HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes - 10/26/09 Meeting
M I N U T E S
Eugene City Council
Regular Meeting
Council Chamber—Eugene City Hall
777 Pearl Street—Eugene, Oregon
October 26, 2009
7:30 p.m.
COUNCILORS PRESENT: Chris Pryor, George Brown, Andrea Ortiz, George Poling, Mike Clark, Betty
Taylor, Jennifer Solomon, Alan Zelenka.
Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the meeting of the Eugene City Council to order. She noted that the Consent
Calendar had been approved during the preceding council work session.
1. PUBLIC FORUM
Mayor Piercy reviewed the rules of the Public Forum.
Gaylyn Forster
, 1955 Minda Drive, expressed concern that Rick Brissenden might not be reappointed to the Civilian
Review Board (CRB). He had been following the aftermath of the tasering incident that had happened in May, 2008,
and he felt that there appeared to be a lack of meaningful police oversight. He considered the loss of Mr. Brissenden
to mean a loss of objectivity. He worried that the public might lose faith and to him, it felt like something was going
wrong. He asserted that the City Council had a lack of willingness to have meaningful police oversight. He was
concerned for the Eugene Police Department (EPD). He opined that without meaningful oversight the EPD “would
pay,” and thoughtful, careful oversight was in their favor.
Amy Pincus Merwin
, 2220 Sandy Drive, said she had emailed her comments to the council and the Mayor. She
declared that a dynamic had seemed to be “set up” since the tasering incident of May, 2008, which she believed had
been “without cause.” She opined that there had been a series of “manipulations, controls, procrastinations,
accusations” that had “undermined” the CRB process. She had been a witness and a speaker at the rally at which the
tasering incident had occurred. She was shocked by how little understanding there seemed to be of what had actually
occurred on that day, as she perceived it. She asserted that some members of the CRB were “in lockstep” with some
members of the Police Commission, the council, the EPD, and the Eugene Police Employee Association (EPEA). It
had been painful for her and had “re-stimulated the trauma” of witnessing the tasering incident. She feared the young
man who had been tasered would never recover from having a concussion and that he would probably never exercise
his civil liberties again. She felt that there was a syndrome she considered to be “battered community syndrome.”
She alleged that members of the community and the City Council seemed “to be afraid” to speak up. She asserted
that CRB members Rick Brissenden and Kate Wilkinson were willing to engage in dialogue and to question things,
looking hard at the issues. She had heard that Mr. Brissenden’s appointment was in jeopardy. She believed that he
was “just the kind of person” that should serve on the CRB. She urged the council to reappoint Mr. Brissenden.
Hal Reed
, 85139 Appletree Drive, stated that he had been asked by Eugene Advocates to speak up on behalf of
public safety downtown. He provided two handouts, both pictorials of the significant problems and examples of the
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kinds of behavior no one wanted to see in the downtown area. He asked the council to review the pictures and to
come up with some immediate solutions. He averred that public safety was the cornerstone of an economically viable
downtown. He declared that unless they did something about it, no one with any money was going to come
downtown and stay. He said the kinds of things that one sees in the downtown area scared the public away. He
added that he himself felt scared away. He opined that to look at other kinds of issues without engaging in public
safety was “kind of disingenuous.” He said all they had to do was to walk the streets and they would see what was
going on. He suggested that the council and the Mayor had to face up to the situation. He listed some of the issues
that were plaguing the downtown, which included graffiti, public urination, and public indecency. He believed that
there were laws on the books that could be enforced and urged the council to do what was needed to fix the public
safety problem downtown.
Carol Berg-Caldwell
, 2510 Augusta Street, Councilor Zelenka’s ward, thanked the Mayor and council for the time
and attention given to appointments to boards, committees, and commissions. She urged them to reappoint Mr.
