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Springfield City Club

Springfield City Club regularly holds programs from noon to 1:00 p.m. on the first and third Thursday of each month (although there may be occasional adjustments). All programs are open to the public. We have returned to holding programs in person at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce offices, 101 S. A Street. All meetings are also available on Zoom and are livestreamed on Facebook. Invitations are sent to all those on our mailing list, so please sign up if you wish to receive an invitation

Current Programs

Maintaining Healthy Relationships Despite Opposing Views

With the holidays approaching, many of us are looking forward to seeing family and friends. This can also bring lively and sometimes heated debate on topics that family members and friends have opposing views. With the election wrapping up, this year may be a more stressful year for some. Dr. David Rettew, Medical Director of Lane County Behavioral Health, will share tips on how to deal with the stress and how to have a positive dialog with family and friends when there are opposing views. He’ll use his professional and personal experience from his own family gatherings to relate how you can provide your point of view and maintain healthy relationships.

David Rettew, MD is a child & adolescent psychiatrist who currently works as the Medical Director of Lane County Behavioral Health in Eugene, Oregon. He is also a clinical faculty member in the Psychiatry Department at OHSU. Before moving to Oregon in 2021, he worked as a tenured associate professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the University of Vermont Medical Center and was Medical Director of the child and families division of the Vermont Department of Mental Health. He was also past president of the Vermont Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.  Dr Rettew built and then acted as the first Training Director of UVM’s child psychiatry fellowship program.

He is the author of over 60 peer reviewed journal articles on a variety of mental health topics as well as two books, including Parenting Made Complicated: What Science Really Knows About the Greatest Debates of Early Childhood. He has served as the co-chair of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry’s (AACAP) Health Promotion and Prevention committee and was previously on their journal’s (JAACAP’s) editorial board. Dr. Rettew did his general psychiatry and child & adolescent training at Harvard Medical School within the combined Massachusetts General/McLean Hospital programs. Dr. Rettew writes a regular blog on Psychology Today that has over one and a half million views. 

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October 3: Measure 118

One of the ballot initiatives which will appear on the November 5 ballot is a proposal which would impose a 3 percent tax on companies with over $25 million in Oregon sales and redistribute the money collected to all persons resident in the state for more than 200 days in a year. The measure has generated significant interest and controversy. On October 3 City Club has invited Antoni Gisbert, the Chief Petitioner for the proposal, and Preston Mann, director of political affairs for Oregon Business & Industry, which is leading an opposition effort to discuss the measure.

Antonio Gisbert is the Chief Petitioner of the Oregon Rebate (IP 2024-017), now Measure 118. In 2018-2019, Antonio organized a diverse group of community members to codify into a statewide ballot initiative a partial response to the widely held beliefs that (1) giant corporations are not paying their fair share in taxes and that (2) we are all finding it ever harder to make ends meet. After several years of movement building and signature gathering, this people-powered effort submitted over 170,000 signatures to qualify for the November election. Prior to working on the Oregon Rebate/Measure 118, Antonio was a Cognitive Neuroscientist and Union Organizer.

 

Preston Mann is the director of political affairs for Oregon Business & Industry, the state’s largest general business association. At OBI, Preston is responsible for guiding the organization’s political strategy and external affairs. Mann has many years of experience with policy advocacy, communications, public relations, and political strategy. Prior to joining OBI, Preston served as the vice president of a manufacturing trade association and worked as a senior advisor to statewide political candidates and causes, as well as dozens of legislative elections.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Future Programs

Maintaining Healthy Relationships Despite Opposing Views

With the holidays approaching, many of us are looking forward to seeing family and friends. This can also bring lively and sometimes heated debate on topics that family members and friends have opposing views. With the election wrapping up, this year may be a more stressful year for some. Dr. David Rettew, Medical Director of Lane County Behavioral Health, will share tips on how to deal with the stress and how to have a positive dialog with family and friends when there are opposing views. He’ll use his professional and personal experience from his own family gatherings to relate how you can provide your point of view and maintain healthy relationships.

David Rettew, MD is a child & adolescent psychiatrist who currently works as the Medical Director of Lane County Behavioral Health in Eugene, Oregon. He is also a clinical faculty member in the Psychiatry Department at OHSU. Before moving to Oregon in 2021, he worked as a tenured associate professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the University of Vermont Medical Center and was Medical Director of the child and families division of the Vermont Department of Mental Health. He was also past president of the Vermont Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.  Dr Rettew built and then acted as the first Training Director of UVM’s child psychiatry fellowship program.

