Improving the accountability & transparency of city government
In the July 26, 2018, issue of the Eugene Weekly, Eugene resident Richard Guske writes:
Regarding the July 12 “Slant” column: What? Let’s get to our “greatest challenge,” the election of effective candidates, “only four months away,” without the help of the “mayor, manager and staff and City Council.”
And, sob, we don’t even have a “truly effective auditor like so many other cities have.” Let the adults stand up please.
In the July 26, 2018, issue of the Eugene Weekly, Yachats resident Jerome Garger writes:
Another damaging blow to our fragile and precarious democracy has been struck, this time in “liberal” Eugene.
Eugene’s mayor and six city councilors voted against Betty Taylor’s recent admirable motion to allow a public vote on a modified citizen-initiated measure to create the position of an official auditor, one with real power to examine and report on their misuse of taxpayers’ money and their other highly questionable shenanigans.
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In the July 12, 2018, issue of the Eugene Weekly, staff write:
The city auditor story in Eugene is a tale of power, personalities and probably fear of what an independent elected auditor might find and suggest. It was no surprise that Councilor Betty Taylor’s motion to put a new elected auditor measure on the November ballot failed July 9 with only two votes, hers and Emily Semple’s (see our story at eugeneweekly.com). Most of the players say the Eugene voters clearly want some kind of auditor, considering the votes for the two measures on the May ballot, and other anecdotal evidence. But it seems unlikely that a truly effective auditor, like so many other cities have, will spring from this mayor, manager and staff and City Council. What’s the next step?
On July 10, 2018, in the Eugene Weekly blogs, reporter Meerah Powell writes:
Although both the elected and appointed auditor measures were rejected by Eugene residents in the May election, discussion for another potential measure was brewing at the Eugene City Council — though as of now, it won’t be on this upcoming November’s ballot. …
In the July 5, 2018, issue of the Eugene Weekly, staff write:
Councilor Betty Taylor plans to make a motion on July 9 to give her fellow Eugene city councilors the chance to offer voters a straight up or down vote in November on an independent elected city auditor. Her proposal will be slightly modified, she says, to meet some of the objections to the elected auditor proposal that lost in May. For instance, a residency requirement will be added, and the cost formula will be modified. Taylor and many others believe the elected auditor lost in May because the City Council put an appointed auditor measure on the ballot, splitting the vote or causing voters to say “no” to both, as The Register-Guard recommended, in the confusion. We wonder how this council will vote on Taylor’s motion.
In the June 7, 2018, issue of the Eugene Weekly, Eugene resident Branden Johnson writes:
On vacation while auditing votes were counted, I have been bemused by post-election comments. One side says Eugene avoided an autocratic, over-priced elected auditor promoted by a narrow neighborhood cabal; the other side says the people’s preference was defeated by a late insincere option aimed at vote-splitting, resulting in continued double-dealing by local government.
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In the May 24, 2018, issue of the Eugene Weekly, Eugene resident James Stauffer writes:
Analyzing the voting data for the dueling city auditor ballot measures shows that the majority of voters did want an auditor, but vote-splitting resulted in no auditor being selected. …
In the May 21, 2018, issue of the Register-Guard, Eugene resident Ruth Duemler writes:
My thanks to Bonny Bettman McCormack and all those who worked so hard gathering signatures for Measure 20-283, a citizen campaign to have expert advice on city spending.
After the city of Eugene stabbed this effort, I doubt we will ever have another citizen initiative in Eugene.
What was the city afraid of? Where will the next gravel pit appear?
In the May 17, 2018, issue of the Eugene Weekly, staff write:
Eugene won’t have an auditor — elected or otherwise — following Tuesday’s election. But the fact that nearly half of voters supported Measure 20-283 shows a crisis of confidence in the City Council. If councilors were doing their jobs and overseeing the city manager, no one would be talking about performance audits. What defeated the elected auditor was the council’s “auditor lite” initiative, which lost overwhelmingly but bled just enough support from 20-283 to be sure that neither proposal passed.
In the May 17, 2018, issue of the Eugene Weekly, reporter Henry Houston writes:
… Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis told EW she’s happy to hear that the two parks bonds passed. However, she said, the people of Eugene have said they’re not ready for the large step of an elected or appointed auditor.
Fifty-three percent of ballots voted “No” on Measure 20-283, which would establish an elected auditor. However, 75 percent of voters rejected Measure 20-287, which would have the city of Eugene appoint an auditor. …