine for energy needs drew controversy and runs contrary to clean energy goals, correspondent Ashli Blow reports.

Lane County faces tight budget: Lane County leaders face a nearly $3 million deficit in the coming year, and it could be even worse with unreliable state and federal funding persisting.

Affordable housing: Lane County is also looking for volunteers to serve on a task force to develop a new plan for land purchases that spur affordable housing. And neighbors of a planned 120-unit affordable housing development at Fifth Avenue and Adams Street in Eugene aired their concerns in a Whiteaker Community Council meeting.

Architect picked: Lane County commissioners also picked an architectural firm that will design the new stabilization center that aids people in mental health or addiction crises.

— Ben Botkin

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Inside Eugene City hall

State of the City: Eugene Mayor Kaarin Knudson walked a fine line last week, giving a State of the City address about the dark rhetoric and fear in the nation – and Eugene’s role as a city that offers hope to all. She managed to avoid mentioning President Donald Trump.

Knudson stuck closely to local issues, talking about plans for a research corridor along Interstate 5 that relies upon the University of Oregon, along with other topics such as downtown developments and an upcoming library levy renewal. You can read the full text of her prepared speech here. 

Library levy renewal: This week, councilors also gathered to discuss options for a potential library levy renewal that would go to voters. They’re still moving forward in their plans but haven’t finalized anything just yet. Before deciding on the number, city officials want more information about the additional costs of putting a book-lending kiosk in an underserved city neighborhood..

Checking in on Springfield With lillian Schrock-Clevenger

Willamalane levy: The board of directors for Springfield’s park and recreation district last week voted to move forward with a plan to ask voters to temporarily increase Willamalane’s tax levy rate.

Willamalane Director Michael Wargo said he is leaning toward putting the measure on the May 19 ballot rather than November because he expects a strong Springfield turnout for the election given the contested Lane County commissioner seat being decided on. The board will make its final decision next month on whether to ask voters for the levy increase and, if so, during which election.

Fire governance: This week, Springfield City Manager Nancy Newton is expected to recommend the city partner with Eugene to create a stand-alone public agency for Eugene Springfield Fire. Former Eugene city manager Sarah Medary made the same recommendation last month.

Affordable housing: On Tuesday, the City Council will decide if the city should transfer a property it owns at the corner of 16th and Main streets to Cornerstone Community Housing, which plans to build 40 units of affordable housing. 

beyond lane county

The Oregon Journalism Project published a piece about how a 90-year-old legal opinion could upend Gov. Tina Kotek’s wish for the Legislature to repeal the transportation bill she supported and signed into law. Opponents of the law collected about 250,000 signatures – more than enough to put the transportation measure on the ballot for voters to accept or reject.

Bridge costs hidden: OJP also broke news about how government staffers concealed the rising cost estimates for the new Interstate 5 bridge that will span the Columbia River. 

Legislative session approaches: Oregon lawmakers are getting ready for the short 35-day session, which starts Feb. 2. In response to federal immigration activity, they plan to introduce bills that would restrict when law enforcement officials can wear masks, the Oregon Capital Chronicle reported. The OCC also reports lawmakers are considering proposals that would sever Oregon’s income tax system alignment with the federal tax code and require insurers to give homeowners a break on premiums when they complete wildfire prevention work on their property. 

Weeding out inactive voters: Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read is working to remove the names of long-inactive voters from the state’s voter-registration lists.

Public Meetings this week

Tuesday

  • The Springfield History Museum Advisory Committee will hold a regular meeting at 5:30 p.m.
  • The Springfield City Council will meet at 6 p.m. for a work session to discuss Eugene Springfield fire governance. 
  • The Springfield City Council will hold a regular meeting at 7 p.m. for public hearings on the city’s capital improvement program and council appointment process.
  • The Eugene City Council will meet at 5:30 p.m.
  • Note: Lane County commissioners will not meet. 

Wednesday

  • The Eugene City Council will have a work session at noon to discuss a proposed wastewater expansion and the 1050 Willamette Redevelopment project.

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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 metro editor, senior news editor and 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.