You are viewing an archived issue of the Eugene Weekly. To return to our current issue, please click here.
 |
  |
 |
|||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||||||||
|
News: Council Oks Taylor Selection process draws fire for secrecy. Happening People: Trisha Whitney ASHCROFT'S
PIPE DREAM
The raid was part of a nationwide crackdown on head shops that's part of Attorney General John Ashcroft's "Operation Pipe Dreams," a new interpretation of federal drug laws that allows the search of businesses and residences and seizure of paraphernalia. Federal agencies involved include the DEA, U.S. Marshall Service, U.S. Customs and Secret Service. Higher Source co-owners Harris and Saeed Mohtadi were arrested and later released. They face federal indictments of up to three years in prison and $250,000 fines. The search warrant also indicated that the co-owner's bank accounts would be seized. Ashcroft says that the operation's mission is to eradicate all marijuana paraphernalia, although Hall points out state law already requires such businesses to clearly post a disclaimer that they are not to be held accountable for how their products are used and suggests such products not be used for marijuana. Deputy Eric Wahlstrom would not comment on who is profiled or how the profiling occurs, although he did mention Harris and Mohtadi had prominent connections to glass Internet sites that have been closed. The sites now reroute visitors to a DEA website where a warning reportedly says the DEA reserves the right to hand over visitor information to appropriate authorities. Inside sources confirmed that Harris's computer, which houses the database of every glassblower, glass shop and customer ever associated with Harris from Canada to Japan, was confiscated and will be used in further investigations pending court results. Harris heads one of the largest glassware production businesses in the country. James Baker Hall, owner of Black Dragon Goods, closed business, liquidated all his merchandise and was forced to lay off 125 employees on Tuesday, Feb. 25. He expects that Harris will do the same with the 625 glassblowers on his payroll. All in all, 1,200 Eugene glass artists are dismantling shops and moving merchandise. "A lot of people lost their livelihoods today and won't be able to recover," says Hall. Additionally, two glass raw-material suppliers, T&M and Winship, expect to be affected by the recent decision One anonymous glassblower on the street says, "I have come up on this trade, anyone can smoke pot out of a tin can, an apple, or a sheet of Bible paper. This is an art that I create and now I have to fight." Eugene Jean's Guy Tim Long, a business owner across the street from the Higher Source, doesn't smoke pot, but still notes "they have always run a respectable business, friendly and clean." Alex the Barber from next door comments, "Does this mean that if I give a sexy haircut to a gigolo that I promote prostitution?" — John Husby
MANAGER
RUNNER UP Nickerson told EW he was among two finalists for the Eugene manager job. The council decision was made in secret (see news story), but Nickerson's background may offer some clues about why he wasn't hired. Nickerson was manager of Little Rock (pop. 183,000) from 1993 to 1997 when he resigned. In a story in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, the mayor and board members praised Nickerson for his work improving relations with unions, increasing intergovernmental cooperation, making government more citizen-oriented, increasing police officers and treatment programs, building a River Market, and working on a planned Clinton presidential library. But Nickerson drew strong criticism from some neighborhood activists. Johnnie Pugh, a city reform advocate, told the Gazette that city staff under Nickerson's supervision has "repeatedly ignored complaints in low-income neighborhoods and has a smug attitude.... We are tired of having to meet with city board members to ask them to clean up the mess that the staff has created." Jim Lynch, co-chairman of the Little Rock New Party, told the paper, "People want their elected officials to be listened to by city staff. The bureaucratic stonewalling citizens and elected officials alike have experienced from the city manager's office has disappointed many in Little Rock." City Director Gloria Wilson told the Gazette that Nickerson did not "respect" community organizations. She added, "there are a lot of people who think that he does not manage staff well." After Little Rock, Nickerson worked as a management consultant to cities and companies. In 1999, he was a finalist for the city manager job in Davie, Fla. (pop. 76,000). Meetings of the Davie City Council show Nickerson grew up in Dallas and went to college and graduate school at Southern Methodist University. "There was some discussion about Mr. Nickerson not making a go of the consulting business," the minutes state. Last year, Nickerson was among six finalists for the manager job in Abilene, Texas (pop. 116,000). —Alan Pittman