Brissenden to the CRB. She related that she had attended many CRB and Police Commission meetings to gain more
understanding of police and community relations. She averred that police and the community were not separate. She
asserted that Mr. Brissenden and Ms. Wilkinson’s work on the CRB was driven by “the desire to restore shattered
trust” and “to build bridges.” She quoted Mr. Brissenden’s application, which said he believed the goal should be
that citizens and police see no distinctions between them other than occupation. She likened the division between the
police and the community to a “blue wall.” She believed that Mr. Brissenden’s “words and service” call on the
community to “take down the wall.” She asked the council to reward Mr. Brissenden and Ms. Wilkinson and not to
“punish them.” She averred that in doing so, the council would reward a community that had clearly supported
external police oversight. She implored the council to reappoint Mr. Brissenden and Ms. Wilkinson, so that they
could “continue their good work.”
David Oaks
, 2000 City View Street, Ward 8 – Councilor Pryor’s ward, stated that he directed Mind Freedom
International. He was present to thank the council for passing Resolution 4989, a resolution affirming the City’s
commitment to human rights and choice in mental health care, in its Consent Calendar. He also thanked Holly
LeMasurier, Human Rights Analyst for the City, and the Human Rights Commission (HRC) staff for making sure
that the resolution had been completed and submitted for approval. He commended Mayor Piercy for being
“extremely supportive” and noted that former HRC chair, Carmen Urbina, had been a “key person” in moving the
resolution forward. He said two public forums and a conference had been held, with the latter co-sponsored by the
City. He had been doing this work for 33 years and had not seen this type of resolution passed by other cities,
because it was not just about mental health, it was a resolution that declared that there should be a range of choices
available to people, including more non-drug choices. He considered the resolution unique, adding that he felt it
would influence other cities and Lane County. He also wished to share that there was now a statewide coalition of
mental health consumer and psychiatric survivor groups called OCSC, standing for Oregon Mental Health
Consumer/Psychiatric Survivor Coalition. He reiterated his thanks to the council and Mayor for passing the
resolution.
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Samantha Chirillo
, 3930 West 17 Avenue, spoke on behalf of the Citizens for Public Accountability (CPA)
Steering Committee. She implored the council to “support real police oversight” by reappointing CRB members
Brissenden and Wilkinson. She opined that they were the only members of the CRB who “recognized the need” for
adjudication for the public impact case. She conveyed the committee’s demand for a revision of the taser policy to
allow use only in place of the use of deadly force and to equip every taser with a camera. She believed that a taser
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camera “would have revealed the truth” about both the actions of the police and those that attended the rally in May
30, 2008. She considered herself very familiar with Mr. Brissenden as chair of the CRB. She related that she had
attended a police oversight panel that he had participated in and she had also served with him on the community panel
to interview police auditor candidates. Additionally, she had attended the CRB meeting at which they had considered
the public impact case. She agreed with Mr. Brissenden’s assessment that it was a matter of choices on the part of
the police that determined the course of events on that day. Speaking on her own behalf, she averred that the
“greatness of a city” depended largely on how it treated the members of the community that had the least financial
and political status. She considered this group to include youth and homeless people. She opined that “time and time
again” youth were being treated in a “deplorable and immoral and illegal manner.” She felt that “politically active”
youth were singled out. She did not think that they could expect a positive future in the community if youth
continued to be treated this way by law enforcement.
William A. Ivanoff
, 2340 Grant Street, commented that he had been a person that had been against the EPD, but
after recently working with them he had found that a lot of them were nice and helpful. He averred that with the
“possible appointment of pro-police commissioners on the CRB” it seemed to him that someone was trying to make
more revenue available for the City. He believed that if they stacked pro-police people on the CRB, then there would
be no reason for its existence and then there would be no real reason for an auditor. He suggested that if this was
true they should put it on the ballot and ask the voters if they wanted to get rid of the auditor’s office and “free up
some money.” He hoped he was misinformed about the council’s “wish to put pro-police people on the CRB.” He
also had noticed that there were efforts to make the downtown better, one of which was the bicycle police officers.
He felt their presence had made it nicer in the downtown area. He suggested that one thing that might help to
revitalize the downtown would be to reduce the streets to two lanes in either direction with parking on all downtown
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streets. He also suggested that the City “take back” 6 and 7 Avenues from the State. He believed this would make
the downtown a more pedestrian-oriented place.
