Letters to the Editor: What if a ballpark is your neighbor?

The bounties of living near a ballpark

A recent Letter to the Editor implied that a new Emeralds baseball stadium at the Lane Events Center would have a negative impact on the neighborhood and would be unwelcome by residents of the Jefferson Westside neighborhood. The letter writer does not speak for the neighborhood, in which there are diverse opinions.

I attended a session of our neighborhood association where officials of the team and city estimated the impact of a new ballpark on the neighborhood and came away convinced that it would be a net positive, and that the fears of parking congestion are overblown. Having lived a short walk from an MLB stadium for many years, I can testify that living near a ballpark brings many advantages to a neighborhood, in both economic and qualify-of-life terms. I cannot speak to the financial issues behind the project, but I do want to register that this neighbor (the new park would be three blocks from our house) is enthusiastically in support.

Garrett Epps, Eugene

Staying vigilant

Commonly attributed to Thomas Jefferson, “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”

This old American saying is still true today. In our time, unchecked rumors, conspiracy theories and outright lies threaten to capture the minds of too many.

For instance, there are still groups pushing the falsehood that Trump won the 2020 election and are still working to overturn it. In addition, many states have made it more difficult to vote based on the lie of widespread voter fraud. That claim has never been proven and yet it and other lies continue their destructive courses. As citizens, it is vital for us to find the truth and then stand up for it even in the face of so much misguided anger especially when this anger is used to scapegoat vulnerable groups such as women who need to end a pregnancy, LBGTQIA people and immigrants as if they are the problems.

Instead, we need to understand that all of us have something to give and together we can move forward by rejecting the hate filled words of those who would divide us. So, let’s pay the price and stay vigilant, watching for what is true and good and then acting on it.

Thomas Dodd, Eugene

Get your friends behind Judge Ortega

As a former state senator and Lane County commissioner and practicing lawyer for more than 39 years, the following are my endorsements for those looking for advice and information about the May 2022 primary election:

Tina Kotek for governor; Val Hoyle for Congress, Joe Berney, Heather Buch and Dawn Lesley for county commissioner; Mary Vuksich-Shafer for county assessor; Jennifer Yeh for Eugene City Council; and Mark Molina for Springfield City Council.

I am quite concerned about the politics in the race for Oregon Court of Appeals. Judge Darlene Ortega, on the court since 2003, and is the longest serving current member of that important court. What alarms me about this race is that she is in a tough election with Vance Day, the former head of the Oregon Republican Party, who was a Marion County Circuit Judge.

Day was stripped of his position on that court by the Oregon Supreme Court after the Oregon Judicial Fitness Commission investigated Day's refusal to wed same sex couples and for posting a photo of Adolf Hitler in the Marion County Courthouse. Now Day is seeking to oust a respected judge. Please vote for, and get your friends to vote for, Judge Ortega.

C. Peter Sorenson, Eugene

Why is Eugene the homeless capital of America?

We have four city councilors up for reelection.

Not my councilor, but Mike Clark is the only one in the voter pamphlet who says we need a different approach that includes accountability by the population receiving our support. The other three continue the we-have-a-problem-let's-spend-millions-and-have-no-change-of-the-trash-and-the-free-spirits-that-have-turned-Track-Town-into-Trash-Town.

Keep doing what you are doing, you will keep getting the same result.

Why is Eugene the homeless capital of America? Is it the rain and gray skies for months on end?

Don French, Eugene

Take the R-G weekly

My well-established morning routine includes reading The R-G over coffee however, for many months now, the paper has become increasingly anemic. In a clumsy attempt to provide filler, the powers to be often include articles that are overly and unnecessarily long. The essence of these can usually be had by listening to the radio for a minute or two.

There is not enough meaningful coverage of news to justify a near-daily paper. Eliminating the Saturday paper was a step in the right direction.

Now it's time to go to a weekly paper.

Barry C. Smith, Eugene

Comply now, revise later

We attended the Eugene City Council meeting concerning middle housing. According to The R-G, there were more than 250 people in attendance, around 90 people were able to speak, and almost 50 of those spoke against the city’s plan.

Those in favor spoke of the need for more housing, including duplexes, triplexes and quads. This group included some people in development and real estate sales. Those opposed to the city's plan agreed with the need for affordable housing, but raised concerns about the lack of affordability requirements, loss of tree canopy, solar protections and the impact of limited on-site parking. Something not stressed enough is that there are no restrictions on short-term rentals, even though we’ve seen the impact of them on available housing already.

It makes sense to initially comply with the state minimums, which will provide the opportunity to assess the impact before making additional revisions.

Emmet Band and Phyllis O’Neill, Eugene

Biden had his chance, now it’s time to vote him out

Let’s be honest, is everyone who voted for Biden/Harris happy now? It has been 15 months, are we better off now? Is the world safer because of Biden/Harris?

Before you jump out and defend yourselves, please ask yourself who is responsible for higher crime, inflation, lack of consistently with COVID-19 and no leadership on foreign policy. Then ask yourself, if Trump was still our president and all of these things were happening, would you blame him?

It doesn’t matter if you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent. No one can be happy with what is happening right now with our country and how it is affecting us.

I hope everyone can be honest and decide it is time for a complete leadership overhaul with a new Congress and hopefully, in 2024, a new president.

Mike Gowins, Springfield

Let your voice be heard

Vicki Bradley’s “Coos County needs your vote” (The World, April 15) got my attention. It stated that “on average 40% of registered Oregon voters cast ballots in the past two primary elections … Less than half.” This minority was the decision maker and non-voters were silent partners. Together those primaries affected all Oregonians.

The Coos County Election archive showed that our past two primary elections were decided by the minority.

