Improving the accountability & transparency of city government
In the May 14, 2018, online edition of the Eugene Weekly, Eugene resident Ruth Duemler writes:
City Hall costs are adding up to more and more dollars down the drain! The $1.3 million annual rent for the many city hall facilities fails to include the cost of move, the cost of remodeling and the cost of traveling from one city hall rental to another. We also discover that rental contracts are for 10 years. …
In the May 14, 2018, online edition of the Eugene Weekly, Eugene resident Otis Haschemeyer writes:
“Give ‘em the same but different,” they say in Hollywood. It means you’re going to get the same story. Cosmetically different, it isn’t. Not because there’s a “good story,” and they know it. There are lots of stories. It’s because Hollywood is about making money for Hollywood. That’s what they know about. That’s the story behind the story.
The same is true of Eugene city government. The policy position might seem to change, but the story behind the story is about money: keep “the money-stream.” It’s how they get paid. It’s how their friends get paid. …
In the May 14, 2018, online edition of the Eugene Weekly, Eugene resident Rebecca La Mothe writes:
While I do believe that we need a Eugene performance auditor, I will vote for the appointed city auditor Measure 20-287. Had the 2002 Charter Review Committee, Performance Auditor Proposal (also calling for an appointed auditor) been referred to the ballot for a public vote and passed, quite possibly some of the problems and “mistakes” in recent years could have been prevented.
Communication problems between the city manager and the City Council might have been more efficiently negotiated with outcomes more successful. It’s a cooperative relationship-affirming proposal that may have worked very well for the past 15 years, much like Measure 20-287 could be a positive move forward today. …
In the May 14, 2018, online edition of the Eugene Weekly, Elmira resident Marlene “Mitzi” Colbath writes:
Although I live in the Elmira community now, I was one of the chairs of the 2002 Eugene Citizen Charter Review Committee that forwarded the recommendation for the elected performance auditor to be sent to the ballot in the early 2000s. The City Council at the time would not allow voters to decide its fate by not forwarding it to the ballot for consideration. …
In the May 10, 2018, issue of the Eugene Weekly, staff write:
One last word from us on the elected auditor measure on the May 15 ballot: Opponents of Measure 20-283 complain it was drafted behind closed doors with no public process, but it’s actually the product of decades of discussion in public meetings and even at City Club of Eugene. The final language of the measure was crafted by a group of well-informed, civic-minded folks, including two exceptional former city councilors, Bonny Bettman McCornack and George Brown. The measure reflects massive research into auditor best practices around the country and was refined to fit with Eugene’s form of government. Guiding the process was auditing expert Gary Blackmer, former auditor for the state of Oregon and the city of Portland. …
In the May 10, 2018, issue of the Eugene Weekly, Eugene resident Ralph McDonald writes:
Some opponents of Measure 20-283 claim an elected auditor would insult the accountability of current city employees. Rank and file city employees see the problems with waste and mismanagement. They recognize them earliest, often the only witnesses. …
In the May 10, 2018, issue of the Eugene Weekly, Eugene resident Lisa-Marie DiVincent writes in a letter:
I’d like to bring a little kindness into the elected auditor discussion. Folks on both sides are upset. Political empaths such as myself feel concerned for everyone involved. …
In the May 10, 2018, issue of the Eugene Weekly, Bonny Bettman McCornack writes in a guest viewpoint:
If you want to save money and have open and accountable government, do your pocketbook and our democracy a favor and vote “Yes” on Ballot Measure 20-283. …
In the May 10, 2018, issue of the Eugene Weekly, John Barofsky and Joshua Skov write in a guest viewpoint:
As long-time volunteers who watch Eugene’s city government closely, we want a strong and effective performance auditor. That’s why we’re supporting measure 20-287, and not 20-283.
The best way to understand how 20-287 will be more effective is to start with the way Eugene’s government currently works. We have a voice in one simple way: We elect eight councilors and a mayor, and they direct the city manager.
Everyone else in city government works for the city manager. All small spending decisions, the preparation of the budget, the maintenance of our streets and parks, hiring and firing of staff — all of that falls to the city manager and his executive staff. You may not like it, but that is our form of government — so-called council-manager form — and it’s written into the city charter. …
In the May 3, 2018, online edition of the Eugene Weekly, Eugene resident Brian McMurray writes in a letter:
This in response to Ed Moye (Letters, 4/19), who appears unaware there are Eugeneans who do not support 20-283, the elected auditor measure.
I for one believe this measure is flawed and is not worthy of our support. The claim is that it will provide an independent auditor and bring transparency to city government. Who wouldn’t support that? …