Tracy Dumas
, 2986 Oak Street, Apt. 110, Ward 2, thanked the councilors for passing the resolution for choice in
the mental health system. She had been a member of the mental health system for approximately 35 years and she
had seen a lot of individuals, including her, who had not been given a choice of alternatives and who had their power
taken away. She wanted to thank Mayor Piercy especially because she had “been there with us since the beginning.”
Diane Raack
, 865 Louis Street, Councilor Solomon’s ward, stated that she routinely was asked to shoo the vagrants
out of the alley that led to the front door of the business she worked for. She said sometimes she had to deal with
teenagers who were skipping school and smoking in the alley and other times people hung out there to smoke pot and
drink beer. She related that she tried to be respectful when she asked people to vacate the area, explaining to them
that their clients needed to have access to the door. Some people had been respectful in return and others had been
verbally abusive. She also related that in the past year some people had taken to “hanging out in the bushes” and
making it their home. While she wanted people to have a place to go, hanging out in the bushes near the business’
front door was not the right place. She said it started with a few bags of clothes and then a tarp showed up along
with human excrement. She had spoken with the people and they had left, but this type of situation was becoming
more frequent. She understood that people needed a place to go, but she did not want to clean up their vomit, urine,
feces, or trash. She underscored that this situation was not specific to just the area in which she worked; it was all
over the downtown area. She averred that there needed to be tools “with teeth.” She added that Councilor Clark had
a good idea for cleaning up the downtown area and she hoped the council would give him support for it.
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Ron Unger
, 1770 Augusta Street, Ward 3, stated that he was a licensed clinical social worker. He thanked the
council for passing the human rights and mental health resolution. He thought it would do a lot to help the mental
health system toward being a friendlier more versatile system that would “fit” different people. He underscored that
there was no “one size fits all” solution for people. Different approaches were needed, especially for young people
who needed to be reached before they ended up in a serious crisis. He felt that the resolution would help create a
mental health system that was more positive and hopeful and would help work to foster full recovery.
Jorge Navarro
, 1452 West Broadway, Ward 1, supported the reappointment of Mr. Brissenden and Ms. Wilkinson
to the CRB. He averred that they both had proven that they should continue to be on the board. He believed that
they presented “that other voice.” He had followed the evolution of the CRB through the print media and as “a
participant” in the process. He felt the CRB was at a “critical juncture.” He opined that Mr. Brissenden offered a
voice that “sometimes makes people uncomfortable,” which was “a good sign.” He perceived Mr. Brissenden’s voice
to be balanced and thoughtful. He urged the council to reappoint Mr. Brissenden and Ms. Wilkinson.
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Joe Alsup
, 36 West 38 Avenue, Councilor Taylor’s ward, advocated for the reappointment of Mr. Brissenden and
Ms. Wilkinson. He thought that the jobs that they had done could be controversial, but they had that as a standard.
He felt that the City should want to have this on any of its committees in which a wide range of people’s opinions
were sought to reflect the community. He noted that he sat on the Police Commission and was a “huge fan” of the
EPD. He wanted a new facility for the officers, he wanted more officers and for them not to have to do enforced
overtime, and he wanted money to come into the department that showed the respect that they deserved and earned.
He averred that what the community asked the police to do was “amazing” to him and how they did it was “a point of
civic pride.” He felt that the oversight system was critical to the relationship they had within the community and the
department. He said if they were going to try and have the community vote for more bond measures, there had to be
a level of trust. He perceived the refusal to appoint Mr. Brissenden and Ms. Wilkinson as diminishing that trust. He
had heard it rumored that Ms. Wilkinson might be reappointed, but Mr. Brissenden might not. He opined that the
loss of either of them would put into question the council’s support of police oversight.
Fred Hamlin
, P.O. Box 2871, favored the empowerment of the University of Oregon’s Department of Public Safety
(DPS). He believed that the council was on the right track. He thought it could be expanded significantly. He
averred that “obviously in this day and age” there would not be more money for police officers or corrections
facilities. He declared that the more eyes they could put on the street to do the job and free officers to do other work,
the better off everyone would be.
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Ronan Kelly
, 660 West 20 Avenue, spoke in favor of the reappointment of Mr. Brissenden and Ms. Wilkinson.
