Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis gave her State of the City address tonight, following her first full year in office. As KLCC’s Brian Bull reports, a fair portion of her speech exemplified the political differences between her administration and that in Washington D.C.
Mayor Vinis never mentioned President Donald Trump by name. But she highlighted the Women’s March, the Sanctuary City Ordinance, Dreamer Scholarships, and responses to hate speech and graffiti right out of the gate.
She then touched on ventures like the city’s Urban Growth Boundary and Transportation System plan, but halfway through Vinis would again illuminate the conflicts that have roiled many Eugenians since Campaign 2016.
“We are an increasingly diverse community, emerging in a national climate of distrust, racism, and sexism," Vinis told the audience. "We have been caught in our own complacency about how people of color, varying gender identities, or national origins experience life in our community. We can do better.”
Looking ahead, Vinis mentioned Eugene’s hosting of the 2021 World Track and Field Championship, which will prove a logistical challenge. She said by then she hopes to honor 20 different cultures in monthly themes.
Copyright 2017, KLCC.
