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?

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 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 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 3, 2018, issue of the Eugene Weekly, staff write:

The newly arrived Eugene Voters’ Pamphlet is overwhelming, and it’s hard to imagine anyone plowing through all the arguments regarding elected vs. appointed auditors. One of the persistent arguments we see against the elected auditor Measure 20-283 is that it’s too expensive and the cost would fund five police or firefighter positions. Well, auditors consistently pay for themselves by finding efficiencies. An auditor might suggest that a dozen city positions could be eliminated by better managing shifts, overtime, turnover and training. Or an auditor might find that hiring more people in some departments could eliminate expensive contracted services. But to be effective, auditing offices must be adequately funded and independent from the city services being audited.

In the April 26, 2018, issue of the Eugene Weekly, staff write:

What if Eugene ends up with two auditors? Proponents of the city-backed “auditor-lite” Measure 20-287 say that couldn’t happen because the city charter gives victory to the measure getting more votes when “two conflicting measures” are both approved at the same election. But where’s the conflict? The two ballot measures to be voted on next month propose completely different auditors, one elected and the other appointed, with different staffs and different budgets. Eugene’s new motto could be “The World’s Most-Audited City of the Arts and Outdoors.”

In the April 26, 2018, issue of the Eugene Weekly, staff write:

The debate over elected vs. appointed auditors continues, and adding to the discussion last week was a nationally recognized expert on city auditors who spoke at Harris Hall. Gary Blackmer, retired director of audits for the state of Oregon and the city of Portland, laid out his strong support for the elected auditor Ballot Measure 20-283. He was critical of the competing city-sponsored measure to create an appointed auditor, saying the “auditor-lite” proposal has little authority to investigate, no secure whistleblower hotline, and is underfunded — not likely to attract the best candidates. “You get what you pay for,” he says. However, the biggest problem with the appointed auditor, Blackmer says, is a lack of independence. An appointed auditor would be under the oversight of a council-appointed citizen committee that has “built-in conflicts of interest.” Such a power structure violates auditing standards and best practices, he says.

In the April 19, 2018, issue of the Eugene Weekly, staff write:

The Friday the 13th auditor forum at the City Club of Eugene was not as civil as most City Club meetings. Bonnie Bettman McCornack spoke for the elected, independent auditor, and Josh Skov advocated for the City Council-appointed auditor before a full house. By the end of the forum, we harked back to an earlier City Club statement by Councilor Mike Clark. He said the council appointed measure, 20-287, is a “cynical measure” to kill the elected auditor, measure 20-283. We’ll see if it succeeds on May 15.

In the April 12, 2018, issue of the Eugene Weekly, staff write:

As the debate over electing or appointing a Eugene city auditor heats up, former government auditor Gary Blackmer will talk and answer questions on “Putting the GRIT in INTEGRITY” from 7 to 8:30 pm Wednesday, April 18, at Harris Hall, 125 E. 8th Avenue. Blackmer, who worked most recently for the Oregon Secretary of State Audits Division, favors the original proposal, Ballot Measure 20-283, which calls for an elected auditor with sufficient budget to monitor City Hall.

In the March 22, 2018, issue of the Eugene Weekly, staff write:

Former City Councilor George Brown tells us he is optimistic about the prospects for an elected independent auditor for Eugene after knocking on doors across the city. Residents understand the difference between the elected auditor Measure 20-283 and “auditor lite,” which says the council should choose the auditor, according to Brown. With the vote in May, 20-283 advocates are lining up supporters such as former council members David Kelly and Shawn Boles, former city manager Vicki Elmer and others who understand how city government works.