She had experienced violence in her life and considered herself not to be naïve about public safety. She averred that
the people she feared the most in Eugene were the police. She opined that the town needed a strong review board that
was not afraid to criticize the police.
Majeska Seese-Green
, P.O. Box 1214, Ward 7, urged the council to support the reappointment of Mr. Brissenden
and Ms. Wilkinson to the CRB. She said it was necessary to have a balanced board. She opined that without the
two of them, it would not be “nearly what the public would consider a balanced board.” She averred that if the board
was already made up of a majority of people who thought like Mr. Brissenden and Ms. Wilkinson, she would be
testifying in favor of appointing people from a completely different point of view. She declared that this “kind of
balance” was necessary for the public to have trust in the oversight system. She was also concerned that the
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community panel used to review the CRB applications seemed like it “was practically in secret.” She understood that
it was not really secret, but she averred that “it might as well be when nobody knows anything about it.” She wanted
them to conduct the review more publicly and transparently in the future. She said she had submitted a public
records request for copies of the deliberations. She noted that one person who had served on the panel was a member
of the EPD Internal Affairs (IA) division. She opined that this represented a conflict of interest, because people such
as Mr. Brissenden and Ms. Wilkinson had been critical of IA. She suggested that someone other than the IA
employee and, perhaps, not a representative of EPD should serve on the community panel.
Michael L. Quillen
, 2735 Kismet Way, Ward 8, was very concerned by the “rapid use” of tasers by the EPD. He
said following the community impact case and in light of the two recent cases of tasering, he would urge the council
to adopt a moratorium on taser use without a reasonable belief that a deadly weapon was present. He declared that
arms and feet were not weapons and police should be trained to deal with citizens; more confrontation was not
needed. He asked them to imagine that it was their son or daughter who had been tasered and taken to jail. He asked
them to imagine how they would feel. He cited the recent incident in which two foreign students had been tasered.
He averred that this was not the image that the City would want to present to the rest of the world. He asked the
council to “clean up” the taser issue. He urged the council to reappoint Mr. Brissenden and Ms. Wilkinson to the
CRB. He opined that any other outcome of the decision would amount “to cherry-picking pro-police members of the
CRB” and this was not what external oversight was. He felt that the signal that was being sent to the community was
that it was the police who were running the CRB.
Randy Prince
, 2990 Onyx Street, supported the reappointment of Mr. Brissenden to the CRB. He felt that some
people did not think Mr. Brissenden was nice enough. He had seen the interviews and noted that Mr. Brissenden had
not smiled much. He averred that Mr. Brissenden was forthright and had provoked some people. He understood that
a majority of the council did not intend to reappoint him. He opined that a couple of the councilors who were
identified as liberal did not want someone “who pushed too hard.” He did not think this was the right approach. He
asserted that inside the EPD there was a feeling of besiegement that was due to the negative public opinion after the
Magaña/Lara incident in which officers were ultimately charged as criminals and sent to jail. He believed the police
pushed back against the council and against the Chief of Police. He commented that he would be outraged but it
“was not that out of character for police” because police were trained to show force when faced with force. He
declared that it would “be a real negative” if the council responded “to pressure” from the officers “by caving in” and
appointing CRB members that tried not to “hurt the cops’ feelings.” He thought they needed an objective, credible
CRB that upheld discipline. He felt that Mr. Brissenden was the most knowledgeable and experienced member. He
wanted both Mr. Brissenden and Ms. Wilkinson to be reappointed. He predicted that the situation with tasers would
be exacerbated because some felt that tasers were just an alternative to the billy club and pepper spray, meaning that
more cases would come before the CRB.
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Howard Bonnett
, 1835 East 28 Avenue, Councilor Zelenka’s ward, said he had come before the council because
he had been feeling badly. He had served on the advisory committee for the appointment of the CRB for three out of
the four times the committee had been convened. He believed that the make-up of the CRB had changed. He
expressed disappointment in his performance during the last convening of the committee. He had felt that the best
applicant for the initial board appointment was a man who had been appointed. He believed he had demonstrated the
most thorough knowledge and understanding of what the CRB was charged with and how it should function. He
underscored that this was what he looked for in any applicant. He had tried to apply that rule without respect to
whether an applicant held conservative or liberal viewpoints. He felt that he had allowed himself to be deluded in the
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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
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decision. She also felt that when people commented that if the council did not do one thing or another it would bring
into question the work that would continue to be done on the CRB, it was disrespectful of the people who were there
working. She believed they had good people working on the CRB who put a lot of hours into the work.
