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a green business many years earlier. He recalled Springfield's adoption of a Groundwater Protection <br />Program in 1999, which required businesses to be greener or to relocate. <br />Mayor Leiken believed the upcoming governor's election would be a key element in economic recovery <br />given the Governor's role in economic development. He pointed out that Eugene - Springfield was the <br />second largest metropolitan area in the state and the elected officials should capitalize on that, as well as <br />on the area's great transportation system and first rate education system, including resources such as the <br />University of Oregon. <br />Mayor Piercy believed that the community's location was a strong positive and it should continue to <br />leverage what it had. She pointed to Lane Community College's plans to offer education in green <br />technology as an example of an existing resource that could be leveraged to greater advantage. <br />Mr. Clark endorsed the concept that Eugene - Springfield gained an identity as a center for green <br />manufacturing, but said given the community's level of unemployment, he did not care about the color of <br />the jobs as long as the jurisdictions were moving toward a model that allowed them to tackle <br />unemployment. He saw no "magic bullet" for the County's funding issues and no federal or state solution <br />in sight, and maintained that the region would have to work on its own to grow its tax base and economy <br />as the only way to keep government vibrant and able to serve its residents as they deserved. <br />Mayor Piercy agreed with the remarks of Mr. Clark as they regarded the lack of a "magic bullet," and with <br />the remarks of Mr. Fleenor as they regarded companies seeking to relocate to Eugene-Springfield. <br />Mr. Zelenka averred that people thought Eugene was a great place even when they had visited it, and he <br />thought residents underestimated what a great place the region was to live. He did not disagree that the <br />private sector created jobs, but added the caveat that small businesses created most j obs. He expressed <br />gratitude for the public spending that had occurred lately in the form of public works projects and said he <br />did not know where the community would be without those expenditures in the absence of private <br />expenditures. <br />Mayor Piercy adjourned the meeting at 1:40 p.m. <br />Respectfully submitted, <br />Jon Ruiz, <br />City Manager <br />(Recorded by Kimberly Young <br />MINUTES —Joint Elected Officials Lane County & Eugene June 17, 2010 Page 9 <br />