He is the author of over 60 peer reviewed journal articles on a variety of mental health topics as well as two books, including Parenting Made Complicated: What Science Really Knows About the Greatest Debates of Early Childhood. He has served as the co-chair of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry’s (AACAP) Health Promotion and Prevention committee and was previously on their journal’s (JAACAP’s) editorial board. Dr. Rettew did his general psychiatry and child & adolescent training at Harvard Medical School within the combined Massachusetts General/McLean Hospital programs. Dr. Rettew writes a regular blog on Psychology Today that has over one and a half million views. 

Read more
Upcoming Programs

Maintaining Healthy Relationships Despite Opposing Views

With the holidays approaching, many of us are looking forward to seeing family and friends. This can also bring lively and sometimes heated debate on topics that family members and friends have opposing views. With the election wrapping up, this year may be a more stressful year for some. Dr. David Rettew, Medical Director of Lane County Behavioral Health, will share tips on how to deal with the stress and how to have a positive dialog with family and friends when there are opposing views. He’ll use his professional and personal experience from his own family gatherings to relate how you can provide your point of view and maintain healthy relationships.

David Rettew, MD is a child & adolescent psychiatrist who currently works as the Medical Director of Lane County Behavioral Health in Eugene, Oregon. He is also a clinical faculty member in the Psychiatry Department at OHSU. Before moving to Oregon in 2021, he worked as a tenured associate professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the University of Vermont Medical Center and was Medical Director of the child and families division of the Vermont Department of Mental Health. He was also past president of the Vermont Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.  Dr Rettew built and then acted as the first Training Director of UVM’s child psychiatry fellowship program.

He is the author of over 60 peer reviewed journal articles on a variety of mental health topics as well as two books, including Parenting Made Complicated: What Science Really Knows About the Greatest Debates of Early Childhood. He has served as the co-chair of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry’s (AACAP) Health Promotion and Prevention committee and was previously on their journal’s (JAACAP’s) editorial board. Dr. Rettew did his general psychiatry and child & adolescent training at Harvard Medical School within the combined Massachusetts General/McLean Hospital programs. Dr. Rettew writes a regular blog on Psychology Today that has over one and a half million views. 

October 3: Measure 118

One of the ballot initiatives which will appear on the November 5 ballot is a proposal which would impose a 3 percent tax on companies with over $25 million in Oregon sales and redistribute the money collected to all persons resident in the state for more than 200 days in a year. The measure has generated significant interest and controversy. On October 3 City Club has invited Antoni Gisbert, the Chief Petitioner for the proposal, and Preston Mann, director of political affairs for Oregon Business & Industry, which is leading an opposition effort to discuss the measure.

Antonio Gisbert is the Chief Petitioner of the Oregon Rebate (IP 2024-017), now Measure 118. In 2018-2019, Antonio organized a diverse group of community members to codify into a statewide ballot initiative a partial response to the widely held beliefs that (1) giant corporations are not paying their fair share in taxes and that (2) we are all finding it ever harder to make ends meet. After several years of movement building and signature gathering, this people-powered effort submitted over 170,000 signatures to qualify for the November election. Prior to working on the Oregon Rebate/Measure 118, Antonio was a Cognitive Neuroscientist and Union Organizer.

 

Preston Mann is the director of political affairs for Oregon Business & Industry, the state’s largest general business association. At OBI, Preston is responsible for guiding the organization’s political strategy and external affairs. Mann has many years of experience with policy advocacy, communications, public relations, and political strategy. Prior to joining OBI, Preston served as the vice president of a manufacturing trade association and worked as a senior advisor to statewide political candidates and causes, as well as dozens of legislative elections.

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 19: County Redistricting Commission

The Lane County Board of Commissioners has referred to the November 5 ballot a proposal to create, in the Lane County Charter, an Independent Redistricting Commission. This commission would replace the Independent Redistricting Committee created and existing in Chapter 21 of the Lane Code. The full text of the ballot proposal is available at this link: Measure 20-362.

The current committee, which was active following the 2020 decennial federal census, consists of five members appointed by the commissioners and 10 members appointed by those five members.

The new commission, if created, would consist of 15 members selected at random by the County Clerk from a list of applicants who apply for the Commission. The proposed amendment does not contain any specific provisions which would assure that the pool of applicants was geographically diverse, even though the selection criteria to be used by the County Clerk does require geographical diversity. Among other things, the proposal would require that individuals must be registered voters in Lane County and could not:

  • be candidates for or holders of federal, state, county or certain local offices;
  • be a registered lobbyist;
  • be paid congressional, legislative, or county employee.

The County Clerk, in making those selections, would be required to select three members (and one alternate) who currently reside in each existing commissioner district. The County Commissioners would not have a role in the selection of those individuals unless less than four individuals from a district apply. In such an event the Commissioners would select individuals to bring the total for each district to three members and one alternate.

