City now flies POW/MIA flag daily
I recently asked Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy how we might get the city to agree to fly the POW/MIA flag daily at City Hall.
It was a nice, short conversation ending with Piercy telling me she would speak to the City Council and City Manager Jon Ruiz.
A previous administration had told us the flag would fly only on the six days Congress says federal buildings must fly the POW/MIA flag but I received a voice mail telling me the flag would start flying daily on May 1.
It took a long time to honor our former POWs and local families who still have MIAs — but it’s done, thanks to the mayor, City Council and city manager.
-Judi Greig Lawson
Published in the Register-Guard on May 7, 2012
Piercy handles the unexpected well
It’s easy for political candidates to be absolutely certain what they would have done about a situation. In reality, though, every leader faces “never before” moments.
I appreciate Mayor Kitty Piercy’s response to such situations. She gathers information, keeps the big picture in mind and brings people together to work on the issues.
For example, she worked with all parties during the Occupy Eugene encampment. She noted in her City Club of Eugene debate how much she appreciated the responses of the police, city manager and City Council during that time.
Piercy has used her office to work on jobs — our unemployment rate is lower than other towns in Lane County — street repairs, downtown revitalization, public safety, parks, human rights and other issues that matter to Eugene residents.
Voters should expect their elected officials to respond thoughtfully when issues arise. Piercy provides that leadership.
She has my support and my vote.
-Marilyn Milne
Published in the Register-Guard on April 15, 2012
Piercy listens, builds coalitions
As we enter the 2012 election season, it’s time to think about giving a voice to our community’s future, a future that I believe would best be served with the re-election of Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy.
My perception is that Piercy is approachable. She’s not afraid to tackle issues that affect the community, regardless of how difficult or unpopular those issues may be. She understands that the decision-making process involves many people, and consequently listens to all points of view.
Her ability to lead is also exemplified through the way she articulates her visions and the way she is able to build coalitions. The position of mayor requires fairness, creativity, compromise and openness. Piercy serves those ideals with abundant capabilities. I trust her leadership.
-Lindi Endicott
Piercy has worked with community
I attended the recent State of the City address and was deeply impressed with Eugene’s visionary yet practical leadership. I was therefore taken aback by the Jan. 7 column calling for “a new and different” mayor (“Eugene’s next mayor needs to be an effective leader”), especially because the writer unintentionally made an excellent case for why Kitty Piercy is such an outstanding mayor.
The writer emphasized balancing the budget, but every city needs to do that. The real test of leadership lies in working with the community to agree on crucial priorities, given limited resources. Piercy has done that.
The writer rightly called “protection” a fundamental municipal function. However, preventing — not just mitigating — crime, contamination, economic decline and other harms requires investing in infrastructure, social programs and education, as well as effective regulation. The city’s priorities recognize that Eugene is secure only to the extent that its citizens feel safe, respected and hopeful.
The writer correctly said that policy “must benefit the whole citizenry and not just a select group.” As Piercy said in her address, “We’re better together.” Eugene has a vibrant, award-winning culture of citizen involvement that includes a cross-section of the community. Such broad-based representation may not support boondoggles such as Hynix, but it has certainly been successful in increasing investments in downtown Eugene.
As a longtime fan and former resident of Eugene, I believe its citizens understand that successful communities are based on more than a culture of self-centeredness masquerading as “freedom.”
-Cathy Crumbley
Published in the Register-Guard on January 14, 2012
Piercy has many accomplishments
It’s hard not to notice that most of the recent critical letters to the editor and a couple of op-ed pieces have resorted to ad hominem attacks on Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy. That’s no doubt because her detractors are unable to find any justification for attacking her accomplishments, of which there are many. A few examples:
The mayor’s dogged determination to revitalize downtown from the moment she took office is readily apparent to anyone. From my office downtown I can look out over several construction projects, part of almost $100 million in new development begun since Piercy became mayor.
Unlike other U.S. cities, our mayor, City Council, city manager and chief of police managed to resolve the Occupy Eugene situation without resorting to a forced decampment. Under Piercy’s leadership, the council has managed to work harmoniously in spite of its diverse political leanings.
Piercy also has attended thousands of events and has set up shop in supermarkets throughout the city to meet with constituents on their turf.
She has worked closely with the University of Oregon to eliminate the town-and-gown gap. And she continues to consider future generations of Eugene residents as she advocates for improved mass transit, strong schools and better employment opportunities for all.
-David Funk
Published in the Register-Guard on January 22, 2012
Piercy’s years have been good
What a difference a decade and a dedicated, hard-working mayor can make in a city’s life. A decade ago, Eugene’s economic development was framed as a divisive “jobs vs. the environment” debate. Kitty Piercy’s Sustainable Business Initiative shifted the focus to a collaboration in which creating good jobs, a strong economy, a healthy environment and a livable city are reinforcing priorities.
A decade ago, downtown had two large “pits” and new development was at a standstill. Piercy made downtown revitalization a top priority, and today we are witnessing its rebirth with more new investment, jobs and businesses than at any time in recent years.
Piercy’s leadership has brought national attention to Eugene — the kind a city wants. Eugene is set to host its second recent U.S. Olympic Team Track and Field Trials. Forbes named Eugene one of the best cities for small business. National Geographic lauded Eugene as the best medium-sized “green” city.
Piercy’s emphasis on strengthened collaboration between the city and the University of Oregon has been timely. In recent years, 15 new UO spinoff companies have located here, and UO researchers are collaborating with the city on projects ranging from the nationally recognized Eugene Climate and Energy Action Plan to sustainable economic development and urban planning.
The economic crisis hit all cities hard, but local leadership makes a difference. Piercy helped keep Eugene a great city through a tough decade. I’m grateful she’s willing to step to the plate to serve again.
-Greg McLauchlan
Published in the Register-Guard on January 28, 2012
Piercy had role in pipeline decision
On Jan. 18, President Obama denied a permit for the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline to protect the health and safety of the American people and the environment. Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy should feel great about that announcement. She literally helped make it happen.
Piercy demonstrated sound leadership by helping raise awareness on the need to keep us moving toward clean energy options and away from backward-looking, high-carbon fuels such as tar sands oil.
The Keystone XL project proposes to build a 1,700-mile pipeline that would carry one of the dirtiest types of crude on the planet — tar sands — from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, crossing sensitive lands and water bodies used for drinking and agriculture. Tar sands oil has three times the greenhouse gas emissions in the production process as conventional oil, and it undermines the work that communities everywhere are doing to move away from using fossil fuels.
Last November, Piercy and several other clean-energy advocates led the charge on a letter from 103 mayors to the president that asked him to reject the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline and its high-carbon tar sands oil. While scores of others — including labor organizations, farmers and even military leaders — worked on the issue as well, the mayors had an enormous impact, as the president’s decision showed.
We commend Piercy for her important work on this issue. Eugene should be very proud.
-Shelley Kath
Advisor to the Natural Resources Defense Council
Published in the Register-Guard on January 27, 2012
