Who's trying to buy the Eugene Mayor's race?

Back in 2006, former Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey ran for the State Senate, powered by more than $170,000 in funding from polluters.   Fortunately, Senator Vicki Walker narrowly prevailed in her reelection.

Now, Torrey wants his old job as Mayor back and is raising tens of thousands of dollars from developers and other deep pockets.   He's already raised $160,000, breaking the past spending record in a Eugene Mayor's race by 10% with a month more to go.

Torrey's record as Mayor was awful on environmental issues, as he sided time and again with developers when in conflict with neighborhoods and farm and forestland. 

In contrast, his successor, Mayor Kitty Piercy has rebalanced the City Council to form a narrow majority that has taken strides over the last four years to make Eugene a sustainable city.

Evidently, the development interests want "their" city government back, and are willing to pay dearly.

The interesting question is, will Eugene voters fall for it?

Comments

[JD Howell]

Sustainability is important on every level. Leadership qualities that embrace sustainability are increasingly important in order for us to meet needed carbon reduction targets. Never in human existence has it become more important for us to make good choices. I choose Kitty. She supports the greatest assets we could all have - clean air, clean water, open spaces, sustainable living.

[JT]

Piercy has the vision and the will to take Eugene and make it into a true green and emerald city. She stands for and believes in the a sustainable Eugene. I couldn't imagine what Eugene would turn into if Torrey was elected.

[luke]

Wait, can't government employees also buy the Mayor's race with local and national tax dollars? Isn't that what the Constitution guarantees all citizens?

And what does "sustainable" mean? It's a confusing and vague term that does little to address what is hurting 80%+ of the population in Eugene.

Should we be concerned with the critical thinking skills of those living in Eugene? Where the unemployment rate exceeds the national average every year, and the household income is well below average. Who's selling Eugene the sustainability cool-aid, California transplants with deep pockets and no need to work in middle or working class job? Retirees? Lifetime public employees who have never experienced Eugene's private sector?

I just don't get how sustainability is supposed to save this city from itself, slow decline with age. Seems like the same old story, driven by the same interests, with a complete lack of imagination from the top on down.

[Malcom]

Torrey is old school. Kitty is new school. Let's face it. Eugene isn't intended to a sea of sprawl with walmarts on every developer's wet lands. We need smart businesses that embrace the future rather than landowners that sell us all out. Why should pay their systems development charges? We need smart business or cottage industries that respect our land like Stalhbush, Glory Bee, Mountain Rose Herbs, and King Estates. Even the conservative businesses are embracing sustaianble business practices - look at the great job the Rexius family has done. We need conservative and liberal folks guiding the process not just one party. We don't need to reach back... we need to move forward. Maybe Kitty is not perfect... but Jim didn't move us forward unless you owned some swamp land in west Eugene. The republican party needs to wake up... and bring candidates that embrace and lead us and our environment into the future safely.

[Luke]

That's a fair argument. I think given the recent positive moves this city has taken to compete, I will venture to say that you are partially right.

Unfortunately, new school is still serving almost EXCLUSIVELY the over 50 crowd in Eugene. Retirees leaving "big cities" merge with well-intentioned locals who're stuck in the 60s to create a political scene that lacks imagination and sometimes, the honest toughness required to build something great.

You named a handful of businesses that are "sustainable" but how many people do they sustain? 300? 200? It's one thing to spread ugly development, it's another to annoy every developer with an imagination until they give up on the city. Those are jobs that leave because of nothing but collective dogma.

Families leave this city and never come back when the jobs aren't here. It's not about greed, it's about basic opportunity that goes beyond cleaning a wine barrel or pouring honey into bottles.

Wealth doesn't have to mean the death of idealism or the destruction of beauty, on the contrary, it can remove the poverty of mind and intelligence that constantly threatens to drag Eugene into a hole of decay.