The newly created commission would have not only the task of creating districts following the 2030 decennial census, but also would be required to create districts in adequate time so that new districts would be in place for the 2026 election. In performing this latter task, the Commission would rely on the data used to create the current districts, since no new data will be available until the census results are released sometime in 2031.

The decisions of the Commission with respect to districts, both for 2026 and for 2031 and thereafter would not be subject to review by the County Commissioners.

On September 19 Ryan Ceniga, Lane County Commissioner for the West Lane District, and Terry Parker, President of the Lane County League of Women Voters came to City Club to discuss the proposed charter amendment. Comm. Ceniga spoke in favor of the amendment and Ms. Parker spoke in opposition.

There were two major points at issue in the conversation: the nature of the independent commission and the need or desirability of conducting a redistricting out of cycle in 2026.

Comm. Ceniga said that the results of the 2021 redistricting were flawed in a number of ways, including the possibility that some rural residents might be effectively disenfranchised by a process which would allow for the City of Eugene to dominate the Board of Commissioners because of how the districts had been drawn. Ms. Parker said that because of the need to have districts with equal populations, and the fact that the population of the City of Eugene was so much larger than other areas, it had been necessary to include some portion of Eugene in each district to keep the size of each district within one percent of the mathematical amount of one-fifth of the total county population. Comm. Ceniga responded that it was not essential to stay within a one percent variance and that by allowing a variance of as much as five or ten percent, it would be possible to have some districts that had no portion of Eugene within them.

He also pointed to confusion which existed earlier this summer when a large grass fire occurred just west of Greenhill Road. He and his staff, and Lane County employees, responded to supporting efforts to control that fire but later discovered that the area was within the commission district which represented North Eugene.

Ms. Parker responded that the districts created in 2021 were not challenged at the time and have been in effect without objection. She said that while she was completely supportive of an independent commission to remove redistricting from politics as much as possible, since no new data existed to justify any changes in those districts, an out of cycle redistricting for the 2026 election was unnecessary, costly, and created a risk for political manipulation of the districts. Ms. Parker said that both the County Charter Review Committee and the Lane County elections office opposed this amendment.

Comm. Ceniga responded that this proposal incorporated all of the changes recommend by the Charter Review Committee except for the redistricting for the 2026 election and that redistricting in 2026 would not be particularly expensive since all the data already existed and only a minimal amount of staff time would be involved.

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.

 

September 5: Crisis in Child Care

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.

Recent Programs

October 3: Measure 118

One of the ballot initiatives which will appear on the November 5 ballot is a proposal which would impose a 3 percent tax on companies with over $25 million in Oregon sales and redistribute the money collected to all persons resident in the state for more than 200 days in a year. The measure has generated significant interest and controversy. On October 3 City Club has invited Antoni Gisbert, the Chief Petitioner for the proposal, and Preston Mann, director of political affairs for Oregon Business & Industry, which is leading an opposition effort to discuss the measure.

Antonio Gisbert is the Chief Petitioner of the Oregon Rebate (IP 2024-017), now Measure 118. In 2018-2019, Antonio organized a diverse group of community members to codify into a statewide ballot initiative a partial response to the widely held beliefs that (1) giant corporations are not paying their fair share in taxes and that (2) we are all finding it ever harder to make ends meet. After several years of movement building and signature gathering, this people-powered effort submitted over 170,000 signatures to qualify for the November election. Prior to working on the Oregon Rebate/Measure 118, Antonio was a Cognitive Neuroscientist and Union Organizer.

 

Preston Mann is the director of political affairs for Oregon Business & Industry, the state’s largest general business association. At OBI, Preston is responsible for guiding the organization’s political strategy and external affairs. Mann has many years of experience with policy advocacy, communications, public relations, and political strategy. Prior to joining OBI, Preston served as the vice president of a manufacturing trade association and worked as a senior advisor to statewide political candidates and causes, as well as dozens of legislative elections.

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 19: County Redistricting Commission

The Lane County Board of Commissioners has referred to the November 5 ballot a proposal to create, in the Lane County Charter, an Independent Redistricting Commission. This commission would replace the Independent Redistricting Committee created and existing in Chapter 21 of the Lane Code. The full text of the ballot proposal is available at this link: Measure 20-362.

The current committee, which was active following the 2020 decennial federal census, consists of five members appointed by the commissioners and 10 members appointed by those five members.

