At a recent Board of County Commissioners meeting (probably on 10/22) Steve Schriver, a hired consultant, deliverd a report that was critical of the BCC.  He had interviewed the BCC and many agency heads to obtain the questions he used in his survey and then interviewed 19 neighborhood organization leaders.  The report came back with a conclusion that the public does not trust the BCC.  Since I do not trust the BCC, I immediately bought into the conclusion and started considering systemic causes and remedys.  People I know in Linn, Benton and Douglas counties do not seem to have this problem.  They tell me they elect their commissioners on a county wide basis.  So what would the pros and cons be if we retained the districts but allowed a county-wide vote?

 

Nothing but "pros" in my book. It would mitigate the influence of extremists who can focus their influence and target the smaller districts to sway elections. For example, most of the money on the Rob Handy campaign came from Commissioner Fleenor, his business and people from the south Eugene HARD left. (Records are available on Secretary of State campaign finance site.) They can afford to do this because their own districts are not in play, and they want to do it in order to stack the board with members of the hard-left, something that would not happen if residents of north Eugene were allowed to find their own way without dishonest advertising.

This proposal, like the present ballot measure to allow ALL voters to participate in Oregon primary elections, will allow moderates to have some political traction. What a blessing that would be.

By the way, I encourage readers to try a little experiment: Pick a question you'd like to ask a commissioner, then randomly pick twenty dates/times during normal business hours and mark them on your calendar as a reminder to call commissioner Sorenson. Try your luck by calling on those dates. If you find him there one time in twenty you'll be ahead of the average. Fleenor is seldom there, but at least he's got the excuse that his constituents are in Florence and Junction City. Sorenson just campaigns full-time, while Fleenor appears to only campaign about 75% of the time. (Stewart and Green go to work ad do their jobs instead, so they're respected by their peers and other employees. That makes them especially attractive targets for attack.)

Why not draft a petition and start getting signatures?

As another experiment, to test the hypothesis articulated above, why not make THAT the question you ask the commissioners? Give'em a call -- and be prepared to record it! Let me guess... Fleenor and Sorenson will find 10,000 reasons why such a proposal would mean the end of democracy as we know it.

I believe trust is earned.  With what little trust the public has in our local county government, maybe it is time to remove some of the variables.  People are tired of the annual ‘sky is falling’ rhetoric, ‘we must cut police and schools’ unless we raise taxes.   This ‘putting feet to the fire’ threat doesn’t work.  Year after year, Public Safety ballot measures have been defeated.  This has created a very unfortunate situation for all of us.  The Lane County Jail system is severely inadequate for our population, and even fully staffed, is less than 50% of what is needed.  However, the people of Lane County are NOT going to write a blank check to a governing party that has proved itself unresponsive to the needs of its constituents.

                To help alleviate some of this mistrust, I propose new county bi-laws be introduced, that make any future proposed decreases in funding to Public Safety and Public Schools go before the voters.  In addition, I see no reason that the $7-8 million needed to fully utilize the current jail and Community Correction Center cannot be funded from the renewed SRS funds.  After all, this is the reason so many elected officials worked so diligently, to get these funds renewed.  While I do see the reasoning behind paying down some of the county’s debts to lower interest payments, now is not the time.  Perhaps the commissioners should bring a levy to the voters so that WE can decide if paying off/down these obligations is a good thing to do right now.

                Earning the public’s trust really isn’t very complicated.  Make decisions that exemplify the priorities of the general public. Manage the county budget like everyone else has to manage theirs.  A funding measure to maintain the status-quo, in our local jail will never pass.  And it shouldn’t have to.  Safety should be priority number one.  Everything else is optional.  We don’t HAVE to run dozens of parks, libraries, an animal shelter, etc…  But, we all want these things in addition to having a safe community.  These things being optional can be funded secondary, much like the ‘entertainment’ section of a family budget.  Public Safety and Public Schools ARE what we pay taxes for.

                Given these measures of good-faith, and future assurances, trust can be re-built.  Our community and our elected officials can then work together to find an efficient solution to our lack of jail space.  Perhaps a future measure can be drafted to fund a new correctional facility.  A new facility would be costly and require an increase in taxes, which no one wants to pay.  But, willing or not, we are all paying the cost of our currently ineffective system.  Whether you have been victimized personally or not, you are paying.  Being nationally recognized as an ‘auto-theft capital’ and ‘meth hub’ effects our home and auto insurance rates, house values and salability, and loss of tourism. 

                Using rough figures, a new facility could cost $80 million, which if raised in property tax would be approximately $.25 per $1000 of taxable home value, or $58.75, for the average home owner ($235,000 Lane County 2007 median home price).  A relatively small price to pay for the safety of our families, values of our homes, and futures of our community businesses. 

