CC MInutes - 10/22/01 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ms. Calvert suggested the "jog" in ward 1 ,(19th Avenue and Patterson Street to 24th Avenue and Amazon Parkway), be added to Ward 3. She also suggested placing the area north of Barger Drive and west of Highway 99 to Clear Lake Road into Ward 6. She urged the council to adopt the Indigo proposal. Marlene Colbath, 2230 Churchill Street, supported the Violet scenario. She stated her belief that the River Road/Santa Clara area wanted to stay together. Rob Handy, 455-1/2 River Road, stressed that the river should not be a boundary between wards. He also raised concern that incumbent councilors would not be able to retain their seats. He said this would be a radical and out of step with the voters. He urged support of the Violet scenario. Terry Connolly, Eugene Chamber of Commerce, stressed the importance of equal representation for all citizens. He added that council residences should have no bearing on the redistricting process. He said that the chamber supported the Indigo scenario with the adjustment of restoring the traditional alignment of wards 4 and 5. Tom Slocum, 1950 Graham Drive, supported the Indigo scenario. He commented that it was unavoidable for wards to cross over the river but stressed that there would be much greater affinity for this in the northern part of the city. He also called for an adjustment for the boundary between wards 4 and 5 to run north and south. David Sohm, 720 Mountain View Drive, stressed that the river was a boundary between communities of interest. He supported the Green scenario. Bob Cassidy, 1401 East 27th Avenue, commented that there was no reason why wards should not cross over the river. He called for wards to cross the river as much as possible so that division was not fostered in the city. He raised concern that the city would be divided into separate "ghettos." Roxie Cuellar, 2053 Laura Street, Springfield, urged the council not to "tweak" the maps too much in coming to a decision. She outlined the council criteria used to form each of the redistricting scenarios. She stressed that council incumbency should not be an issue in the redistricting process. Todd Harris, 5285 Saratoga Drive, supported the Indigo scenario with a restoration of a north- south boundary between Wards 4 and 5. He commended the council efforts on redistricting and said its actions would affect future wards as well as existing wards. He commented that it was almost a conflict of interest to ask councilors to redefine their wards. Mr. Harris commented that Criterion #5, as presented by the council for the redistricting process, was contradictory. He said existing ward boundaries had no place in the process. He opined that some interpretations of the criterion would be considered unethical and illegal at the State and national level. Lora Byxbe, 677 West 23rd Avenue, stressed the importance of wards crossing the river and said she was in favor of the Violet scenario. MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 22, 2001 Page 5 Regular Meeting