CC Minutes - 09/14/09 Regular Meeting

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Roll call vote; the motion to approve the Consent Calendar with the exception of the minutes from August 10 and Item C, and with the aforementioned amendment to the minutes of the Work Session held on May 11, passed unanimously, 7:0. Councilor Brown stated that he meant no disrespect to the Frohnmayers. He said he was “old school” regarding the naming of structures and he thought it was too soon after the Frohnmayer’s departure. He thought the renaming would pass and he was not strongly opposed to it, but he intended to vote against it. Councilor Pryor understood the concern, but he thought the naming of the DeFazio Bridge had set a precedent for doing so. He averred that Representative DeFazio had richly deserved having a bridge named for him because he had done an enormous amount of good for Oregon and the Eugene/Springfield area. He believed that Dave and Lynn Frohnmayer had also done great things for the area and for the state. He recalled his long relationship with Mr. Frohnmayer, one in which they had not always agreed about things. He listed Mr. Frohnmayer’s accomplishments which included adding new academic centers and a great deal of fundraising, noting that he had excluded listing the athletic facilities. He declared that Mr. Frohnmayer and his wife, Lynn, had done an enormous amount of good for the University of Oregon and the community in which it resided and he believed that this tribute was at a reasonable level and was a good thing to do. He supported the renaming “wholeheartedly.” Councilor Taylor noted that she had voted against naming the bridge after Rep. DeFazio, though she was a great admirer of his. She thought they needed a policy regarding naming and to determine whether the public should be involved in such activities. She indicated she would vote against the item. Councilor Clark agreed that a discussion on a policy for a naming process would be in order. Nonetheless, he was very happy to support this particular item. He believed that there were children all over the state and even all over the country who would benefit from the work of the Frohnmayers. He could not think of a more fitting tribute to two people who had “spent a lifetime building bridges between people in the State of Oregon.” Mayor Piercy remarked that it would be tough to have a discussion on the process at this point without sending a message they might not want to send. She believed that the naming of this bridge was a good choice. The motion passed, 5:2; Councilors Taylor and Brown voting in opposition. The meeting adjourned at 8:44 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Jon Ruiz City Manager (Recorded by Ruth Atcherson) MINUTES—Eugene City Council September 14, 2009 Page 7 Regular Meeting