LEADING THE COMMUNITY

With Two Newly Elected Councilors, The Eugene City Council Has A Full
Legislative Plate For 2003

They may seem like governmental faces in the crowd to many University
students, but the members of the Eugene City Council have a bigger effect
than students may think.

In fact, the eight council members could decide many big issues this year,
from a marijuana fine increase to the location of a new sports arena.

The City Council, the legislative part of Eugene's government, develops
policies and legislation for the city. Next to the City Council stands the
city manager, who often oversees policy implementation and hires city staff.

This year, the City Council has two new faces: Ward 6 City Councilor
Jennifer Solomon and Ward 4 City Councilor George Poling. Both Councilors
were sworn in at Mayor Jim Torrey's State of the City address in January.

Solomon

Solomon, who represents mostly moderate and conservative areas of town,
said her biggest surprise as a new councilor was adjusting to the influx of
paperwork. Aside from memos and reports, councilors receive a thick packet
every Thursday to review for Monday meetings.

Solomon's priorities this year include economic development and voter
confidence, but she said her real passion lies in transportation.

City Councils As a member of a citizen committee, Solomon spent a year
studying transportation in Eugene and helped develop a two-pronged funding
strategy that included a gas tax increase and the adoption of a
transportation maintenance fee. Now that the Council has approved the
strategy, Solomon said she wants to help oversee its implementation.

"I really want to make sure it comes together efficiently and equitably,"
she said.

Poling

Poling, who also represents moderate and conservative areas, said the
biggest challenge for him as a new member was his time commitment, which
includes work on seven committees.

"It's been busy, but it's what I expected," he said.

Poling, a retired police officer, said he wasn't involved with city
politics when he worked in law enforcement, but he became interested in the
process after retiring and watching reruns of City Council meetings.

Although maintaining adequate funding for public safety is his top
priority, Poling is also heavily involved with transportation issues,
including the Interstate 5/Beltline improvement, the I-5/Coburg improvement
and the Bus Rapid Transit projects.

Pape

The City Council also has two leadership positions, president and vice
president, who don't hold any significant additional power. This year, Ward
5 City Councilor Gary Pape is president and Ward 8 City Councilor Nancy
Nathanson is vice president.

Pape, who has lived in Eugene for 48 years, said the city doesn't have the
resources to do everything it wants, and as a result it must make cuts.

"First and foremost, I want to find a way through this difficult financial
time," he said.

Pape said he wants to focus his efforts on public safety services and
saving police services, which he said is 50 officers short of what a
community of Eugene's size should have.

Also on Pape's plate are working on the new fire station and federal
courthouse constructions and enhancing branch libraries built to accompany
the new downtown library.

"I hope we will do it with the long-term taste and construction we saw with
the library," he said.

Nathanson

Nathanson, whose western ward is more conservative than the other South
Eugene wards, is heavily involved in telecommunications, but she also lists
public safety, as well as parks and open space, as her top priorities.

Nathanson's involvement in telecommunications started when she chaired a
committee that developed Eugene's comprehensive telecommunications
ordinance. Now, Nathanson serves on a 15-member Federal Communications
Commission advisory committee that works to protect consumer rights and
municipal authority -- something she thinks the FCC's deregulation attempts
are impairing.

"My particular interest is to make sure we protect consumer rights, which
are shrinking in this atmosphere," she said.

The City Council is also home to veteran city leaders, including David
Kelly, Ward 3; Betty Taylor, Ward 2; Scott Meisner, Ward 7; and Bonny
Bettman, Ward 1.

Kelly

Kelly, who represents the University area, said he serves a diverse set of
constituents. Based on voting records, however, the area tends to be more
liberal than other areas of Eugene.

Kelly said a major priority for him this year is minimizing cuts to many of
the city's smaller services, including recreation and senior services, as
the current budget crisis forces programs to be slashed.

"I want the broadest range possible to survive," he said.

The West University neighborhood is also an issue Kelly feels strongly
about. As a member of the West University Joint Task Force, Kelly hopes
students will become more involved in improving the neighborhood this year.

"I really hope that out of that task force will come some good long-term
improvements to the West University neighborhood," he said.

Taylor

Taylor, who has also served on the City Council for six years, represents a
liberal to moderate demographic.

Taylor said she approaches this year with three simple priorities: to
protect the environment, to protect individual liberties and to maintain an
open and accessible government.

Taylor, who serves on eight committees, also has her sights set on the
marijuana fine increase, which will go to a City Council vote in February.
Specifically, Taylor said she is worried about the affects on the poor and
wants to get more input from the student population.

"I'm very anxious to know what students think about (the issue)," she said.

(non-drug policy content snipped)