Letters to the Editor: Are we really 'MovingAhead' in Eugene?

Reverse the vote

The MovingAhead/EmX project being advanced by the City Council for River Road is an expensive boondoggle — something wasteful and pointless but giving the appearance of value.

According to the MovingAhead Alternative Analysis, September 2018, the most recent planning document I could find on the project, it says: The initial project cost would be about $100 million (in 2022 dollars), annual additional operating costs over the buses we have today would be $2.4 million and shorten commutes during peak travel times by only eight minutes, only one lane for cars in each direction would remain, an additional 748,900 square feet of impervious surfaces would drain to Spring Creek, Willamette River and Amazon Creek, up to 132 medium and large trees would be removed, 37 partial and three full properties would be acquired from commercial, industrial, public institutional and residential parcels, totaling about 2.2 acres.

With 70% of Lane Transit District’s budget coming from payroll tax, federal and state grants, this boondoggle would necessitate higher taxes. How does any of this make sense? This isn’t a River Road community problem, it’s a citywide problem. Tell the Eugene City Council to reverse its vote and say no to River Road EmX.

Mary Byrnes, Eugene

Beware underhanded extremists

Even a cursory study of the race for Lane County Commissioner Position 1 reveals some disturbing facts about Dawn Lesley’s opponent, Ryan Ceniga. He's the right-winger Jay Bozievich recruited to replace him. Not to my surprise, Ceniga is allied with the reproductive extremist cadre known as Oregon Right to Life. Its press release about the Oregon primary election names Ceniga as one of its endorsements, though it appears nowhere on Ceniga’s own website. The anti-choice crew prefers to keep their profile secretive in non-partisan races but funnel money and volunteers to favored choices.

If you think offices like local commissions and councils would not interest reproductive extremists, you would be wrong. It’s part and parcel of their national strategy to pass a so-called "Human Life Amendment" and then use the government to enforce control over women’s bodies. They pulled a smooth stunt in Springfield this past May, taking out the highly respected Commissioner Joe Berney with David Loveall, likewise a Right to Life extremist. There's a reason why Lane County's Democratic Party is going all out for Dawn Lesley. Underhanded extremists like Ceniga do not belong in public office at any level.

Mike Bonner, Eugene

For the love of resiliency

I whole-heartedly support Bethany Cotton’s column from Aug. 28, "Rewilding the West will curb climate change."

It is important to "undo harms humans have wrought on the natural world." But there is essentially nothing in the article about "curbing climate change." Certainly, the author knows that we are not going to sequester our way out of climate catastrophe. Even if all the sustainable energy projects funded by the Inflation Reduction Act come online as soon as possible, the current "optimistic" projection for average global temperature by 2100 is 2.4 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels. Double the heating that has occurred in the past 170 years.

Even if the next decade is smooth sailing — no wars, pandemics, or recessions — it is clear that we are on a slippery slope to civilizational collapse. (I strongly recommend viewing Rev. Michael Dowd's Post-Doom videos on YouTube, especially "Collapse in a Nutshell, Understanding Our Predicament".)

What the column does mention is the need to support "climate-resilient communities." The Lane County Climate Resilience Plan is available for viewing and comment at the county website. Let's make Lane County as resilient as possible as we cope with the consequences of global overshoot.

Jere C. Rosemeyer, Eugene

Skarlatos is the next John Glenn

Alek Skarlatos is an excellent candidate to fill retiring Congressman Peter DeFazio’s seat this fall. Skarlatos is a true American hero, like another successful heroic congressman in John Glenn. Skarlatos isn’t a career politician. He is a great local young man who wants to serve his country as he did in the U.S. military. It is time for new leadership.

Current times call for non-machine politicians who sincerely want to make Americans’ lives better. We need an uncorruptible politician who also understands the need for term limits. His opponent is a career politician who is owned by special interests.

We need a congressional representative who has lived in the real world like us. He knows first-hand what real challenges we face at home and abroad. Skarlatos is also concerned about public safety and the increase of crime in Oregon cities due to backward Democrat policies that favor criminals over crime victims.

Join me in voting for Alek Skarlatos for Congress in November for new leadership at a time when we badly need it.

Sandra Mattson, Eugene

Getting the job done

On Aug. 28, we were driving on I-5 and passed a long line of fire equipment steadily heading south. Fire trucks from Monroe, Pleasant Hill, McKenzie (imagine that), Marcola and probably other small towns. Big tanker trucks and a chief's car.

What a sight. Think about it, brave people driving right to the flames. No questions, no financial gain. They were simply doing the right thing. Trust they included a mixture of races, sexes, political leanings, and they are going to get the job done.

I wonder if there is a message here for us, our country?

Skip Berlin, Eugene

What do I know about transportation?

Having only 40 years' experience in real estate appraisal, including supervising and appraising right-of-way acquisition for Lane Transit District's Pioneer Parkway, ODOT and Lane County road projects, I certainly do not have the transportation experience of a city councilor who majored in arts, but I can assure the reader that LTD projects are not about the climate, public need, profit or anything that makes practical sense. Its projects are about one thing: your tax money. Your tax money for designers, bus builders, staff, administration and construction contractors.

So, when LTD's River Road project shuts down two lanes of vehicular traffic so that its empty buses can travel freely while we have traffic backed up and idling at the eight stoplights between Santa Clara and its vacant new bus stop on River Road, be sure to write Clair Syrett and thank her for her valuable insight and just forget the emissions, wasted tax money and delays. Either that or send a message by voting to recall a councilor who supports ridiculous and expensive projects.

Doug Freeman, Eugene

We need EmX and Syrett

I live in Claire Syrett's ward and will be voting against the recall, which seems to be mainly about extending EmX out River Road.

I have not owned a car since the mid-1990s because I can't afford one and spent years riding buses in Portland and Eugene. Most of them run on half-hour schedules, which is so inconvenient that it discourages people from using them, especially in the winter cold and rain.

EmX is much better because it runs on a much faster schedule. It is well used and should be extended throughout all of Eugene's main travel corridors.

To fight climate change we need to reduce CO2 and other pollutants belching out of car tailpipes. Mass transit is the best way to do this. We need to support EmX and Syrett.

Lynn Porter, Eugene

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This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Letters to the Editor: Are we really 'MovingAhead' in Eugene?