Robert Drake for Springfield City Council 2018

03/19/2017

For those that have been asking about the "blue tiger" logo, it is what it says on my personal profile... a symbol of assymetrical cooperating elements that form political and social "action affiliations." It is organized around a principle of posing a direct challenge to tired and inertial political institutions, to dogma, and to unsustainable social and economic cultures.

It supports freedom, and it is international in scope and nature, and it is the closest thing I will ever have to standing by a "political organization" or party. Or without having significant reservations, or feel like I am constructing a system that will become the problem itself. And yes, among many other attributes, you can purchase a chocolate bar that will save it from extinction... )))

11/01/2016

The "Pirate Party..." of Iceland. There are now 60 Pirate Parties around the world, and this one almost got enough votes to have a majority in the Icelandic Parliament. Note the date of the legislation here...

Edward Snowden

On 4 July 2013, a bill was introduced in parliament that would, if passed, immediately grant Edward Snowden Icelandic citizenship. The proposer of the bill was Helgi Hrafn Gunnarsson (Pirate Party) and it was co-sponsored by the other Pirate Party parliament members, Ögmundur Jónasson (Left-Green Movement), Páll Valur Björnsson (Bright Future) and Helgi Hjörvar (Social Democratic Alliance).

http://piratar.is/en/

Icelandic Pirate Party Election Manifesto – October 2016 Our Candidates standing for parliament Press Relations The next parliamentary elections in Iceland will be held on October 29th 2016. The Pirates’ election eve party will be held at Bryggjan Brugghús, Grandagarður 5, from 20:00 until 03:00. …

07/20/2016

Out of the modest nucleus of people not really wanting old ideas or status quo here, and with a government that still is stalled in Glenwood's sustainable development, expanding a livable center or atrracting customers to its businesses despite massive regulatory advantages over Eugene... while not relevant to City Council elections, there is forming a political party and element, one that is more loose and agile than the in**ed organizing machines that dominate City, County, and State politics. Its goals are light, fast, and proficient, encouraging a creative insurrection to bypass the inertia and media dullness that lets our community spin endlessly in limbo, all at a time when we could make it a lot nicer. And we will do it by not just by enriching a few developers or limiting economic opportunity.

I will be running for the non affiliated Springfield City Council seat in my ward (2) in 2018 ...under the principles of this "non party" party. Local elections are a good place to break out of a stale status quo and bring issues into the public dialogue. Springfield is young, and needs to clear out much of the old guard and populate our downtown with something not "stuck" in old dysfuncitonal models. Instead we want a place that is affordable, with a progressive and profitable downtown, and where we are building a real future for the city, ...not just trying to survive. Something new and interesting. Blue Tiger...

05/18/2016

Thank you everyone! And thanks to everyone for the ideas that everyone offered that contributed to this "new ideas" oriented platform - bringing up things that were both efficient and innovative. My total (2627 votes) was within 300 votes of the total that the incumbent mayor got to win by double digits in 2012 :-) See below) ... however, this time, my 22% of the 11,000+ that voted -- was not enough to win. The Springfield Bernie/Donald turnout was 37% (in a county that otherwise turned out about 60% by the way)... and not the scary 16.5% in 2012 that was the Obama/Mitt primary. Lee and Terry Beyer, stalwart democrats, supported the mayor and helped squash a City Club debate that was scheduled. The interesting upside, is that least I am a true force for bi-partisanship and cooperation in government!

05/16/2016

A critical issue with no coverage. Imagine that. :-) There are those that live here and those who want it to be a vision more creative and dynamic than the current city Glenwood is valuable and should be redeveloped, though I think people will not be very pleased with what Springfield's people get out of this one. Radical displacement, and the enrichment of yet someone else who is "not us".

http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/34366519-75/springfield-could-sue-property-owners-to-acquire-land-for-franklin-boulevard-redesign.html.csp

SPRINGFIELD — The city may have to invoke eminent domain law before starting its long-anticipated — and repeatedly delayed — rebuild of Franklin Boulevard in Glenwood, possibly taking up to a dozen landowners to court to force them to sell their properties. That’s a step the city hopes to avoid. But...

05/13/2016

All told, in the last election in 2012, only 16.5% (4,652) people registered to vote in Springfield voted in the election for Mayor. Springfield is a city of 60,000 with a budget of $179 million. (this means spending about 500k a day btw). The percentage that voted for the current Mayor in 2012 (2,923 voters out of 28,259 registered voters) was only about 10.3%. If 10% is the threshold, this time, with literally any kind of turnout, we might actually have a chance to do something.

