Laserfiche WebLink
A special “thank you” to my family, my husband, David, and those who have worked hard with me to make <br />last year’s promises translate into action. And, a special thank you to City Manager Dennis Taylor and to <br />all our City staff who use their talents daily on behalf of our community. <br /> <br />Working together <br /> <br />I would like to begin by talking about how we work together in Eugene, given our different points of view. <br />Our high level of civic engagement is our asset. Many of us choose to live in Eugene because of that very <br />attribute. It is important to hear from all parts of our community, to take advantage of the high level of <br />expertise we have available, and to make policy decisions based on that broad range of information and <br />perspectives. I am proud of the thousands of citizens who take the time to communicate their views as well <br />as volunteer in our neighborhood associations, non-profits and civic organizations. It has been fun to open <br />the city hall doors to a wide spectrum of concerns and interests. It is hearing all those voices and listening to <br />them carefully that enables me to be the Mayor for all Eugene. <br /> <br />Following up on last year’s proposals to improve our public process/communication <br /> <br />How have I followed up on last year’s proposals to improve our public process and communications? Along <br />with city councilors, I have had Mayor’s one-on-one sessions in grocery stores throughout the city. We <br />simply set up a table and make ourselves available to talk with residents. It has been a great place to reach <br />out to folks. These sessions have been well-attended, interesting, fun and have provided great opportunities <br />for easy and informal conversations on any issue. I also have given regular mayoral updates on two radio <br />stations and one television station. In addition, we improved the City’s web site communications (it’s <br />getting faster, please have patience) and worked to strengthen neighborhood associations and newsletter <br />communications. <br /> <br />I began with a goal to strengthen the relationship with River Road/Santa Clara. Several City-fostered <br />committees are now working hard, making recommendations for better service delivery and communications. <br />While these are significant steps forward, the relationship between the City and the unincorporated area is <br />still a complicated and uneasy one. Trust is building, but we are not there yet. <br /> <br />Working with City Councilors <br /> <br /> <br />More than I could have predicted, Ihave enjoyed working with our city councilors. They are intelligent, <br />hard working, dedicated people. I want to publicly thank each of them for their long hours of meetings, of <br />poring over documents, of doing their utmost from their individual points of view to serve this community. <br />It has been my goal to respect and learn from each of them. They are individuals representing different <br />constituencies and do not always agree, but they do work hard to respect the views of all, to engage our <br />residents and to carefully use the expertise we have. They aim for the win/win when it is possible. When we <br />first began working together a year ago, the council had just one agreed-upon priority. This year we <br />adopted eight clearly defined priorities. This is more than talk. Let me share these priorities with you and <br />how we are moving forward on them. <br /> <br /> • Priority #1 – Re-staff Fire Station 9. <br />Just this morning we celebrated the re-staffing of Fire Station Nine near Valley River and this <br />year we also opened two other new stations in downtown Eugene and in Santa Clara. <br /> <br />• Priority #2 - Complete and Consider Police Department Reviews and Implement Appropriate <br /> <br /> <br />MINUTES—Eugene City Council January 5, 2006 Page 4 <br /> State of the City <br /> <br />