WEI-5
BRIDGES UPDATE The Feb. 26 press conference was scheduled at Knickerbocker Bicycle Bridge, just downstream from the I-5 bridge over the Willamette River in East Alton Baker Park. Scheduled speakers included former Rep. Kitty Piercy, Sarah Charlesworth of Citizens for Public Accountability (CPA), and Mark Robinowitz of the West Eugene Transportation Land and Neighborhood Design Solutions (WETLANDS ). "The I-5 bridge crisis requires shifts in regional transportation policies to prioritize fixing existing roads," said Robinowitz before the press conference. "Fixing the Interstate is more important than building the West Eugene Parkway, Interstate 5-Beltline interchange expansion or the proposed River Road/Valley River bridge." Robinowitz said limited money combined with a finite number of bridge construction companies "requires the region to decide whether maintaining I-5 is more important than building new roads that subsidize sprawl." Several groups have agreed to support this position, including CPA, Lane County Land Watch, Lane County Pacific Green Party and WETLANDS. For more information, e-mail mrobinowitz@igc.org or spencerj@efn.org Meanwhile, ODOT has clarified some of its earlier statements reported in mainstream media. The number of trucks detouring through any community would be 150 per day at the most, according to an ODOT advisory Feb. 19. However, the truck traffic burden is unpredictable since the detours are voluntary and provide truckers with multiple options. Local transportation activists have voiced concerns that many north-south truckers may choose to ignore the detours since they involve several hours of additional drive-time. — Ted Taylor
STATES
FIGHT CHARTERS Other states face similar issues. Massachusetts is arguing over how to fund charters and is debating a moratorium. South Carolina's charters are operating without a law; it was struck down as unconstitutional because of racial demographic requirements. Support for a moratorium in Indiana is growing as legislators grapple with how to pay for charter schools without hurting the Indianapolis Public Schools. — Aria Seligmann
UNDERCOVERED
#30 American sperm banks have been offering free or low-cost sperm storage to troops on their way to the Gulf ("Democracy Now," NPR). With 30 percent of 1991 American Gulf War veterans now ill, Anthony Principi, head of U.S. Veterans' Affairs, has demanded information on health risks of a new war. No comment from the Pentagon (Financial Times, London). In the mid-1990s, full protective suits and masks were required for troops near tanks hit with DU bullets. U.S. Army regulations now state that any face mask is usually enough. On Feb. 21, the European Union voted to urge NATO to suspend DU weapons use until health risk studies are completed (Christian Science Monitor). When might war begin? Recalling 1991, Iraqis fear the dark of the moon, March 4. U.S. military planners look at mid-March, once diplomatic snarls are removed and U.S. heavy armored divisions arrive in Turkey. April brings hot weather (Washington Times). Some Bush advisors now urge a face-saving departure from Iraq, but Bush is reportedly "hanging tough" (Capitol Hill Blues). American officials estimate 75 percent increased risk of terrorist attacks in-country if the U.S. invades Iraq, with heightened risk for U.S. allies (The Australian). Hussein has positioned many of his 500,000 troops to fight in Bagdad, where densely populated urban canyons will shelter snipers and foster heavy civilian and troop casualties (Sydney Morning Herald). Pentagon officials plan a 48-hour attack on Bagdad and its five million inhabitants: 800 cruise missiles creating a firestorm and oxygen vacuum, like World War II Dresden. Enormous civilian casualties would result (Geov Parrish, www.workingforchange.org). A frightened Iraqi family sends this message to America: "The best way to win a war is to prevent it" (Christian Science Monitor). — Kate Gessert ALL
THE WORLD'S A STAGE In Eugene, a reading will be held from 5 to 7 pm at Foolscap Books and a staged reading will be held at 7:30 pm at the McDonald Theatre. Last we reported, 375 performances had been scheduled — now it's up to at least 540, marking what Sparky Roberts, director of the local production, calls "the first Global theater event." Proceeds from shows throughout the planet will fund human rights and peace causes. — AS
CORRECTIONS/CLARIFICATIONS EW reported Feb. 13 that city manager finalist Dennis Taylor lived in 23 different cities while growing up. Taylor lived at 23 different addresses (homes). Last week, we misspelled Sally Bigongiari's last name, and Kay Cosby was misidentified as Kay Corbin.
