A small crowd of campaign volunteers gathered Thursday morning to celebrate the victory of Lane County Commissioner-elect Rob Handy in the race against long-time incumbent Commissioner Bobby Green for the North Eugene seat. Handy’s delayed triumph was narrow, with Handy winning by only 255 votes.
“It’s been a hard and long race, and I want to thank the voters in Lane County for seeking change,” Handy said.
Handy is hoping his mandate for change will usher in a new era of constituent and commissioner communication, which was exemplified by his grassroots campaign. Voter trust is an aspect of local politics Handy feels needs strengthening.
“My goals are to take the lessons of my life and apply them to this new challenge,” Handy said. “This means working hard, being open and accessible to the people and their ideas, and continuing to learn and inform myself on what I need to know in order to be effective to serve the people of this community.”
Voter support is instrumental in helping the county expand its budget through taxes. Even with the recent re-installment of the timber payments, Handy encourages Lane County to look for alternative ways to raise funds and live within the means of the established budget. Handy promises to prioritize spending and keep marginalized populations a top priority.
Some of his creative solutions to end Lane County’s reliance on timber dollars include capturing costs from tourists and creating private-public partnerships for juvenile justice programs in order to cut costs of locally funded programs. Handy proposes looking at other states’ policies as a possible alternative to generate revenue, such as Montana, where the federal government is required to pay property taxes to the state’s fish and wildlife service. Handy’s perspective on the environment and sustainability in job growth appear to be in sync with Mayor Kitty Piercy’s views.
“They certainly both have huge priorities in supporting local job growth and sustainability,” said Handy’s campaign manager, Phyllis Barkhurst. “Their shared vision will help to improve the relationship between the city and the county.”
Against the backdrop of the triumphant grassroots campaign is the defeat of 13-year incumbent Bobby Green. In his concession speech, Green expressed his gratitude to his campaign volunteers and supporters in the community. Green vowed to work in the 2010 and 2012 election to keep Eugene growing in a positive direction.
“I am committed to working to end the politics of division and personal destruction that we saw in this last election at the national, state and local level,” Green said in a press release.
“I wish I could pinpoint a direct reason for the loss, but it wasn’t a landslide, proving that every vote counts. (Handy) ran a pretty negative campaign, and when you have a bad national economy, it is easy for someone to claim we need change,” Green said.
Regardless of the nasty politics that can plague a campaign, Handy is relieved to see his hard work paid off.
“I walked over 350 miles, knocked on over 18,000 doors, and even though it took another week, I am happy to see the results matched what I felt on voters’ doorsteps,” Handy said.
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Handy edges out Green for commissioner post
Daily Emerald
November 13, 2008
Lauren Fox
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