The new commission, if created, would consist of 15 members selected at random by the County Clerk from a list of applicants who apply for the Commission. The proposed amendment does not contain any specific provisions which would assure that the pool of applicants was geographically diverse, even though the selection criteria to be used by the County Clerk does require geographical diversity. Among other things, the proposal would require that individuals must be registered voters in Lane County and could not:

  • be candidates for or holders of federal, state, county or certain local offices;
  • be a registered lobbyist;
  • be paid congressional, legislative, or county employee.

The County Clerk, in making those selections, would be required to select three members (and one alternate) who currently reside in each existing commissioner district. The County Commissioners would not have a role in the selection of those individuals unless less than four individuals from a district apply. In such an event the Commissioners would select individuals to bring the total for each district to three members and one alternate.

The newly created commission would have not only the task of creating districts following the 2030 decennial census, but also would be required to create districts in adequate time so that new districts would be in place for the 2026 election. In performing this latter task, the Commission would rely on the data used to create the current districts, since no new data will be available until the census results are released sometime in 2031.

The decisions of the Commission with respect to districts, both for 2026 and for 2031 and thereafter would not be subject to review by the County Commissioners.

On September 19 Ryan Ceniga, Lane County Commissioner for the West Lane District, and Terry Parker, President of the Lane County League of Women Voters came to City Club to discuss the proposed charter amendment. Comm. Ceniga spoke in favor of the amendment and Ms. Parker spoke in opposition.

There were two major points at issue in the conversation: the nature of the independent commission and the need or desirability of conducting a redistricting out of cycle in 2026.

Comm. Ceniga said that the results of the 2021 redistricting were flawed in a number of ways, including the possibility that some rural residents might be effectively disenfranchised by a process which would allow for the City of Eugene to dominate the Board of Commissioners because of how the districts had been drawn. Ms. Parker said that because of the need to have districts with equal populations, and the fact that the population of the City of Eugene was so much larger than other areas, it had been necessary to include some portion of Eugene in each district to keep the size of each district within one percent of the mathematical amount of one-fifth of the total county population. Comm. Ceniga responded that it was not essential to stay within a one percent variance and that by allowing a variance of as much as five or ten percent, it would be possible to have some districts that had no portion of Eugene within them.

He also pointed to confusion which existed earlier this summer when a large grass fire occurred just west of Greenhill Road. He and his staff, and Lane County employees, responded to supporting efforts to control that fire but later discovered that the area was within the commission district which represented North Eugene.

Ms. Parker responded that the districts created in 2021 were not challenged at the time and have been in effect without objection. She said that while she was completely supportive of an independent commission to remove redistricting from politics as much as possible, since no new data existed to justify any changes in those districts, an out of cycle redistricting for the 2026 election was unnecessary, costly, and created a risk for political manipulation of the districts. Ms. Parker said that both the County Charter Review Committee and the Lane County elections office opposed this amendment.

Comm. Ceniga responded that this proposal incorporated all of the changes recommend by the Charter Review Committee except for the redistricting for the 2026 election and that redistricting in 2026 would not be particularly expensive since all the data already existed and only a minimal amount of staff time would be involved.

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.

 

September 5: Crisis in Child Care

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.

Aug. 1: Workshop: Amplify Your Voice in Local Government!

Public comment is not just a formality. It’s a powerful tool that can shape the future of our community. Join this Springfield City Club workshop to learn how to use your voice in local government and community initiatives. Experienced local leaders will provide you with the knowledge and tools needed to effectively voice your opinions and contribute to our community’s decision-making processes.

You will learn about attending public meetings, including city council sessions and county commissioner meetings, and providing written comment. Additionally, you will learn how to effectively prepare and deliver public comments, understand the legislative process, and build relationships with local representatives.

Speakers

headshot of Kenny WeigandtKenny Weigandt, Community Engagement Director at Willamalane Park and Recreation District

Kenny Weigandt joined Willamalane in 2018 and became the community engagement director in 2022. He is a proud Oregon Duck and has a bachelor’s degree in Economics. He has about 17 years of experience in marketing and communication in various industries but has found his true passion in parks and recreation. Kenny’s favorite pastimes include kayaking, running, hiking, basketball, and spending time with his (wild and crazy) family.


Sam Kelly-Quattrocchi, Government Relations Manager at LTD

Sam Kelly-Quattrocchi is leading Lane Transit District’s legislative efforts as the Government Relations Manager. Having worked for both the City of Springfield and Eugene, Sam is has worked across the metro region.

Originally from Sant Rosa, CA, a graduate of both Oregon State University and the University of Washington, Sam tends to avoid wearing orange and purple during college football season and spends his free time playing board games with his friends or curled up on the couch reading.

Sam is most excited by the diversity of his work, and the opportunity to shape policy and development locally, while also utilizing relationships at the State and Federal level to provide more resources for Lane County.

 

 

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