CC Minutes - 06/12/06 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Bruce H. Anderson , 4350 Spring Boulevard, said he wanted to raise the councilors’ awareness of rainwater harvesting. He stressed the importance of keeping it in the back of their minds as they proceeded with the evening’s proceedings. He said that although rainwater harvesting was not directly referred to in the code, the City should do everything it could to encourage residents to use untreated rainwater whenever possible. Sally Sheklow , 932 Polk Street, said she worked with the Community Alliance of Lane County in a program called Back to Back Allies for Human Dignity. She explained that part of the work she did was to monitor and track hate activity in the community. She thanked the council for taking the opportunity to reaffirm its human rights resolution. She knew what it felt like not to feel safe or welcomed and wanted to make sure this did not happen to immigrants in the community. th Michael Carrigan , 1439 West 4 Avenue, stated that Specialist Suzanne Swift of the United States Army was arrested on June 11 for refusing to be redeployed to Iraq. He said the Eugene Police Department (EPD) conducted the arrest on behalf of the United States Army. He did not feel it was an appropriate role for the EPD to take. He lauded Ms. Swift as a young woman of conscience who made a very difficult decision to not go back to Iraq. He opined that she was worthy of better treatment from the City. He alleged that Ms. Swift’s mother had been physically pulled aside by the EPD. He did not believe she should have been touched by any member of the department. He hoped Ms. Swift’s mother would file a complaint. nd Jana Jackson , 1012 East 22 Avenue, expressed disappointment in the Mayor and councilors Bettman and Kelly for any involvement in decisions around the police auditor or supervision of the police. She alleged that the councilors indicated they did not think it was important or always necessary for the council to follow the law. She interpreted that to mean that the police were not important. She did not think councilors had any business making judgments about the EPD. She alleged that interactions between a family member of Mayor Piercy’s and law enforcement personnel created a conflict of interest and declared that the Mayor had “no business serving on committees or choosing an auditor.” She disputed the statement that the police auditor could not be a convicted felon, as the auditor was not working in the criminal justice system. She said a hate crime was a hate crime whether it was racist, related to religion, or against a member of the police department. She felt one group was being singled out for discrimination. Zachary Vishanoff , Patterson Street, asked the City Manager if he had checked into Williams Bakery conditional use permit (CUP) and whether there would be a hearing. He was concerned that such a hearing would be held in the summer when University of Oregon students are out of town. City Manager Taylor offered to talk with Mr. Vishanoff after the meeting and try to coordinate how he and others could have public notice if such a request for a CUP was submitted. Continuing, Mr. Vishanoff asked the City Manager to ensure that The Register-Guard was made aware of the hearing, should it be scheduled. He also wished to highlight articles from the Eugene Weekly, one about a sports spending problem as it related to tuition increases at the University of Oregon, and one on the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI). He said the University of Oregon also announced plans for a five-story building at an estimated cost of $60 million. He alleged that Governor Ted Kulongski “meddled” in the siting of the planned basketball arena for the University of Oregon. Mayor Piercy closed the Public Forum and called for council comments. MINUTES—Eugene City Council June 12, 2006 Page 2 Regular Meeting