                In regards to our County Commissioners, let their behavior and actions speak for their priorities.  Too many times I have seen behavior completely unacceptable for an elected official from more than one board member.  Be an informed citizen, watch the commissioners past and upcoming meetings on webcasts at http://lanecounty.org/webcast/Default.aspx  Don’t let misrepresentation go unchecked.  Contact your Commissioner by phone, postal mail, email or public comment at their meetings.  Next meeting is Nov. 5^th, 2008  9 AM, live on webcast or view in person.

Moorefan,

Check your numbers.  $25/1000 would be $5,825.00 for an average home, not $58.75.

Im sure you're thinking $0.25/1000.

Even at that, it would be a 20% increase in County Taxes.  The County only gets $1.28/1000 now.  When it was first set so low many years ago, at that level, other districts (Schools, Cities, etc.) jumped on it and set thier rates so high, that overall, we pay a high rate.  That is what the citizens see...  Paying $15-20/1000 overall, and not getting County services.  And then not understanding why the County has no money. A 200,000 home in Eugene might pay $3,000 in taxes, but $1,500 goes to schools, $750 goes to the City, $500 goes to miscellaneous districts, and only $250 goes to the County.  These are estimated amounts based on some rates I've seen.  But the City gets THREE times the amount that the County gets.  And Schools get SIX times the County amount. 

I will vote, and have voted, for all pubic safety measures.  I also think the school funding needs to continue. And I don't live in Eugene (and, Mr. Fleenor, I do NOT work in public safety, nor do any of my relatives).  But as long as the city of Eu-Green keeps controlling things county-wide, every measure keeps getting defeated.  If the county were to get its permanent rate upped, it would mean less to many other districts due to compression limits from measure 5 and measure 50 imposed several years ago.  Any such measure would be unwanted by the cities, if it lowered thier take. A good idea then when things were flush, but now, it turns out, not such a good idea.

As public service levels continue to drop, I am glad I have my CHL (concealed handgun license).  Let the criminals figure out whoI am and if I am packing when they approach me.

Moorefam, you're right that trust is earned, but our citizens are not responsive to good decisions and trustworthy behavior. They're still basing their judgments on twelve and fifteen year old urban folklore... They think county government is "fat", but it is the leanest government in Oregon -- in many cases having less than half of the staff of their counterparts. They think the county is "top heavy", while Lane County's line-worker to supervisor ratio is almost 13 to 1, also the highest in the state, and over TWICE the ratio at the City of Eugene. Most local citizens have no idea why the responsible commissioners tried to enact an income tax and few would care. Most citizens have no idea that it was Lane County that successfully sued the PERS Board and started the avalanche that killed the existing PERS program and replaced it with a MUCH cheaper, inferior program in 2004. Those are just a few of the facts that underscore the good, frugal county management, but nobody cares. The citizens prefer to recycle foggy stories from the distant past when the present County Administrator and commissioners were not even employed by the county. Oddly, the commissioners who are most responsive to the public's priorities are Stewart and Green, but they get no credit for it, because the others, most notably Sorenson and Fleenor, spend all their time out in public campaigning, schmoozing and misrepresenting their records.

The fact is, up to the point Commissioner Fleenor joined the board there were always enough votes to overrule Sorenson and Lane County did a very good job with it's tiny general fund budget. Lane County should be celebrated for doing what the public demands, always at the expense of it's employees, but our citizens don't care enough to be informed -- so there is no way for the county to earn good will or trust.

We can't require a vote to reduce public safety funding, because the public wouldn't vote to do it, and the commission is required to balance the budget. If the commissioners had not repeatedly slashed public safety since 2001, it would now be close to 120% of the present general fund -- and that's without any funding for Assessment and Taxation, Elections, Administration, Human Resources, or other mandated general fund departments. Cutting some of those departments would actually COST money, as the county would forfeit more state money than it would save through reductions.

There really are no easy solutions. We've already slashed employee numbers and retirement benefits to the point where they're far below those in California and Washington, and the public safety departments are operating between 30% and 60% of normal staffing. The only real solution is to fund the county at the level of an average county government, and that's not going to happen. We'll just have to get used to the crime.

Look at the bright side: We've only had four murders and five officer-involved shootings in the last two months. It could be worse.

