Lane County voters will vote on four proposed amendments to the Lane County Charter during the November 5 general election. On September 19, Springfield City Club will present a program on one of those proposals: Measure 20-362.

This proposed amendment would require forming a citizens redistricting commission to develop Board of Commissioner districts. The commission would develop districts in coordination with the national decennial census and districts for the 2026 general election. The citizens redistricting commission would consist of 15 members plus alternates. The new commission would have the power to adopt the final district maps instead of the Board of Commissioners.

Eligibility requirements for redistricting commission members would include:

• Registration to vote in Lane County;
• Could not be candidates for or holders of federal, state, county or certain local offices;
• Could not be a registered lobbyist;
• Could not be paid congressional, legislative, or county employee.
• Other requirements.

Redistricting commissioners would be selected by lot at a public meeting from a pool of candidates from each Commissioner district. Lane County would provide staff and resources to the commission to fulfill its obligations.

Board of Commissioners would adopt regulations to implement the new commission.

Presenting in support of the proposal will be Ryan Ceniga, West Lane County Commissioner. Presenting in opposition to the proposal will be Terry Parker, President of the Lane County League of Women Voters.

The program will take place at noon on September 19 at Roaring Rapids Pizza, 4006 Franklin Boulevard in Glenwood and simultaneously on Zoom at this link: County Redistricting ‘ commission. The program will also be available on the City Club You tube page.

Ryan Ceniga is a lifelong Oregon resident.  He describes himself as “a blue-collar dad with deep roots in West Lane County”.  Ryan lives in the Junction City area with two kids in the public school system, where he serves on the Junction City School Board. 

He has always given back to his community with his involvement in service groups, including the Junction City Lions Club, the Junction City Athletics Board and as a coach for his kids’ sports through the years.

 

 

 

 

Terry Parker is the president of the League of Women Voters of Lane County, a nonpartisan grassroots organization doing hands-on work to safeguard democracy through voter registration, education and advocacy.

When not navigating for the League, Terry sails the waters of British Columbia and is an avid knitter. She retired as Lane Transit District’s Accessible Services Manager in 2013.

 

Child care is a critical component of the basic infrastructure supporting our economy. The economic toll of the US child care crisis costs employers up to $3 billion a year and has amounted to $122 billion in lost earnings for working parents. For many parents – working mothers especially – lack of affordable, quality child care has forced many out of education and the workforce, fueled gender gaps, and kept workers in low-paying jobs. It will take all of us to tackle such an urgent need. In this program, we’ll share local data and highlight efforts in our community to increase access to quality, affordable child care.

Holly Mar-Conte serves as the Lane County Child Care Sector Strategist, housed at Onward Eugene, the economic development arm to the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce. In this role, she supports child care providers, community based organizations, K-12 and higher education, government and elected officials, employers, parents and families to identify solutions to improve access to quality, affordable child care. She has over fifteen years of experience working in local and statewide early learning systems and holds a Masters in Planning, Public Policy and Management with an emphasis in Nonprofit Management from the University of Oregon.