05/12/2016

For those still looking for reasons to vote (or not) I've done here what the RG and Weekly would not do. Give real information about the candidates. I'm posting my hour long Ch. 29 interview, & unlike the stifled public dialogue - I'm also giving the link for my opponent's TV time. Please take the opportunity to compare what we want to do, and who is likely to find real answers to what the city should do ***today*** without the 40 years gone mill economy.
Robert Drake for Mayor - Springfield 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBNVMXMdcVE
Christrine Lundberg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsRLIux2sAQ

Candidate Conversations #19 - Robert Drake

05/12/2016

My priorities are to promote a more intelligent and innovative city administration that makes a vastly more efficient use of what are actually substantial resources.
1) Support the our kids and remedy the critical 66% graduation rate.

2) Lease out SUB’s existing fiber optic cable network to have a third party provide the resource of ultra affordable ultra high speed INTERNET to the entire city like has been done in 27 other cities by Google and others. (at 15 times the speed of cable, btw)

3) Accelerate improvements to the resource that is the good land and locations downtown by attracting high quality apartments that can be owned. Site or attract a real full service large grocery store and deli somewhere downtown for downtown residents, possibly south of South A Street between 6th and 10th Streets.

4) Leverage/expand the resource that is the attention and large investments which are coming in Glenwood and on the new South Franklin EMX ("Main-McVay") corridor along the river prior to the 2021 World Track Championships.

5) Expand fast/frequent bus services competitive with autos using vehicles that are smaller, faster, and have a smaller footprint - expanding routes and the frequency of buses to them.

6) Continue to promote the huge untapped resource that is the arts community and the incomparable wall mural project, continue to support terrific places like the Willamalane Parks and pools, and the senior services available most obviously at the truly great Willamalane Senior Center next to Island Park. And of course continue bike improvements that now will connect the length of the Willamette from downtown all the way to Jasper.
7) Continue to humanize and support community law enforcement and our great local courts such that neighborhood policing is a realizable goal. Also importantly, make sure that the jail is professionally run.

I want to Immediately address and bring public attention to the public school's critically low funding, the 66% high school graduation rate, and generally the impact of the poverty that has almost 70% of the families in the district eligible for the Federal Free Lunch program. More than 50% of the city is under the age of 35, city policies and politics need to provide support for their voice as well.

05/09/2016

Every single vote that our campaign receives, and every issue that is left unaddressed or avoided by the present administration will create pressure to deal with the long term demographic and poverty based problems of the city. And people will notice that the elected officials are slow at this and they are losing our kid's future to their inability to energetically address the issues so to get a better result. They continue to use the same tired formula to promote a "prosperous" and business friendly community while legislating the divisions of that same community. There is a better way, to be sure. And nothing that a some new energy and imagination cannot fix.

05/09/2016

Comments to the Weekly below... after the Weekly's doing **no** candidate interviews for their endorsement and then in a flash of amazing self contradiction endorsing the current status quo in Springfield, the city they love to hate. Hell hath no fury like Floyd Prozanski being scorned I guess... even if it means sleeping with Sid Leiken.

Here is the text of my comment.

"Congratulation's to the Eugene Weekly for its coverage of the Springfield Mayoral election!"

The Weekly has relegated any debate (if any) or discussion of factual issues vital to the future of a town that could have used a break or some intelligent attention -- to what only can now be found in the 'Comments' sections of the "paper." (Or if living in Springfield, as was said in Ted Taylor's apology to the Springfield City Club for trashing the Springfield downtown in the March 10th issue, his "partisan journal.")

Really though, our campaign would not feel quite as bad about the Weekly's endorsement of the opposition except that it is bewildering that:

1) Ever mysterious editor Camilla Mortensen felt it necessary to not return emails, calls, or respond to even the outreach of our candidate's simple in person appearance at their offices, much less try to contact the candidates or address any issues in print, and;

2) There is and will be no coverage until it is too late about vital city and area interests like massive LTD and other expansions into Glenwood or the crisis in the school graduation rate which now stands at 66% with almost 70% of Springfield's school families eligible for Federal Free Lunch help due to poverty. (Surely the Weekly will expose and complain quite a lot about this much later, concerned only afterwards about things they could address now and get in front of now, before it is a crisis) and;

3) One has to wonder too, with the Weekly to some degree representing Eugene's liberal elements, what is so appealing to them in the current mayor's agenda that the Weekly should so thoroughly step on any/all dialogue about a city they found immanently worth insulting ( http://www.eugeneweekly.com/20... ), though apparently unworthy of discussing its betterment?