Watch the public safety work session on 10.21.2008.  The link is posted below.  Listen to Commissioner Fleenor ask one of his rhetorical questions inquiring if Lane County crime was just sensationalism in the local newspaper.  He even questions why our society insists on having laws that lock up so many members of our society.  You have to watch the video to understand why it feels like he is attempting to drive Lane County further into the ditch.  Listen to the people who work in public safety if you don’t already have an intimate view due to being a victim of a crime yourself.  If you watch this video you will witness Commissioner Fleenor stand in the way of public safety by monopolizing the time so that some officials didn’t get to voice the effects of the latest public safety cuts which was the purpose of the meeting.  He discredits our opinions because we work in the field.  What he should have done in the meeting was close his mouth and listen to the heads of the various components of the local criminal justice system.  Commissioner Fleenor will tell you that anyone who speaks out about his performance is a special interest group member and has something to gain from funding public safety.  Well I have been in this profession for a long time.  Unless public safety completely folds I will have my job.  I actually benefit financially from our broken system because I routinely am held over at the end of my regular shift responding to life threatening emergency calls.  I get called in frequently or asked to work overtime because there simply isn’t enough staff to do the necessary work.  This is a very common theme across Lane County.  Someone has to be ready to respond to 911 calls when they are received.  The work is exciting and very fast paced.  There is no shortage of action in Lane County! 

The reason I want public safety funded is that I have lived here all my life and don’t want to see this beautiful area continue to slide towards lawlessness.  I want my family members to be safe when I am not home.  If they go to get groceries I don’t want them injured in an accident by some repeat drunken driver who has been arrested and convicted numerous times, but has never done a stitch of time because the jail can’t impose a sentence ordered by a judge.  I don’t want some felon who should be in jail sticking a gun in a family member’s face during a robbery of the local convenience store.  I don’t like knowing family members and friends in rural Lane County may have to wait for an hour when they call 911 because the deputy is responding to Florence from Springfield because nobody else is available.  I could go on and on.  The system is broken and the violence and crime is way up.  The numbers would be staggering if everyone who was a victim of crime in Lane County actually called and law enforcement had the time to document the crime in a report.  Law enforcement is not a priority of Commissioners Fleenor and Sorensen.  They are too busy working to get Commissioner Green replaced with Rob Handy so they will have the balance of power in the board to further abandon public safety.  Pay attention to what these commissioners are doing.  Take the time to watch this meeting on the web and evaluate their performance.  Remember how they did when they later ask for your vote down the road!  The irony of this is that when Commissioner Fleenor was running he came up to me while I was in uniform working.  He looked me in the eye while shaking my hand and stated he would do a better job than former Commissioner Anna Morrison.  Needless to say I believe he has failed miserably to make good on this promise.    

    http://www.lanecounty.org/WebCast/Play.aspx?mid=571

 

Well, Mr. Handy won, barely, but he won. During an election night TV interview he said, "We've got to get more police officers on the street and do a better job with our roads!"

That's been woven into his campaign shpeel from beginning to end.

It isn't going to happen, of course, because the county doesn't have the money to make it happen and, even if it did, law enforcement is about four notches down the priority list... and they can only fund part of the first and second priorities.

We'll be lucky if they restore part of the recently lost jail capacity. There's exactly ZERO chance they will staff enforcement at even 1970s levels. I'm not holding my breath on road projects either.

In this system, politicians can make whatever promises they want, because the voters don't hold them accountable for them. Most voters don't even remember what was promised and, when the next political campaign starts, the politicians just parade out a new bundle of promises and the same voters buy the BS again. What a dumb game. I feel stupid for even participating in it.

Welcome to the Capital Lynching City of Arab Americans!

FIVE WHITE MEN!!!

I'd walked and talked to more than 20,000 constituents of North Eugene. Most of the constituents did not like both of the two candidates. Especially, River Road & Bethel residents. They told me that they are sick and tired of Mr. Handy's incompetent conduct, and lack of leadership. Handy fed them lines of lies. Same thing of Bethel neighborhood they are fed up with the incumbent and they don't trust Handy.

The above the law elected  “appointed officials” who had the power NOT to have my name on the ballots. In addition to councilor Mike Clark, coercion and intimidation of any one who supported me. They managed to divide the two sections of the district. They gave Bethel, Cal Young, to Mr. Green. River Road, Whiteaker, Jefferson neighborhood to Handy!?!
Mr. Handy was meeting behind closed doors with the chairs of Jefferson, River Road/Santa Clara!

Whiteaker neighborhood–Never hosted a forum for the Commissioner Candidates- Yet, EW asserted that Handy was winning this neighborhood!?! Mr. Handy was meeting and coercing Skooter to help him out in Whiteaker’s.

Eugene politicians make Rod R. Blagojevich child play.

Oh, come on! :)

That's silly :)

Politics is an ugly process, Nadia, but your name was not on the ballot because you didn't meet the requirements to get on the ballot.

You might be a very nice person and the best qualified candidate, but politics is all about money. With few exceptions, the candidate with the most money wins. Handy got a bunch of money from outside his district, including big money from Fleenor who inherited money and a business from his father. (Fleenor wanted to get rid of Green because Green supported law enforcement and programs for kids at the expense of (Animal Control). Fleenor and Sorenson believe animal control programs and the extension service (4-H and gardening programs) are more important than public safety, so getting rid of Green was important to their goals.

