The 2020 Primary Election for Eugene City Council has 13 candidates running for Wards 1, 2, 7 and 8. Two of these wards are open seats, as councilors Betty Taylor and Chris Pryor have chosen not to run again. Meanwhile, Wards 1 and 7 have councilors Emily Semple and Claire Syrett looking to retain their current positions.
The following is a brief overview of who’s running in each ward, including each candidate's experience and what they think is the most important issue for their ward. The deadline to vote in the Primary Election is 8 p.m. on May 19.
Eugene City Council Ward 1
Out of all the races, Ward 1 has the most candidates running to win a position that includes Downtown Eugene. Current Councilor Emily Semple will face off against five challengers. Candidates for Ward 1 were sent questions by KLCC, and all candidates responded via email.
Eliza Kashinsky, a self-described “policy wonk” said she enjoys breaking down complex problems and delving into the details of budgets, zoning codes, and action plans. Kashinsky has served on the Eugene Budget Committee for three years, and also served on the Eugene Active Transportation Committee prior to that.
She said lack of housing, homelessness, climate change, and recovery from COVID-19 are all interconnected.
“Perhaps the biggest issue that needs to be addressed is our ability as a City to develop and follow-through with timely and effective actions that confront and solve the challenges that face us, and the ability to find solutions that address multiple goals and challenges at the same time,” Kashinsky said.
Kashinsky added that as a councilor she would focus on outcome driven policies. She’s spent 15 years in professional leadership roles with non-profit organizations and co-founded an advocacy group called “WE CAN.” The group focuses on housing and transportation.
“These jobs required the ability to develop and implement solutions to complex problems in a collaborative fashion,” she said. Kashinsky said she was inspired to run because Eugene deserves leaders who can be "proactive as opposed to reactive."
Daniel Liev Williams, an IT professional who’s lived in the Eugene-Springfield area for 30 years, said his Jewish identity and heritage are important to him. He considers himself a progressive activist and he says he’s participated in anti-war demonstrations, Occupy Eugene and labor issues.
“Unsurprisingly, the issue I’m most concerned with for Ward 1 is the continued abject failure of the City of Eugene to pursue effective policies to eliminate homeslessness and made affordable housing available for everyone in the city,” he said.
Williams says current and past city councils have failed to effectively address homelessness and has instead “opted for short term harassment.” He pointed to Opportunity Village, a tiny home community in Eugene, as a cost effective housing first solution.
“Above all, I want to find ways to make the people in Ward 1 all people, including residents, business owners and the used-actively involved in finding and implementing solutions,” Williams said.
This is William’s first time running for an elected position. He said he’d bring his experience participating in the Egan Warming Center and the Eugene/Springfield Solidarity Network to the council position. His overall goal, he said, is for the City of Eugene to give meaningful, monetary support to communities that donate their time to making the city better.
Sean Dwyer, a Pre-Law student at Lane Community College and a business owner. In the City of Eugene’s Voters Pamphlet Dwyer expressed camaraderie with fellow business owners, people with addiction, those facing financial hardship, and minorities. Dywer has no governmental experience.
“My biggest issue in Ward 1 is the problem with the ever growing unhoused population,” Dwyer told KLCC. “We need to implement programs that would get these people off the streets and into housing.”
Dwyer said one solution would be to provide financial incentives for employers who hire chronically unemployed or unhoused individuals. He added drug enforcement by police should be a top priority.
“I was inspired to run because our current representative for Ward 1 is out of touch with the community,” Dwyer said. “I believe I am a better representative of the real people that live in Ward 1.”
City Council incumbent Emily Semple said she enjoys helping her city and has unfinished work. She said she represents her ward well.
“I have three and a half years of council, boards and commission experience, momentum for projects we have started, and knowledge of current work and issues, and effective relationships with community and city staff,” she said.
Semple is the city council president, a member of the Budget Committee, the Human Rights Commission, the Sustainability Commission, and the McKenzie Watershed Council. Outside of city council, Semple owns a graphic design business.
“I am hard-working, [I] get a good understanding of issues and public opinion before making decisions, and I look for solutions that are do-able and fair,” she said. Semple said recovery from COVID-19 is one of the most important issues for the city.
Asked about why she thinks so many candidates are interested in her current position, Semple said:
“The people of Ward 1 are active, aware and involved. I look forward to working with all my opponents in the future.”
Candice A. King, a Housing Liaison with Homes for Good, describes herself as a radical black mom, a public servant, and a social scientist. King joins opponent Daniel Leiv Williams in running on a “Solidarity Platform.” Which supports climate change policies, bottom-line human rights, regenerative economics, democracy and decolonization.
“I observed the process being railroaded by people and processes that all seem to be nice enough, but niceness and status quo pragmatism will not get us where we need to go on so many issues,” King said in response to why she was inspired to run.
King says resisting gentrification is one of the most pressing issues for Ward 1. She said she’ll address this by “ensuring people who create the culture of this community have real and accessible opportunities to own it.”
As a trained social scientist and statistical analyst, King said, she’s been doing community organizing and activism for close to 20 years. She said this and her work helping people access affordable housing since 2016 are experiences she’ll bring to the position.
Tim Morris, a Program Assistant at Willamette Family, describes himself as a young LGBT community activist who is running to bring an underrepresented voice to Eugene City Council. Morris has served on three different budget committees including Lane Community College and Lane County.
“I am a passionate leader in housing and renter rights, a climate activist, and a stalwart supporter of social services that are the foundations of every sustainable community,” Morris said.
