City Club of Eugene

Friday, May 2, 2008

11:50 AM, Downtown Athletic Club

DEBATE: Mayor for Eugene

Kitty Piercy, Incumbent Mayor of Eugene

Jim Ray, Home Depot Employee

Jim Torrey, 4J School Board member and Former Mayor of Eugene

Nick Urhausen, Social Security Administration Employee

The City Club of Eugene and the League of Women Voters of Lane County are pleased to sponsor a debate among the four candidates for the office of Mayor of Eugene.

The candidates will answer pre-designed questions, question each other, and receive written questions from the audience. For this debate, the club will break from tradition and allow questions from everybody, rather than only club members.

The debate will begin promptly at noon and last for 75 minutes.

Participate on the Web!

Before the program:

After the program:

Your Comments:

Proposed Questions:

For Jim Torrey,
In a recent RG feature story, you were quoted as proposing to take $3.5 million from the General Fund as your solution for fixing the potholes but you wouldn't say what you would cut from the General Fund to do so. My question has three parts:
a) Have you figured out yet what you will propose to cut?
b) Please explain how $3.5 million will solve a $171 million pot hole problem that's been growing at a rate of nearly $15 million per year for the last seven years.
c) Is this just another "chicken in every pothole" political campaign promise that doesn't add up?

- Steve Gab <sgab@rainbowvalleyinc.com>
- Friday, April 25, 2008 at 10:18:31 (MDT)

Mr. Torrey--Given your campaign's negative attacks on Mayor Piercy, why should voters not see your alleged support for Obama as a clever ploy for Eugene votes and why are you using Cheney's technique of repeating lies, are you hoping more Eugene voters will come to believe and support you due to your negative campaigning?

- Charles F. Thielman <blueearth4u@hotmail.com>
- Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at 09:03:26 (MDT)

Question for all candidates: How drastically will your concerns about peak oil and climate change affect your priorities as mayor? Specifically, how much higher priority will you give to funding alternative forms of transportation (bus, bicycle, and walking) over funding to build and expand roads and parking structures?

- Bill Rodgers <wrodgers@umich.edu>
- Thursday, May 01, 2008 at 12:13:14 (MDT)

For Mayor Piercy,
Tell us how your Sustainable Business Initiative will help build Eugene's economy, especially in these challenging times.

- Cheryl Crumbley <cncrumbley@gmail.com>
- Thursday, May 01, 2008 at 16:39:54 (MDT)

Mayor Kitty Piercy, You recently stated that because of your push to restrict urban growth boundry expansion, the local housing market is in a much better position and property values continue to rise. Isn't it true that property values continue to rise in Eugene simply because it costs more to build? For example, under your administration the city has imposed a new Stormwater Management Plan for all new lots, even if they are infill, that easily adds 10,000 dollars to each new home. This in turn makes the entire neighborhood's value go up by comparison. How are you addressing affordable housing, the crash of the construction industry, and our local increase in unemployment?

- Brian McBeth <brian.mcbeth@yahoo.com>
- Friday, May 02, 2008 at 09:53:17 (MDT)