In the January 27, 2018, issue of the Register-Guard, Eugene resident Mark Weintraub writes in a letter:
Regarding Measure 20-283 and opposition to the charter amendment proposed by Citizens for Sensible Oversight:
The Eugene City Council’s recent vote to direct city staff to draft a proposed charter amendment to compete with Measure 20-283 on the May 2018 ballot was disappointing and troubling. The measure qualified for the ballot because of the efforts of Eugene residents who believe it is necessary to ensure that the city spends taxpayer dollars efficiently and honestly. The petitioners’ hard work deserves our city leaders’ respect.
The petitioners played by the rules to put Measure 20-283 before Eugene voters, who now should have the opportunity to vote without having the election clouded and confused by a last-minute measure being pushed by the Chamber of Commerce and city government insiders.
The City Council had years to adopt an appropriate auditor measure and failed to act, and it seems to be acting now only because of fear that Measure 20-283 will create an independent auditor answerable directly to the voters rather than controlled by the City Council and manager.
The council should allow the democratic process to play out fairly by voting down the proposed charter amendment at its next opportunity.