Council
Oks Taylor
In a three-minute public meeting, the council voted unanimously to offer Dennis Taylor, administrator of Billings, Mont., the job as Eugene's powerful city manager. "I think we got an excellent candidate, not a perfect candidate," City Council President Gary Pape said Monday. That brief statement was the only public explanation any councilor provided on why they selected Taylor. The secrecy surrounding the selection of Taylor has drawn widespread criticism. Editorials in The Register-Guard and Eugene Weekly have called for a more open process. The R-G compared the councilors to cardinals secretly selecting the Pope with "a puff of white smoke emerging from a chimney atop City Hall." The last time the city conducted a national search for a manager, the process was far more open. In 1996, the council interviewed the top five finalists in sessions open to the public and selected Vicki Elmer for the job. Many cities use public meetings for selecting their managers. Cincinnati, Ohio; Federal Way, Wash.; Davie, Fla.; and Abilene, Texas, for example, recently released lists of candidates and invited public comment and or had public interviews of candidates. Eugene's selection process was cloaked in layers of secrecy. The process itself was chosen in secret meetings of a council subcommittee composed of Councilors David Kelly, Scott Meisner and Gary Papé. The subcommittee made the first cut in selecting about a dozen finalist candidates to refer to a secret meeting of the full council. The subcommittee also arranged a closed-door meeting of an advisory committee of invited interest groups to ask questions of and comment on the two finalists for the manager position. The secret meetings of the subcommittee and advisory committee are in apparent violation of Oregon Public Meetings Law requirements "that decisions of governing bodies be arrived at openly." A provision of the law allows meetings in "executive session" to consider "employment of a public officer." News media are allowed to attend executive sessions, but not the general public. Governing bodies may direct reporters not to disclose specific information from executive sessions. But, "A reporter is under no obligation to keep confidential any information the reporter independently gathers as the result of leads obtained in an executive session," according to the Attorney General's Public Records and Meetings Manual. City officials did not give the legally required public notice for the subcommittee and advisory group meetings and refused to allow a reporter from EW to attend a meeting of the advisory committee. In addition, public notice was not given for a secret Sunday, Feb. 2 meeting of the City Council at the Eugene Hilton in which manager finalists were discussed. A city public meetings announcement for the date read, "no meetings scheduled." Councilor Betty Taylor criticizes the secrecy of the hiring process, "I think there is far too much that's done out of the public eye." The process should have been debated and set by the council meeting in public rather than by the secret subcommittee and the advisory group meeting with manager finalists should have been televised, Taylor says. "Any time we make an important decision people have a right to know why we made it and what the factors were," she said. The R-G's editorial page doesn't often agree with Councilor Taylor, but on this issue they see eye to eye. Screcy advocates' claims that candidates might not apply if they couldn't do so secretly are overblown, the R-G and Taylor agree. Cities expect top managers to be recruited by other cities, the R-G said. Taylor says competition could even help a manager get a raise in his home city. "Eugene residents deserve to know who is being considered as finalists for the critical position of city manager," the R-G says. Ironically, Dennis Taylor says local governments in Montana are required to be much more open with the public than Eugene. "I'm familiar with and comfortable with a much more open process," Taylor says. He says he hopes to "bring that commitment to open government to my role as city manager" of Eugene.
Trisha
Whitney |
|||||||
|
|||||||
|
|
|||||||
After
more than 20 hours of secret meetings, the Eugene City Council emerged
from behind closed doors Feb. 24 to announce its choice for the next
king of Eugene.
