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election of council officers. She said her constituents expected that she, as a councilor, would have a fair and equal opportunity to participate in the processes of council operations. She said it was discrimination when a majority of council excluded a minority from full participation in council processes. She said expressed her hope that there would be a reconsideration of that vote. Councilor Poling, seconded by Councilor Pap~, moved to appoint Councilor Nathanson as council Vice President. Councilor Kelly questioned what was different about the current year from other years. He said the role of a council officer was not a political role but a logistics and coordinating role. He said the Eugene Code stated the person who had served the longest, and had not previously been elected as council president, shall normally be elected as the council president. He said he appreciated the work of Councilor Nathanson but expressed his disappointment in the failing motion for Councilor Bettman. Councilor Poling said just because something was done differently than it had been in the past did not mean it was wrong. He said the City Code said nothing about a mandate for who would be council officers. He said the upcoming year required proven leadership and someone who could be objective and look at both sides of an issue in a fair and impartial way so that the council could make decisions in a way that was best for the City in general. He believed that Councilor Nathanson had that ability and had demonstrated it in previous years. He said she had the ability to put aside personal agendas to guide the council in the right direction for the overall community. Councilor Bettman indicated she would not support the motion. She asserted that it was common knowledge that Councilor Nathanson's personal agenda was to be mayor and that a vice chair position would mean that she would be council president while she was involved in the mayoral campaign. She said this would be a beneficial position for her to be in while campaigning and questioned whether this was actually setting aside personal agendas for what was best for the City. She reiterated the importance of a civil process that was inclusive of all constituencies and respected philosophical differences. She quoted from the book, All I Ever Really Need to Know I Learned In Kindergarten: "Share everything, play fair, and don't take things that aren't yours." Councilor Taylor said she was stunned by the failed motion to appoint Councilor Bettman as council vice president. She said the vote was an insult to Councilor Bettman and her constituents, adding that any one of the councilors was capable of being council president. She said the council president did not decide issues and occasionally presided over meetings when the mayor was away. She said the majority of the motions made by the council president were already prepared by staff. She said Councilor Bettman was the obvious choice and was extremely well-qualified. Councilor Pap~ noted that the reason for the prior unanimous votes was because the council had contentious work sessions about who would be council officers. He noted that this had not been done for the current year. Councilor Meisner reiterated the statements of Councilor Pap~. He noted that Councilor Nathanson had not been appointed council president after her term as vice president, adding that MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 13, 2003 Page 3 Regular Meeting