Election 2024: Lane County Commission candidate Q&A with Farr, Mulholland
This is part of a series of stories on the candidates running in the May 21 primary election, with question-and-answer articles scheduled to be published each day through the rest of April. Ballots must be mailed to voters by May 1.
The elections for the Lane County Board of Commissioners are approaching with ballots due May 21. Two candidates have registered to run for District 4 on the board — incumbent Pat Farr and Zach Mulholland.
Lane County Commissioner District 4 is officially labeled "North Eugene" and approximately includes Eugene's Bethel, Cal Young, Goodpasture, Industrial, Northeast Eugene, Trainsong, West Eugene and Whiteaker neighborhoods as well as the unincorporated communities near the airport. With two candidates on the ballot for the district, May’s primary election outcome will decide which candidate runs uncontested in the November general election.
The Register-Guard asked each of the candidates a series of questions and asked them for biographical information. Here are the candidate's answers to the questions, word for word. The Register-Guard built Farr's bio from his campaign website. Candidates are listed alphabetically.
Biographical Information
Pat Farr
In addition to his current service as a Lane County Commissioner, Farr served on the Bethel School Board, Oregon House of Representatives and the Eugene City Council.
At FOOD for Lane County, he guided the rescue and recovery of the fiscally and publicly troubled agency from near-insolvency. Together with a strong staff, he led the nonprofit to its status as a secure and sustained leader in Oregon human service work.
His public service has included Eugene Human Rights Commission; Lane County Human Services Commission; Homes for Good Board of Directors; Travel Lane County Board of Directors; Lane County Fair Board
Zach Mulholland
I live in the Bethel neighborhood of Eugene.
I work with Beyond Toxics, an Environmental Justice Non-Profit, to stop toxic polluters like J.H. Baxter from locating near homes in Eugene and helping low-income families access rebates for energy efficient appliances and insulation.
Previously, I lobbied at the Oregon Legislature for what became the State’s Climate Protection Program and owned a small Café.
Community Service on Boards and Commissions:
Lane Community College Board of Education
Eugene Budget Committee
Eugene Sustainability Commission
Active Bethel Community Neighborhood Association
Many Rivers Chapter Sierra Club
Questions
What relevant experience would you bring to the board of commissioners?
Farr: I have lived in Lane County since moving here to attend University of Oregon in 1973
I have served a total of 24 years at four different elective levels:
Lane County Board of Commissioners 2013-present
Oregon House of Representatives 2003-2004
Eugene City Council 1995-2003; 2011-2012
FOOD for Lane County, Executive Director 2004-2006
Oregon Food Bank, Board of Directors
SELCO Credit Union, Board of Directors
Chair, Oregon Health Authority-Association of Oregon Counties Local Government Advisory Committee
I have served on numerous city, county, state and national policy, budget and advisory committees.
Mulholland: As a Board member of Lane Community College, I am working to expand opportunities for high schoolers to earn free college credits and ensure bond funds are spent as promised.
I pushed the Eugene City Council to raise new revenue for homelessness programs and allocated funding for an Electric Vehicle Charging Plan on the Eugene Budget Committee.
I helped the Bethel Neighborhood Association be next in line for a new neighborhood plan, add new bike lanes and paths to the County Bicycle Plan, and protect Golden Gardens Park from overdevelopment (no fake plastic grass).
According to a January presentation to the board of commissioners, Lane County employment is still below pre-pandemic levels. What policies or strategies do you plan to pursue to bring back those jobs?
Farr: Continue to facilitate growth in established local companies with a focus on growing small businesses to augment larger employers. Build facilities including the Integrated Material and Energy Recovery Facility (IMRF) that provide jobs during construction and operation.
