OLCV’s local Environmental Scorecards show improvement on Lane County Commission while Eugene City Council remain divided on the environment

Immediate Release: 

Wednesday, February 20, 2008                                  

Contact:

Meredith Shield, Lane County Chapter Organizer, (503) 224-4011

Eugene:  Today the Lane County Chapter of the Oregon League of Conservation Voters (OLCV) released environmental scorecards for the Eugene City Council and the Lane County Commission. The scorecards focus on the voting records of Lane County Commissioners and Eugene City Council members over the past two years.  The results show the majority of the current Lane County Commission voted to protect the county's land, water, and wildlife at risk while the Eugene City Council remains divided on protecting the city of Eugene.

The Lane County Commission improves on environmental issues.

The current county commission received a passing grade, averaging 66% on fifteen key votes and an improvement over their score in 2006 (42%).

Three environmental champions led the commission. Pete Sorenson and Bill Fleenor received recognition for their 100% pro-environment voting records. Bill Dwyer followed close behind with 93%.

“The Lane County Chapter of OLCV is very impressed with the high score of newcomer Bill Fleenor.  It’s great to see someone in step with the voters’ concerns for a clean and beautiful environment,” said Meredith Shield Lane County OLCV Organizer.  She added, “It’s great for Lane County that there are so many environmental leaders on the commission. Commissioners Sorenson, Fleenor and Dwyer are committed to protecting our beautiful farms, urban centers, forests and waterways."

Unfortunately, other commissioners remain out of touch with community concerns. For the second time, Anna Morrison scored the worst-possible rating (0%) on the scorecard. Morrison’s loss to Fleenor in the 2006 primary is regarded by many in the community as a sign that elected officials who vote against the environment are voting against the region’s best interests and won’t win re-election. Others who scored poorly are Bobby Green (47%) and Faye Stewart (53%).

"The Scorecard separates the true stewards of our environment from those who merely espouse those values," said Sally Nunn, Lane County Chapter of OLCV. "We urge residents to hold their elected officials accountable and to elect leaders who will vote to protect our farms and forest land, clean air and water and improve our quality of life."

The county commission faced some tough votes including sorting through the mess left by Measure 37. 

The Eugene Mayor makes the difference on a City Council still divided

The Eugene City Council averaged 61% based on eleven key votes over the two year period (06-07) showing no improvement over their average score in 2004-2005 but not returning to the dismal average of 2002-2003 (41%).

Five of the City Councilors (past and present) earned a perfect score of 100% on OLCV’s Environmental Scorecard.  City Councilors Bonny Bettman, Betty Taylor, David Kelly, and freshman Councilors Andrea Ortiz and Alan Zelenka responsibly voted to protect Eugene’s land, air, and water 100% of the time.

The Lane County Chapter of OLCV is very disappointed with current Councilors Jennifer Solomon, Mike Clark, George Polling and Chris Pryor who irresponsibly voted against protecting Eugene’s air, water and natural places. They all scored 0% except Pryor who scored 27%.

The Mayor wound up breaking ties on eight of the eleven scorecard votes. She scored 89%.

“As a parent, I highly value clean air and water, livable neighborhoods, and abundant parks and natural spaces. We’re lucky to have a Mayor that understands the importance of leaving a great environmental legacy for our children," said Jan Wilson, longtime OLCV member and volunteer.

The Lane County Chapter of OLCV will celebrate the release of these two environmental scorecards and the 2008 election cycle Saturday night, February 23, at DIVA in Eugene from 7-9 PM.  There will be live music by Craig Einhorn and a silent auction. For more information contact Meredith Shield at Meredith@olcv.org.

The complete Environmental Scorecard for the Eugene City Council and Lane County Commission, including the vote descriptions and chart, is online at www.olcv.org/lane

The OLCV Lane County Chapter is the political voice of Lane County’s environmental movement. OLCV is a non-partisan, non-profit organization made up of thousands of Oregonians who care about protecting Oregon’s environment and making sure Oregon is a great place to live.