Councilor Clark thanked everyone who came to speak to the council. He wanted to underscore how much he
appreciated and respected Mr. Bonnett’s tone and manner. He said he could really respect someone who disagreed
with him but did so from a position of integrity. He echoed the comments made by Councilor Ortiz. He had found it
offensive to hear that if he did not agree with some of the people who testified, they could then define his motives and
claim that he was “somehow ruining the system or putting it into question.” He found accusations that the council
was not committed to police oversight to be harmful to the community moving forward together. He perceived the
job as coming to a place of balance. He stressed that the council received a lot of input from a lot of different places
in the community. He received many emails, some from the people who had testified and many from north Eugene,
the ward for which he served as representative. He said the opinions he fielded were “wildly in disagreement.” He
encouraged everyone to have the kind of conversation that left everyone’s integrity intact in the process of disagreeing
about how they would “get there.” He also observed that a number of untrue statements had been provided as fact,
particularly in regard to tasering incidents. He noted that there were cameras on the tasers that had been deployed at
the May, 2008, incident. Regarding the incident, he underscored that everyone had a right to free speech and
everyone had the right to be heard, but no one had the right to force people to hear them.
Councilor Brown thanked everybody who had come to the meeting. He read a statement into the record. He opined
that while the council wanted an independent police auditor, it sought to diminish the auditor’s authority by “a
hundred small cuts” in ordinance amendments and it transferred parts of that authority to the police chief, the City
Manager, and the municipal court judge. He averred that though the council said it would support the auditor, the
council questioned the personal integrity and competence of the first two auditors. He asserted that though it was
said that capable, experienced people were wanted to serve on the CRB, people who would conduct rigorous and
thorough analysis, broaden the discussion, provoke thought, and speak “inconvenient truths,” were discarded when
the council was “lucky enough” to get them. He alleged that they were doing everything they could to diminish the
credibility and to ensure the failure of the civilian oversight process. He opined that their hypocrisy was subliminal,
unspoken, and subconscious.
2. CONSENT CALENDAR
A. Approval of City Council Minutes
- September 9, 2009, Work Session
B. Approval to Tentative Working Agenda
C. Adoption of Resolution 4989 Affirming the City’s Commitment to Human Rights and Choice in
Mental Health Care
The City Council approved the Consent Calendar during the Work Session that preceded this meeting.
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3. ACTION:
Appointments to Boards, Commissions, and Committees
Budget Committee
Councilor Zelenka, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to reappoint Doug Smith to Position 3 on
the Budget Committee for a three-year term beginning November 1, 2009 and ending on June 30,
2013. Roll call vote; the motion passed unanimously, 8:0.
Councilor Zelenka, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to reappoint Joseph Potwora to Position 5
on the Budget Committee for a three-year term beginning November 1, 2009 and ending on June 30,
2013. Roll call vote; the motion passed unanimously, 8:0.
Councilor Zelenka, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to appoint Ramin Shojai to Position 7 on
the Budget Committee, the unexpired term of Kate Davidson ending on June 30, 2011. Roll call
vote; the motion passed unanimously, 8:0.
Mayor Piercy congratulated the newly appointed member and reappointed members of the Budget Committee.
Civilian Review Board
Councilor Zelenka, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to reappoint Kate Wilkinson to Position 5
on the Civilian Review Board, for a three-year term beginning November 1, 2009, and ending on
June 30, 2013. The motion passed, 7:1; Councilor Solomon voting in opposition.
Councilor Zelenka, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to reappoint Tim Laue to Position 4 on the
Civilian Review Board, for a three-year term beginning November 1, 2009, and ending on June 30,
2013.
Councilor Taylor, seconded by Councilor Brown, moved to substitute Rick Brissenden for Tim
Laue.
