CC Minutes - 05/27/03 Mtg - Laserfiche WebLink

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renaming Centennial Boulevard and suggested naming the plaza of the new federal courthouse after him as a possible alternative. Councilor Nathanson commented that the process had not gone well in that it had caused divisiveness in the community. She tentatively supported the renaming of Centennial Boulevard in honor of Dr. King but noted that the question put to the council had been to rename Centennial Boulevard with no other alternatives. She raised concern that looking for alternatives would further the divisiveness in the community but said she would support the idea of forming a committee of representatives to examine the best way of honoring Dr. King. Councilor Meisner expressed a hope that renaming Centennial Boulevard would reactivate the meaning of Dr. Kings work in the community. He said the council needed to be a accountable for the question it asked, which was whether to rename Centennial Boulevard. He remarked that the community had a history of racism to undo. Councilor Bettman expressed a desire to take action that evening. She commented that the community had devised a very well thought-out proposal. She said offering alternatives at this late a date was causing divisiveness in the community. Mayor Torrey related an experience he had as a boy regarding the choice his family had made not to eat in a segregated restaurant when he was a child. He said the easy vote would be to approve the renaming of Centennial Boulevard after Dr. King. He added his belief that if public hearings were to mean anything, then the council needed to pay attention to those who testified. He said he believed that the renaming of Ferry Street Bridge was a better idea but acknowledged that he was not an African-American. He said if he was looking for a recommendation on a Holocaust memorial he would ask the Jewish community for one, and he expressed a desire to listen to Eugene's African-American community on the issue. He said he was prepared to go with how the council voted on the issue. He thanked all those who provided testimony. Councilor Taylor said she would carefully consider everything she had heard over the next few weeks before the council took action on the issue. Councilor Pap~ said Dr. King deserved to be much better honored in the local community. He questioned whether renaming Centennial Boulevard was the only right thing to do. Councilor Kelly, seconded by Councilor Bettman, moved that the City Council adopt Council Bill 4834, an ordinance concerning the change of the street name of Centennial Boulevard to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. City Attorney Glenn Klein noted that the council could entertain the motion only with unanimous consent of the council and suggested that there be a poll to see if any councilor objected to the motion. Mayor Torrey determined that councilors Pap~, Taylor, and Solomon objected. The motion died for lack of a unanimous will to proceed. Mr. Klein noted that the public hearing was a quasi-judicial matter and the hearing had been closed. He said the council could not legally consider any further testimony on the matter before taking action. He said the council was limited to what material was already in the record. Councilor Bettman thanked those who testified at the hearing and those who had supported the proposed renaming. MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 27, 2003 Page 8 Regular Meeting