Laurie Trieger and Joel Iboa are the two front-runners in the race to replace outgoing Lane County Commissioner Pete Sorenson. They’ll face a runoff in November for the South Eugene seat.
Joel Iboa, at 29, would be the youngest and first Latinx Lane County Commissioner. Iboa spoke to KLCC Tuesday night.
“I’m going to keep fighting to make sure Lane County has a reflective democracy that black, indigenous, immigrants, people of color, people with disabilities have the representation they deserve.”
Laurie Trieger was ahead of Iboa in the vote count but not at the 50 percent plus one needed for victory. Reached Tuesday night, Trieger said the COVID-19 crisis tested her campaign.
“I think I showed a real ability to adapt, to be creative, to find some good workarounds and to, most importantly, continue to stay engaged with the community and stay connected.”
Whoever wins in November will be tasked with helping Lane County recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pat Farr easily won another term on the Lane County Board of Commissioners representing North Eugene. As of Tuesday night, Farr had more than 60 percent of the votes with challenger Andrew Ross at 39 percent.
Farr says it was tough to campaign during a pandemic because he loves going door to door. But he’s hopeful Lane County can recover and learn from it. Farr says it’s also pushed the county to move forward with efforts to provide shelter to people who are unhoused.
“We’ve made a few strides regarding homelessness during the pandemic that have allowed us to put more facilities in place that we’re going to be able to use after the pandemic. It’s a small consolation but it’s a consolation we can take from it.”
Farr says a former veterans clinic renovated into a recovery site for homeless people with COVID-19 will be repurposed after the pandemic. It will be a navigation center to help bring people out of homelessness.