Mayor Piercy voiced her support of Mr. Brissenden and Ms. Wilkinson. She remarked that Mr. Laue was “doing a
fine job” and she also supported him. She said when the council undertook the appointment process, those who were
applying for reappointment participated in an open application process that allowed the councilors to consider all of
the applicants. She noted that she had voted twice not to reappoint people in the past. She stressed that some might
not like the decision made but it was the right and responsibility of the councilors to make the best decision they
thought they could make under the circumstances.
Councilor Taylor said she was voting to support Mr. Brissenden because of “his intelligence, his knowledge, his
experience both professionally and on the board, and all of the reasons” stated by those who testified.
Councilor Clark supported Mr. Laue. He felt Mr. Laue was doing a good job and he wanted to reappoint him. He
indicated that he would not support Mr. Brissenden. He underscored that he had given it a great deal of thought and
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had received “a number of inputs” from across the community regarding Mr. Brissenden. He indicated his
willingness to discuss his reasoning for his vote with anyone who wished to discuss it. He believed he had balanced
reasons for his vote.
Roll call vote; the motion to substitute Rick Brissenden for Tim Laue failed, 6:2; councilors Brown
and Taylor voting in favor.
Roll call vote; the motion to reappoint Tim Laue to Position 4 on the Civilian Review Board passed,
6:2; councilors Brown and Taylor voting in opposition.
Councilor Zelenka, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to appoint Steven Buel-McIntire to Posi-
tion 3 on the Civilian Review Board, for a three-year term beginning November 1, 2009, and ending
on June 30, 2013.
Councilor Taylor, seconded by Councilor Brown, moved to substitute Rick Brissenden for Steven
Buel-McIntire. Roll call vote; the motion failed, 6:2; councilors Taylor and Brown voting in sup-
port.
Roll call vote; the motion to appoint Steven Buel-McIntire to Position 3 on the Civilian Review
Board passed unanimously, 8:0.
Councilor Zelenka, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to appoint Eric Van Houten to Position 1
on the Civilian Review Board, the unexpired term of Ann Marie Lemire, ending on June 30, 2011.
Councilor Poling, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to substitute Steven Broome for Eric Van
Houten.
Councilor Poling explained that Mr. Broome had experience in all aspects of law enforcement. He said Mr. Broome
had been the subject of an investigation and had conducted investigations and disciplinary hearings for officers and
had an understanding of the oversight system. He believed Mr. Broome had a level of integrity and a commitment to
a fair and honest law enforcement agency.
Roll call vote; the motion to substitute failed, 6:2; councilors Solomon and Poling voting in support.
Councilor Taylor, seconded by Councilor Brown, moved to substitute Rick Brissenden for Eric Van
Houten. Roll call vote; the motion failed, 6:2; councilors Brown and Taylor voting in favor.
Roll call vote; the motion to appoint Eric Van Houten to Position 1 on the Civilian Review Board
passed unanimously, 8:0.
Mayor Piercy congratulated the newly appointed and reappointed members of the Civilian Review Board.
Human Rights Commission
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Councilor Zelenka, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to appoint Ron Burley to Position 2, Melis-
sa Mona to Position 4, Michelle Maher to Position 6, Lorraine Kerwood to Position 8, Mat Beecher
to Position 9, Toni Gyatso to Position 10, Autumn Lovell to Position 11, Iva Boslough to Position
12, Brian Keith Mason to Position 13, and to reappoint Linda Hamilton to Position 14 on the Human
Rights Commission. Roll call vote; the motion passed unanimously, 8:0.
Mayor Piercy congratulated the members appointed to the Human Rights Commission.
Planning Commission
Councilor Zelenka, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to appoint Jonathan Belcher to Position 4
on the Planning Commission for a four-year term beginning November 1, 2009 and ending on June
30, 2014.
Councilor Ortiz moved to substitute Carla Gary for Jonathan Belcher. The motion died for lack of a
second.
Councilor Brown, seconded by Councilor Taylor, moved to substitute Carolyn Jacobs for Jonathan
Belcher. Roll call vote; the motion failed, 6:2; councilors Brown and Taylor voting in support.
