Laserfiche WebLink
point Eric Forrest to Position 5 on the Budget Committee. Roll call vote; the vote on <br /> the motion resulted in a tie, 4:4; councilors Nathanson, Bettman, Kelly, and Taylor <br /> voting in favor, and councilors Solomon, Meisner, Pap6, and Poling voting in opposi- <br /> tion. Mayor Torrey cast a vote in opposition and the motion failed on a final vote of <br /> 5:4. <br /> <br />Councilor Kelly said, given he was unaware of the change in vote, he would oppose the reappointment of <br />Mr. Forrest. <br /> <br />Councilor Bettman concurred with Councilor Kelly. She felt the process had been manipulated, though not <br />intentionally. She stated that she had voted for Mr. Forrest's reappointment initially because he did a good <br />job and participated in the process well. She noted that more often than not she disagreed with him, but <br />asserted he was articulate and always came to committee meetings prepared. She opined that strong <br />business and development advocates were over-represented on the Budget Committee. She felt there <br />needed to be a broader political spectrum. <br /> <br />Councilor Pap~ agreed with Councilor Bettman on Mr. Forrest's record as a Budget Committee member. <br />He did not feel that any manipulation had occurred. He said he had heard at the beginning of the work <br />session that one councilor had changed a vote. <br /> <br />Councilor Solomon disagreed with the notion that the process had been manipulated. She related that she <br />had initially been the only person to vote for one applicant and had switched her vote as a result. She <br />commented, regarding the balance on the committee, that just because a person was a business leader did <br />not make them unable to understand social service issues, asserting that many business leaders donated <br />substantial sums of money to social service providers. <br /> <br />Councilor Meisner preferred the motion be made to reflect the sentiments registered in the straw poll. He <br />stressed that neither candidate, a school principal and a former minister turned public defender, could be <br />accurately characterized as having a particular business or development interest. <br /> <br />Councilor Bettman agreed that the business community contributed generously and that the less public <br />dollars available, the more the social service providers were starved for donations from businesses. <br /> <br /> Roll call vote; the motion passed, 7:1; Councilor Taylor voting in opposition. <br /> <br /> Councilor Pap~, seconded by Councilor Nathanson, moved to appoint Robert Peters <br /> to Position 3 on the Budget Committee for a three-year term beginning November 1, <br /> 2003, and ending on October 31, 2006. <br /> <br />Councilor Bettman conveyed her support for the motion. She expressed admiration for the work of <br />Maurice Denner, the other applicant under consideration for the position. She related that she had worked <br />with Mr. Denner on the Police Commission for the past three years and called him an asset to any <br />committee. However, she asserted that Mr. Denner was a staunch supporter of the Eugene Police <br />Department (EPD), suggesting that Mr. Peters would bring a broader view to the budget process. <br /> <br />Councilor Pap~ disagreed. He felt Mr. Denner had a broad view of many issues and brought with him a <br />firm background in budget development from his career in public education. He noted the applicants had <br /> <br />MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 27, 2003 Page 8 <br /> Regular Meeting <br /> <br /> <br />