Really! You would think by now, after running for Public offices THERE TIMES!!!
I would have memorized the requirements, to fulfill the corruption of the “progressive appointed” oops, I mean elected officials! It makes Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich a child play ;-)
In addition to CALC doctrine of Racism, Hate and Bigotry against Arab Americans and Muslims!

Don’t forget to add the support endorsement of  TBI too…

WELCOME TO THE NATION CAPITAL CITY FOR LYNCHING ARAB AMERICANS.

CONGRATULATIONS FOR THE APPOINTED OFFICIALS.

FIVE WHITE COMMISSIONERS MEN!!! AND THE MIDDLE EAST IS BURNING!!



--
Salaam. nadia

http://www.nadiasindi.110mb.com

http://nadiasindi.blogspot.com/

http://www.studentloanjustice.Org

“The battle...has to begin here. In America. The only institution more powerful than the U.S. government is American civil society. The rest of us are subjects of slave nations. We are by no means powerless, but you have the power of proximity. You have access to the Imperial Palace and the Emperor’s chambers. Empire’s conquests are being carried out in your name.”
   Arundhati Roy

“The ink of the scholar is holier more than the blood of the martyr"-  Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him)  
 

Nadia,

You can only get elected if you persuade the voters that you're the best candidate. Very few people even know who you are, so they don't vote for you.

Yes, there is prejudice here, like anywhere else. We're working to reduce prejudice every day, but that has nothing to do with why you lost. People would have to know your ethnicity to hold it against you, and that requires knowing who you are. I read the paper, watch the news and try to be involved in the community, but I couldn't pick you out of a group of five people I had never seen before.

By the way, they didn't elect me either, but I'm not complaining about prejudice against Hispanic-Cherokees! Like you, nobody knows me and I wasn't on the ballot.

Hope,

I ran THREE times for public offices. In 2003 for Lane Community College I got %48.9 the first time!!!

In 2005,I ran for the 4J School Board against the Pepsi Cola Executive Eric Forrest. and to cover up for the corruption of the school .  The Pepsi Cola paid more than $320,000.00 some thing to keep the junk food in the school. The progressive elected officials got a "progressive" candidate to run against me..

So, it wouldn't be so obvious to get rid of me!  You can read all about the junk food and my race for the school board on my blog: www.nadiasindi.blogspot.com.

When commissioner Fleenor called me more than three times to force me to drop out of the Race. I refused. Mr. Fleenor  suggested to do the poll to see whose name more recognized. I welcomed his proposal, and I asked him,  let's have James Zogby do the poll for name recognition!! 

So please open your eyes to the REALITY of "klanliberal" of RACISM &  the “progressive” community,  before you suggest that it was not  RACE issue :-(

I’ve lived in Eugene since 1980.. By now most of the people in Lane County know me pretty well.. I have some evidence too..

Nadia, Mr. Fleenor wanted Rob Handy to win so that he, Handy and Sorenson could divert remaining money from the public safety departments to preserve animal services, the extension service and Human Services. I'm sure he wanted you out of the race because the primary made it obvious that you couldn't win, and he was worried you might siphon a few votes from his candidate that he might need for a win.

Frankly, I don't understand the point or the ethics of staying in a race as a spoiler. It's like Nader staying in Presidential race as a green candidate, knowing that he has no chance of getting more than 4% of the vote, and it's all going to come at the expense of the democratic candidate. In this case you may have cost Bobby Green the election. Who knows?

I wouldn't discourage you from trying to win an open seat somewhere. There are school board and water board positions around the county that go by elections with nobody filing. Why not try one of those? At least it would get your name out, get you some meaningful experience and help you understand our political process better.

Hope I think you are buying into the same delusion of Eugene "progressive & peace". movement  I stated MILLION times that MY NAME WAS NOT on the BALLOTS in the primary! I know who you are!? I filed a complaint with the Secretary of the State and the election office.

I don’t think you’ve read my response on the topic “Handy Scary Clueless”
Stop fooling yourself, you sound like “Kathy Kings, Lonnie Clark, Ruth Duemler, Betsy
Steffenson..& the CALC Klan Liberal members .. etc..

It is RACESIM, SEXIMS –‘Mr. Fleenor and Councilman Clark made sure to let me know’-, AND BIGOTRY. Whether you agree or NOT.

I don't have time to continue!!

Nadia, none of those people you mentioned has any control over whether your name appears on the ballot, and the system doesn't give a hoot what color your skin is. If you are eligible, you pay your fee and you file the required paperwork you'll be on the primary ballot. If the primary is competitive, getting on the November ballot requires success in the primary. That's all there is to it.

For what it's worth, I'm another person who has never heard of you. If you get some name recognition it may change your luck.

We know from a wealth of experience that any idiot can get on the ballot in Eugene, Oregon...and probably will!