Councilor Ortiz wanted to clarify that she had moved to substitute because she had hoped to “get some new blood”
on the commission. She thought Mr. Belcher had done a great job during his previous tenure on the Planning
Commission.
Councilor Clark expressed respect for Councilor Ortiz’ position. He noted that there would likely be two new
members on the commission and pointed out that the load ahead of the commission was heavier than it had been in
some years. He agreed that there was value in new thoughts and new blood, but there was also a value in experience.
He intended to support Mr. Belcher.
Roll call vote; the motion to appoint Jonathan Belcher to Position 4 on the Planning Commission
passed, 7:1; Councilor Taylor voting in opposition.
Councilor Zelenka, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to appoint Lisa Warnes to Position 5 on the
Planning Commission for a four-year term beginning November 1, 2009, and ending on June 30,
2014.
Councilor Poling, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to substitute David McLean for Lisa
Warnes.
Councilor Poling said Mr. McLean, though fairly new to the community, had been involved in the type of work that
the Planning Commission was facing. He felt that Mr. McLean was not bringing a personal agenda to the table and
would have a short learning curve because of past experience on a planning commission.
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Roll call vote; the vote was a tie, 4:4; councilors Poling, Solomon, Pryor, and Clark voting in favor
and councilors Ortiz, Taylor, Zelenka, and Brown voting in opposition. Mayor Piercy voted against
the substitution and the motion failed.
Roll call vote; the motion to appoint Lisa Warnes to Position 5 on the Planning Commission passed,
5:3; councilors Clark, Poling, and Solomon voting in opposition.
Councilor Zelenka, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to appoint Mark Baker to Position 6 on the
Planning Commission, the unexpired term of Ann Kneeland, ending on June 30, 2011.
Councilor Clark, seconded by Councilor Poling, moved to substitute William Randall for Mark Bak-
er. Roll call vote; the vote was a tie, 4:4; councilors Solomon, Pryor, Poling, and Clark voting in fa-
vor and councilors Ortiz, Taylor, Brown, and Zelenka voting in opposition. Mayor Piercy voted in
favor and the motion to substitute passed.
Roll call vote; the motion, amended to appoint William Randall, passed, 5:3; councilors Taylor, Ze-
lenka, and Brown voting in opposition.
Sustainability Commission
Councilor Zelenka, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to reappoint David Funk to Position 3 on
the Sustainability Commission for a three-year term beginning November 1, 2009, and ending on
June 30, 2013. Roll call vote; the motion passed unanimously, 8:0.
Councilor Zelenka, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to reappoint Rusty Rexius to Position 1 on
the Sustainability Commission for a three-year term beginning November 1, 2009, and ending on
June 30, 2013. Roll call vote; the motion passed unanimously, 8:0.
Councilor Zelenka, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to reappoint Lisa Arkin to Position 4 on the
Sustainability Commission for a three-year term beginning November 1, 2009, and ending on June
30, 2013. Roll call vote; the motion passed unanimously, 8:0.
Councilor Zelenka, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to appoint Mark Nystrom to Position 2 on
the Sustainability Commission for a three-year term beginning November 1, 2009, and ending on
June 30, 2013. Roll call vote; the motion passed unanimously, 8:0.
Mayor Piercy extended her congratulations to the newly appointed and reappointed members of the Planning
Commission and the Sustainability Commission.
Toxics Board
Councilor Zelenka, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to appoint Maeve Sowles to Position 1, a
business representative on the Toxics Board for a three-year term beginning November 1, 2009, and
ending on June 30, 2013. Roll call vote; the motion passed unanimously, 8:0.
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Regular Meeting
Councilor Zelenka, seconded by Councilor Clark, moved to appoint Holly Jacobson to Position 4, an
advocacy representative on the Toxics Board for a three-year term beginning November 1, 2009, and
ending on June 30, 2013. Roll call vote; the motion passed unanimously, 8:0.
Mayor Piercy congratulated the members appointed to the Toxics Board.
The meeting adjourned at 8:47 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jon Ruiz
City Manager
(Recorded by Ruth Atcherson)
MINUTES—Eugene City Council October 26, 2009 Page 12
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