CC Minutes - 10/26/09 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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last round of appointments and he had failed to cast a positive vote when he should have. He asked the council to make their own judgments as to whether the individual had upheld the purpose of the CRB and done a good job and whether there was any reason why that person should not be reappointed. He indicated his intention to decline to serve on the committee in the future. Eugene Drix , Ward 3, said he was proud of Eugene. He had spent the weekend in Seattle and had gone to a pumpkin push with his daughter, a race event involving costumes. He related that as he drove back he had passed Husky Stadium when everyone was preparing for the football game. He noted that his daughter had graduated “as a husky.” He had been requested to consider serving on the Planning Commission and, after attending a meeting, had decided to decline. He preferred to provide testimony to the council. He came before the council because he lived in America and this was a part of freedom. He said free was part of freedom and when people received free things they really appreciated it. He commented that mental issues were something he had dealt with his whole life. He related that he had watched city council meetings in other cities on his trip and there were issues facing other cities as well. He averred that there were issues that they would face that they had never faced before. He remarked that in his neighborhood, the West University Neighbors, builders were encouraged to add lights to increase the lighting in the area. He said they also had “other life forms” in their neighborhood such as raccoons, squirrels, and “no-ads,” i.e. people with no address. He stated that they could only face the future if they were all facing the same direction. He added that his last word for the evening would be ‘integrity.’ Mayor Piercy closed the Public Forum. She thanked everyone for coming. She underscored that everyone sitting on the City Council wanted a meaningful and credible police oversight system. She announced to those with concerns about public safety in the downtown area that a meeting on the issue was scheduled for November 23. She said Volunteers in Policing were working hard on the graffiti issue. She also wanted to express to those who came in support of the mental health resolution that she had been glad to support it. She appreciated those who worked hard to get the resolution before the council. Regarding the person who spoke in support of increasing the empowerment of the University DPS, she explained that the public hearing on the item had been held and the council planned to take action on it on November 9. She also wanted to clarify that the community panel that helped to screen applicants to the CRB had been convened in the same way it had been convened in the past. She noted that the officer in question had participated in the process previously. Councilor Taylor thanked everyone for speaking. She averred that they had heard things that were “inspirational, intelligent, courageous, and … with integrity.” She congratulated Mr. Oaks for his success in helping to see the resolution come forward. She felt that everyone who spoke had said something wonderful, but she wanted to call out Ms. Berg-Caldwell and Ms. Pincus Merwin for “working for what’s right.” She thought everyone had spoken well and convincingly. She agreed with people who felt that the City was in danger of negating the efficiency of the CRB. Councilor Ortiz thanked everyone for coming down to the meeting and for all of the emails she had received on the issues that were discussed during the evening. She underscored that her main objective was to maintain the integrity of the office of the Police Auditor and the CRB. She believed it was critical to get the right mix of people to serve on the board. She did not consider it to be “rocket science,” rather they should look at the community as a whole and try to achieve balance. She encouraged people to participate in government because it was necessary. It perturbed her to hear people question the integrity of the council and her own integrity. She noted that the only pressure she had experienced had been from people on the “progressive side.” She stressed that she took her job very seriously. She represented a mix of seven different neighborhoods in Ward 7 and she tried to consider everyone when she made any MINUTES—Eugene City Council October 26, 2009 Page 6 Regular Meeting