In May, 25% of registered Coos County voters chose their representatives in 18 different precincts, selected what facilities to fund and what local measures to approve. This made the minority and the non-voters the decision makers in the May 2021 primary. In November, 37% of registered Coquille School District voters and North Bend School District voters made the decision not to upgrade their school facilities.

May 17 will be our next primary and there will be consequences. The above voting records show that “non-voters” affected those elections. Their voices were heard “silently.”

For a community to function well, all citizens need to be heard. Voting is that voice. Voting says what you want and what you don’t want.

Let your voice be heard loud and clear.

Rae Lea Cousens, North Bend

The spirit of the Founding Fathers

I am voting for Doyle Canning for U.S. representative for Oregon's 4^th Congressional District. All of the Founding Fathers of this country were progressive idealists. They had to be, they started something only the Athenian Greeks had tried. Jefferson, Hamilton, Madison et al created a democratic republic, that as of today is the longest lasting democracy in the history of the world.

Read your voters pamphlet. Doyle has been involved in new ideas and she has the spirit of the Founding Fathers, ready to make big changes to government and the world.

Charles Lee Crawford Jr., Corvallis

Vote for Andrew Kalloch for U.S. Congress

I am a former Eugene City Councilor and founder of Paul’s Bicycle Way of Life. Our family moved to Eugene in 1984 when my wife Virginia Lo accepted a position as a professor in UO’s Computer Science Department.

We are voting for civil rights attorney Andrew Kalloch because he is honest, down-to-earth and very smart. Andrew is the son of public school teachers and father of three young children (the oldest will attend Edison School in the fall). His wife Jenna is a fourth generation Oregonian. He holds a law degree from Harvard University.

Andrew understands the intense urgency of the climate crisis and that this issue must inform policy decisions in all aspects of government and politics. He genuinely cares about the ordinary citizen and will support the interests of his constituents. Andrew will not take money from special interests. His approach is to bring his very diverse constituency together to see their shared goals whether it be regarding climate, housing, healthcare or the economy.

Andrew is wearing out his gym shoes walking door-to-door talking to people throughout the 4^th Congressional District. Please vote for Andrew Kalloch!

Paul Nicholson and Virginia Lo, Eugene

Berney puts in the work

Working hard and providing real results. That’s Springfield County Commissioner Joe Berney.

From building affordable family and senior housing, to smart approaches to Lane County decreasing its carbon footprint, to creating hundreds of local jobs and heroically enabling 86 families to purchase their manufactured home park and avoid being kicked to the streets, Joe has done it all and more in just his first term.

As a business owner, he created the nation’s first migrant farmworker training center with seven food processors and created multi-billion dollar new markets for energy efficiency, renewable energy and storage.

Joe's range of experience, business background, empathy and compassion make him the commissioner we need, and I thank him for offering himself for service one more time.

Bill Dwyer, Springfield

Molina the best for Springfield families

Please join me in voting for Mark Molina for Springfield City Council. His volunteer work for Springfield City Club, city of Springfield and Willamalane Budget Committees, Red Cross and other local charities and boards demonstrate his commitment to our community. He listens to citizens and will act with the best interests of all Springfield residents. He is a U.S. Army veteran, and this group needs representation on our council.

His opponent, Victoria Doyle, has demonstrated some skills in government, but doesn’t bring the same depth of service, dedication and engagement as Mark. She is an employee of the city of Eugene working with land development interests. How can she serve the citizens of Springfield, whose interests are often in conflict with Eugene? Given her relationship with land developers, how can she participate in discussions and decisions relating to these developers and construction companies that don’t present a potential conflict of interest? Will she continually recuse herself from these discussions and decisions, or will the citizens be expected to believe that she is truly non-biased either for or against applicants?

Mark is by far the best choice. We can be sure that he operates with the best interests of Springfield families.

Mike Koivula, Springfield

From the real world

Talk's cheap. Anyone can claim to support renewable energy, taking out dams to save salmon or fight climate change. But in the real world, the world I live in, only one of the candidates running for Rep. Peter DeFazio's seat has legislative experience.

Val Hoyle is a lot like DeFazio, she lives and works in the real world. She solves real problems, with real solutions, for real people. She comes from a working-class family and has held real jobs to support a family. She served in the Oregon Legislature since 2009 and was elected majority leader in 2013. In 2018 she was elected Oregon Labor Commissioner.

Her real-world accomplishments include increasing the minimum wage, paid sick leave for workers, a clean fuels program that is reducing carbon emissions and the motor voter law that makes it easier for more people to vote. And, like DeFazio, she will stand up to Wall Street, and advocate for workers, families, the environment and renewable energy. Val Hoyle lives and works in the same real world we live in. Not the imaginary world of the cheap talkers.

Bob Warren, Eugene

Selker a long shot worth your consideration

John Selker, my brother-in-law, is running for Congress. Throughout his life, John has worked to help the environment: fuel-efficient small stoves in Africa, graduate study in hydrology, river restoration across Oregon, measuring glacier temperatures in Switzerland, climate monitoring stations in Africa. John is uniquely qualified to solve our climate problems. He is also knowledgeable about education (teacher for 31 years), health care (dealt with critical health issues in the family) and housing (networking with local real estate experts).

John told me Rep. Peter DeFazio, Sen. Jeff Merkley and Sen. Ron Wyden decided on their endorsements without talking to him; their support is thus intentionally uninformed. Their candidate, Val Hoyle, has a deeply flawed record on the environment. In addition to John, there are other meritorious candidates, and we owe it to our beautiful state of Oregon to become informed about all the candidates before voting in the May 17 primary election.

Jeanne M. L. Selker, Eugene

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Letters to the editor on local elections, the Emeralds and Joe Biden.