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<br />e <br /> <br />L. Conflict of Interest <br /> <br />Ms. Ehrman expressed concern that in the past, councilors have expressed a <br />conflict of interest and abstained from voting. She said that if a councilor <br />claims that he or she has a conflict of interest, he or she should not have <br />continued contact with staff. Doing so allows the councilor to shape the <br />final outcome of staff work without participating in council discussion. <br /> <br />Mr. Gleason said that conflict of interest is recognized legally in two ways: <br />direct pecuniary interest and the appearance of conflict of interest. Direct <br />pecuniary interest is determined by the City Attorney and requires that a <br />councilor physically absent himself from the discussion. In this case, a <br />councilor is denied contact with staff on this issue. The appearance of <br />conflict of interest, on the other hand, is not as easily determined; it is <br />council's responsibility to determine how this will be handled. Legally, <br />staff is not denied staff contact. <br /> <br />Mr. Holmer said that he felt this process was being overused. In distancing <br />himself from the discussion, the council loses an important viewpoint. He <br />agreed with Ms. Ehrman that once a councilor has declared conflict of <br />interest, he or she should not participate in the discussion or consult with <br />staff. Ms. Bascom also agreed. <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />Mr. Bennett said that a councilor should be able to determine whether he or <br />she has a potential conflict of interest. He said that his practice in the <br />past was to ask councilors whether they were comfortable with his <br />participation in the discussion. Mr. Boles agreed that it is an individual <br />councilor's decision to determine whether he or she has the appearance of a <br />conflict of interest. <br /> <br />The council discussed this issue at length, but did not reach consensus. <br /> <br />M. Council Seniority and Officers <br /> <br />Ms. Ehrman noted that past council discussion has revealed that the City <br />Charter regarding council seniority and election of officers is unclear, and <br />suggested the council consider this for future consistency in the election of <br />officers. <br /> <br />Mr. Miller pointed out that having a rotation of council officers is <br />important because it ensures that various council committees receive a <br />variety of philosophical positions. <br /> <br />N. Library and Willamette Street Design <br /> <br />Ms. Bascom reminded councilors that library site selection was one of the <br />council's goals for this year. She noted that the Friends of the Library <br />circulate a memo requesting that the council affirm this committee's first <br />choice site at Charnel ton and Broadway. <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />Ms. Ehrman said that she felt the council needed to have another work session <br />on this issue before making a final decision. Mr. Bennett agreed with Ms. <br />Ehrman that before a decision is made, some preliminary council discussion <br /> <br />MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 26, 1990 <br />Quarterly Process Session <br /> <br />Page 6 <br />