Ethan for Eugene

This write-up is long overdue, but here we are.

The May primary obviously did not go as I, and my supporters, had hoped, but I’m proud of all we accomplished.

The reality is that, with a late entry, this was always going to be a tough election. I believe, had I been in the race earlier, things would have looked differently. My message resonated with voters my volunteers and I talked with. Because of the landscape of this election, I believe we had to truly earn, with first-hand engagement, nearly every vote we got. I’m incredibly proud of that. Thank you to the donors, door knockers, my campaign managers, and the voters who helped us achieve what we did.

Discouragingly, turnout in Ward 1 was down nearly 14% over the same election 4 years ago, while nearly 10% of those who did turn in ballots didn’t vote for their next city councilor (we call these “undervotes”). While undervotes were down versus four years ago, this coupled with the overall drop in returned ballots suggests that the electorate is becoming limited to the most politically engaged among us, while those who are less politically engaged are not even bothering to vote. And it’s those folks that I’m most worried about. They believe the system is failing them and have checked out completely. At the city level, we should be most able to demonstrate noticeable day-to-day change for these folks, and we’re failing to do so. Our leaders should be concerned about this and should be finding new ways to build trust with inactive voters.

In that vein, there’s still a lot of work to do. November brings a baffling ballot measure that punishes businesses in our community rather than incentivize them to invest in the workforce and better wages. Drug use and property crime remain rampant in our community. Housing continues to be out of reach for too many Eugeneans. And downtown continues to be a place that businesses and residents alike avoid. This election did not change any of that. It simply shook up the team working to overcome those challenges.

I look forward to continuing to work within my existing roles within Downtown Eugene, and pursuing new roles, through which I can help us tackle the issues facing us. I offer Eliza a hearty congratulations, wish her success in her new role at city council, and look forward to collaborating closely. I’m excited about the vision put forth by our mayor-elect Kaarin Knudson. I will continue advocating for folks across our community and bridging interest groups in pursuit of creative solutions that work for Eugene. I’m sure I’ll see you out there as well, working boldly toward a bright future.