CC Minutes - 06/18/03 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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everyone else, including the media, knew. She still did not know all that had gone on, and she wanted to know. Mr. Kelly concurred with the remarks of Ms. Nathanson. He agreed that revisiting the decision made previously would not be good for the community. He believed that a discussion of how the council handled similar issues in the future would be appropriate. Mr. Kelly suggested the council keep in mind the first rule of holes: "When you're in a hole, stop digging." The vote on the motion was a 4:4 tie; Ms. Nathanson, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Meisner, and Ms. Bettman voting no; Ms. Taylor Mr. Pap~, Ms. Solomon, and Mr. Poling voting yes. Mayor Torrey cast a vote in favor of the motion, which passed on a final vote of 5:4. Mr. Pap~ provided a chronology of events that followed the council's decision on June 9 to form a committee to consider ways to honor Dr. King. He said that following that meeting, he had contacted the mayor and offered his assistance in soliciting members for such a committee and they had discussed possible approaches. Mr. Pap~ said that he had taken Ms. Nathanson's June 11 motion to reconsider the council's June 9 action at face-value as a change of mind. He learned that during the morning of June 11, Ms. Nathanson had been lobbied to change her mind by Mayor Torrey, something he "considered rotten in Denmark." Later Mr. Meisner came to City Hall and spoke with the mayor about the issue, and was encouraged by Mayor Torrey to contact Ms. Nathanson. Mayor Torrey also contacted Bob Mylenek about the issue that day and encouraged him to stop opposing the name change and contact the councilors regarding his changed sentiments. Mr. Pap~ said that Mayor Torrey told Mr. Mylenek that his position would be bad for business and that Ms. Nathanson had "a lot to lose" by her vote in regard to her potential candidacy for mayor. Mr. Mylenek took those remarks under consideration and subsequently e- mailed the council. Mr. Pap~ objected that he had received no calls regarding the concept of reconsideration. He had been informed of Ms. Nathanson's intent only before entering the meeting room. He termed the process a "foul stew" and asked the council to find a way to rectify the issue. Mr. Poling reviewed the process that had occurred since he joined the council in January 2003. He had been given the impression that a formal committee process had been established prior to that but had since learned that no such process occurred, and those who lived and had businesses along Centennial Boulevard were not involved in discussions about the issue until the council decided to initiate the street renaming process in January. Mr. Poling believed that the process that had been followed was flawed and those most affected was not appropriately involved. He expressed concern about the action the council had taken to reject items from the public record, and asked what was to be considered by the council in its deliberations. Mr. Poling contended that the council had not received all the information it should have, and that the process was not done properly. Mayor Torrey called on other councilors to speak. Speaking to Mr. Papa's remarks about her conversation with the mayor, Ms. Nathanson said that Mayor Torrey had called her on the morning of June 11 and asked how she was feeling about the council's action. He reminded her at that time of her statement that if the issue came down to a vote to rename Centennial Boulevard, she would vote in support of it, and asked her if she still felt that way. He discussed his concern about the divisiveness created in the community by the MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 18, 2003 Page 2 Work Session