Mulholland: Lane County needs to invest in the jobs of the future instead of chasing the logging and mining jobs of the past. I support expansion of fiber internet so everyone has access to fast and affordable internet. I will develop a Lane County Healthcare System Plan in partnership with Local and State government, including funding for a new hospital, because we deserve a well-functioning local healthcare system. We must also address our severe housing shortage to lower the costs to live and work here so everyone can afford to put a roof over their head and raise a family.
What strategies or policies do you support to reduce homelessness in Lane County?
Farr: I continue as Vice-Chair of Lane County’s Poverty and Homelessness Board which is focused on distributing resources through state and federal programs to our local non-profits and government partners. Homelessness is a dynamic landscape with increasing numbers due to a broad variety of reasons.
Strategies that are used locally and will be sustained are highlighted by recent success, heralded by Governor Kotek, of our “All-In Lane County” program that distributed more than $18 million locally and significantly exceeded goals in:
Homeless Prevention Programs: 943 of the goal of 741 households stabilized in housing
Rehousing: 407 of the goal of 247 households permanently housed
Emergency Shelter Beds: 304 of the goal of 230 beds improved or created
Mulholland: I would pursue a compassionate and effective response to homelessness that is large enough to meet the need, including investing in permanent supportive housing with wraparound services, rapid rehousing programs, and homelessness prevention programs. I would explore new funding options like asking voters to approve a Homelessness and Affordable Housing Bond. As Federal funding for homelessness services from Covid runs out, I will work to ensure the most successful programs can be saved and then expanded. I will fight to ensure everyone in our community has a roof over their head and food in their stomach.
What strategies or policies do you support to increase housing affordability and/or supply in Lane County?
Farr: Supporting the successful creation of subsidized housing that has proven effective in recent years at MLK Commons; The Nel; Market District Commons and numerous other properties that provide targeted residences with income-based rents.
Continuing Lane County’s role in helping with denser infill of residences inside urban growth boundaries through property tax incentives for multi-unit properties and considering Lane County owned land inside UGBs, including Market District Commons, on former underutilized land.
Ensuring that, while working inside Oregon’s strict land use codes, residential opportunities are allowed in Rural Residential zoned areas including allowed Additional Dwelling Units (ADU).
Mulholland: I would support homeownership programs, including a down payment assistance fund for first-time home buyers and helping renters and mobile park tenants buy their rental when it is for sale. I would extend Eugene’s Renters’ Rights Countywide and require minimum energy efficiency standards in rentals.
I will work with Cities to help them extend services like sewers to new residential areas within their Urban Growth Boundary to build more housing. Additionally, I will support reforms to encourage compact development and home ownership, including the construction of affordable housing units like hostels, tiny homes, and cluster cottages.
What new or current county environmental protection strategies or policies would you support? Are there any current policies you think go too far?
Farr: The Solid Waste Landfill is Lane County’s largest producer of greenhouse gas. Building and operating the Integrated Material Recovery Facility (IMRF) will reduce landfill waste and increase recycling and reuse as well as provide mitigation of methane from the landfill, delivering an equivalent reduction of taking 20,000 cars off the road for the next 25 years.
A small leachate pipeline from the landfill to Metropolitan Wastewater (MWMC) facilities in Glenwood will reduce as many as 12 semi-truck transport tanker loads per day.
MWMC now converts methane gas into renewable natural gas.
Continue to refine the Lane County Climate Action Plan.
Mulholland: I would leverage new State and Federal programs to make energy efficient appliances the easy choice and improve EV Fast Charging along our Highways.
Conservative Commissioners’ recent decision to loosen environmental standards to encourage building homes in the floodway puts people’s lives and property at risk. It was a short-sighted decision. Commissioner Buch had it right when she said we should be helping people move out of the floodway. I would oppose turning Elk Habitat into a gravel mine for donor Ed King or using County funds to lobby for increased logging, all of which my opponent supported.
Alan Torres covers local government for the Register-Guard. He can be reached over email at atorres@registerguard.com or on X @alanfryetorres.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Lane County elections: Candidates Pat Farr, Zach Mulholland
