Program date: April 24, 2026
Air date: April 27, 2026
From the City Club of Eugene:
As Eugene voters prepare for the May 19, 2026, primary election, City Club of Eugene will host a public candidate forum featuring contenders for Eugene City Council in Wards 5 and 6. Eugene faces a series of interconnected and high-stakes challenges. This forum will provide voters with an opportunity to hear directly from candidates about their priorities, values, and governing approaches.
The discussion will focus on issues at the center of current public debate, including housing affordability and supply; homelessness and public safety; economic development and downtown revitalization; climate policy and infrastructure. Like many cities, Eugene faces fiscal constraints that require difficult tradeoffs in funding public safety, housing programs, and basic services
Local leaders are navigating increased polarization and the challenge of building consensus across a diverse and engaged community, due to erosion of public trust and civic divisions.
Candidates will respond to moderated questions posed by KLCC reporter Zac Siegler and submitted by the audience. The program will highlight both shared priorities and key differences in how candidates propose to address Eugene’s most pressing challenges.
Speakers:
John Barofsky (Ward 3) is a longtime neighbor and volunteer, a 25-year small-business owner, a lifelong Democrat, and a trusted voice for Ward 3. He’s a firm believer that Eugene is a wonderful place that can be even better.
John moved to Eugene in 1981 and went to work at Mazzi’s, where he met two people who would change his life: Beppe, with whom he founded Beppe & Gianni’s restaurant in 1998, and his wife, Conni. John and Conni moved into Ward 3 in 2003.
Over the years, John has built deep civic experience across Eugene’s institutions — serving on the Fairmount Neighbors Board for 24 years, the Eugene Budget Committee, the Eugene Planning Commission, the Street Repair Review Board, the Community Safety Payroll Tax Oversight Committee, and the Affordable Housing Trust Fund Advisory Committee. He also served as an EWEB Commissioner.
Jennifer Smith (Ward 3) is a Project Coordinator at the University of Oregon, president of the UO’s classified employees’ union, and a governor-appointed member of the State of Oregon’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission.
She has also served as a member and as a chairperson on city, transit, and county-level committees on issues related to transportation and transit budgets, increasing housing options, and serving our immigrant community. Her committee work included the City of Eugene’s Active Transportation Committee, Walkable Eugene Citizen Advisory Network, Mayor Vinis’s Permanent Shelter Task Force, Lane Transit District’s Budget Committee, a Lane Council of Governments Citizen Advisory Committee, and United for Immigrant Justice in Lane County.
She attended 4J schools in Ward 3 and earned two master’s degrees, one in Urban Planning (UCLA) and the other in Public Administration (UO).
Tom Stedman (Ward 4) served in the US Army in Washington, Alaska, and Panama, achieving the rank of Sgt E5. While in the service, he received two commendation medals. He worked as a civilian for the Army Core of Engineers in the Willamette Valley. At Weyerhaeuser Paper, in a production job, he was a union steward, an emergency responder and a training officer. During the Clinton administration, he put together a proposal for a lobbying trip to DC to meet with senior administration staff, to try and free up more timber. He convinced Weyco to pick up the cost and included several others on the trip, to show labor’s collaboration with management on this issue. The following year he put together a group of 225 labor representatives for a week-long trip to DC to convince Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman to visit several mills in the Pacific Northwest. For more than six years, he served as a medic in CAHOOTS, working on the streets of Eugene helping folks in crisis. He also volunteered as a medic at the Oregon Country Fair and for other service organizations.
Jennifer Yeh (Ward 4) has represented Ward 4 on the Eugene City Council since 2017. A life-long Oregonian, Jennifer moved to Eugene to attend the University of Oregon and quickly fell in love, later becoming involved in neighborhood activism in Harlow for 10 years. As a city councilor, Jennifer continues to be an outspoken advocate for her community, tackling important issues like affordable housing, public safety and climate change. In Jennifer’s professional life she works for Community Supported Shelters as their Development Manager.
About the City Club of Eugene:
The mission of the City Club of Eugene is to build community vision through open inquiry. The Club explores a wide range of significant local, state, and national issues and helps to formulate new approaches and solutions to problems. Membership is open to all, and Club members have a direct influence on public policy by discussing issues of concern with elected officials and other policy makers. The City Club’s mailing address is PO Box 12084, Eugene, OR 97440, and its website is cityclubofeugene.org.
Video and Broadcast
This program will be live streamed, and the videotape will be made available on the City Club of Eugene’s Facebook page and You Tube Channel, in addition to our website. It will be broadcast on Monday, April 27 at 7:00 p.m., on KLCC 89.7 FM.
Contact: For more information, visit CityClubOfEugene.org.