George Brown, city council member-elect and owner of The Kiva grocery store, is preparing to move his focus from produce to potholes.
The 38-year Eugene resident has plenty of background in the city’s issues. However, he admits the majority of his time as a councilor-elect will be spent sifting through documents that will bring him up to speed on the city’s many complicated dilemmas.
Brown will replace former councilor Bonny Bettman, who opted not to run for re-election, in the central Eugene area. Bettman endorsed Brown in the campaign and assured her constituents they are in good hands.
“He has high moral integrity, and I believe he will do an excellent job representing the public’s interest in city decision making,” Bettman said in an e-mail.
Brown grew up in Oklahoma, but when he was presented with a summer opportunity to pick apples in Washington, he and a few friends packed up and headed out West. Brown attributed his work in the orchards to helping him develop a strong work ethic.
“We would wake up early to load box cars at 6 a.m. … there was always more work to be done,” Brown said.
Brown’s summer job at the orchard cultivated into a full-time position, until a friend called him with an idea for a bookstore. A space had opened up in downtown Eugene and he wanted Brown to come help him start the business. A short time later, Brown’s bookstore bought out the natural food store next door and The Kiva was born.
In recent years, Brown has directed his attention to more civic affairs. His interest began when the city proposed a $12 million parking garage near the old Whole Foods Market on East 8th Avenue and Broadway. The garage was to be paid for with citizens’ tax dollars, a method Brown detested.
“I thought it was a form of corporate welfare. Building up private businesses was not a good use of public tax dollars in my opinion,” Brown said. “Taxes should be used to support things that will benefit the entire community, such as Eugene’s library. Now that was a great use of citizens’ money.”
Brown’s goals reach further than the immediate future; he also wants to look ahead and develop solutions to potential problems.
“I want to help solve the budget crisis that is projected for 2010. We will have to figure out how to raise some money. Most of the departments need more money, and it’s just not there,” Brown said.
Brown also wants to preserve the architectural integrity inherent in Eugene’s neighborhoods. He plans to maintain the urban growth boundary while encouraging development through a stricter building code.
“The idea is to not have big fights every time a developer tries building something that goes against the neighborhood’s posterity. We shouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel every time a developer wants to do something,” Brown said.
Taking over for Bettman, who often fought for students’ rights, Brown embodies a new representation for students at the University.
Freshman Cameron Clement is excited about the change.
“As a new city councilor, he will be much more open to outside opinions from University students and the general public,” Clement said.