Affordable housing is one of the biggest issues facing Ward 1, according to Morris. He said even before COVID-19, Eugene was “hamstrung” by ineffective zoning laws and outdated barriers. As a solution, he said he would work to modify and modernize zoning laws.
“To slow down the skyrocketing price of rental costs and mortgage payments, we must expand our housing stock with strategic policies that will reduce the barriers to the construction of housing,” he said.
Morris adds vulnerable populations need access to housing, especially those economically impacted by the pandemic. Morris is a founding member of two-nonprofits including Our Revolution Lane County and the Springfield-Eugene Tenant Association.
Eugene City Council Ward 2
With councilor Betty Taylor choosing to end her more than 20 year run with the city, two candidates are vying to fill her seat. Kate Davidson and Matt Keating will face off to represent South Eugene.
At a City Club of Eugene virtual forum, Davidson, a 4J Educator and a nonprofit consultant, said the most important issue for the city is climate change. She explained her solution and framework involves the acronym "I.T.E.A."
“Inclusiveness, Transparency, Equity, and Accountability,” Davidson said. “As we move forward with our government committees and our ways that we are going to be addressing climate change, I want to put everything through that lens in everything that we do.”
Davidson said the pandemic brought new ways of living that could be used for the long-term. As an example, she said fewer people are driving to work and that has reduced emissions. Davidson has previously served on the City of Eugene Budget Committee, and has chaired several committees including the Human Services Budget and Planning Committee and the Southeast Neighbors Neighborhood Association.
Matt Keating is a Lane Community College Board Member and Account Executive/Digital Director at Cumulus Media. At the same forum, he said the biggest challenge facing Eugene is economic recovery from the pandemic.
“My priorities are clear, protect worker’s rights, promote small business recovery, provide higher local incentives, and advocate for vital statewide and federal resources to keep the lights on and help reopen Eugene’s economy,” he said.
He proposes communication, collaboration, and critical thinking in addressing economic recovery. Keating said housing, climate change, and mental health are other priorities. Keating has served on the Eugene Public Library Foundation Board of Directors and the Lane Council of Governement Executive Committee.
Note: Matt Keating is a member of the KLCC Public Radio Foundation and the LCC Board. LCC holds the license for KLCC.
Eugene City Council Ward 7
In Ward 7, two candidates are challenging incumbent Claire Syrett for her current position in North Central Eugene.
Charles “Cliff” Gray, a retired San Francisco bus driver and former president of the bay area ATU Bus Drivers union, said his persistence and advocacy work make him a fit candidate for Ward 7.
Gray said he was a lobbyist for rent control in Oregon in 2016. At a City Club of Eugene forum, Gray was asked what the most important issue for the city is. He answered with his concern for housing stability after the COVID-19 eviction freezes end.
“When the moratorium ends, what happens then? Everyone’s going to our rents that are backlogged. They’re just being put off for a while, but then how are they going to pay them back if they’re already pay them back if they’re already paying 50 percent of their original income towards rent. Going to pay 100 percent? That’s not going to happen,” he said.
City Council incumbent Claire Syrett is seeking her third term as city councilor for Ward 7. Syrett, said her leadership in addressing homelessness, affordable housing, public safety, and her support of the immigrant community makes her the most qualified.
Asked about how the city will respond to economic setbacks brought on by the pandemic, Syrett says it’s hard to say now, but she suggested the construction excise tax could help.
“That is going to provide us with funding to help folks stay in their homes and other ways to support affordable housing for people. So, I think we’ll probably look to that fund for some interim ways that we can help in the immediate aftermath of this pandemic,” she said.
Also in the race for Ward 7 is Douglas Barr, a Food Rescue and Delivery Driver for FOOD for Lane County (FFLC).
“From standing in line for my own families food boxes, volunteering for various programs to now working for FFLC and handing out food boxes with our COVID 19 emergency response mobile pantry team,” Barr wrote to KLCC. “I'm entrenched within our homeless and those with food insecurities community.
Barr said at any given night Ward 7 saw more than a 1000 homeless people, costing taxpayers millions of dollars in resources and services a year. With his experience, Barr says he has a solution to end homelessness and bring equity and inclusion to city council
This section has been updated with a response from Douglas Barr.
Eugene City Council Ward 8
Current Eugene City Councilor Chris Pryor is not seeking re-election this year. Two candidates are looking to replace the outgoing representative of Ward 8
At a City Club of Eugene virtual candidate forum, Randy Groves said he’s most qualified given his time as the former Eugene-Springfield Fire Chief. Groves touted his experiences in leading the merger of the two neighboring stations and his role in planning for emergencies as accomplishments.
“With the COVID-19 virus right now we need to be reacting and developing plans that not only help us respond and deal with the physiological aspects of the pathogen but also our economic recovery,” Groves said.
During his time as Fire Chief and executive manager in Eugene and Springfield, Groves said he helped lead his department and both cities through the 2008 economic recession. He said this experience can help get the job done of positioning Eugene towards recovery.
Opposing candidate Ryan Moore, a legislative aide, also said the pandemic is one of the most important issues for Ward 8. Moore worked in the Oregon State Legislature and served on the City of Eugene Budget Committee.
“I’m a renter, I’m still in the workforce, working class myself, and so bringing that perspective to the table which doesn’t exist right now on city council I think is going to help deal with the repercussions of this whole crisis,” Moore said.
He said there needs to be a clear focus on minimizing the impact of the pandemic on businesses, and he said councillors who can work with other levels of government will be critical. Moore said his work in politics and his experience with the Lane County Drug court make him a suitable candidate for the position.
The deadline to vote in the 2020 Primary Election is May 19 at 8 p.m.
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