No matter how bad for our campaign it may be, we are all ears, please let us know what heroic impulse there caused such a categorical need to endorse the Sid Leiken "status quo" as your informed choice, ... seriously?"

Robert Drake for Mayor of Springfield 2016
https://www.facebook.com/d4m20...

05/02/2016

Questions about the job of Mayor that I answered for the Springfield Times:

1) What do you feel is the role of the mayor in Springfield?

Because the mayor does not have an 'operational' responsibility, at least beyond the oversight of the city manager and the city council agenda (and as a mayor who is a volunteer), one of the roles of the mayor is to provide visibility to the important interests of the Springfield community. The city needs enlightened leadership and policy to solve its long term problems and move forward, and the mayor needs to step up. I would like to give a focus to truly improving the quality of life of the city's 60,000 residents, as well as continue a tradition of solid, unostentatious, and relatively inexpensive government services and utilities.

2) With Springfield as a whole, what do you feel are this city's greatest strengths?

Affordable houses, affordable utilities, great parks, wall paintings and murals like no other place, and a beautiful riverside location. The people and city of Springfield have a reputation of trying to accommodate progress and "getting things done" as contrasted with many of the things that typically paralyze Eugene's processes. In the time that Eugene has fought and failed to build out even one EMX line, Springfield has built three. Even greater perhaps is what is in the future... 50% of the city population is under the age of 35, new voices and new ideas are just now starting to be heard.

3) Also, what do you think is the primary weakness Springfield faces, and how do you feel that can be overcome?

The city leadership, bless its heart, seems to lack energy and optimism and seems like, at times, it has run out of new ideas. Additionally, Springfield has been unable to completely solve the downtown problem in the 30 years since the loss of the timber economy. As a long time Springfield downtown resident, I believe this is mostly because the city tries to attract businesses first without the area really having customers or an attractive community downtown that will spend money and support local businesses. Recent upticks are mostly due to the Washburne Cafe and Planktown and folks from out of the area and from Eugene. Creating a real neighborhood and community that is "downtown" would revitalize and support expansion. It could be helped by new (purchasable) high quality apartments as well as new mixed income housing under recently passed inclusionary housing laws. (A decent sized grocery store or two would be nice too.) This would make it a safe and interesting city center that's prosperous and livable for all. There is a concern about the schools, and despite heroic efforts by parents and teachers, they still cannot afford basic classroom materials and graduate only 66% (only 2/3rds) of their students. And, though almost 70% of Springfield families with school age kids are close to poverty and are eligible for the Federal Free lunch program, if their voices and the voices of the younger generation can be heard in the elections process, I believe it will bring real action on their issues and Springfield will win.

4) Can you provide more specifics on what you'd like to accomplish in your term as mayor if elected?

I want to promote a more intelligent and insightful city administration that makes a vastly more creative and efficient use of what are actually Springfield's substantial resources and advantages. My priorities are:

1) Support the resource that is its children and the young population. Immediately address and bring public attention to the public school's critically low funding and the 66% high school graduation rate.

2) Contract to use SUB’s existing fiber optic cable network to have a third party provide ultra affordable ultra high speed INTERNET to the entire city like has been done in 27 other cities by Google and others. (15 times the speed of cable, btw)

3) Accelerate improvements to downtown by attracting high quality apartments that can be owned. Site or attract a real full service large grocery store and deli somewhere downtown for downtown residents, possibly south of South A Street between 6th and 10th Streets.

4) Leverage/expand the investments which are coming prior to the 2021 World Track Championships in Glenwood and on the new South Franklin EMX ("Main-McVay") corridor along the river.

5) Expand fast/frequent bus services competitive with autos.

6) Continue the arts community agenda, continue to support terrific places like the Willamalane Parks and pools, and the senior services and center next to Island Park. And of course continue bike improvements that now will connect the length of the Willamette from downtown all the way to Jasper.

7) Continue to humanize and support community law enforcement and our courts such that neighborhood policing is a realizable goal and also importantly, that the jail is professionally run.

05/01/2016

My reply is in the comments section... apparently the only place anyone can get any real information about the candidates and seems to be the default debate venue we are allowed.

http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/34317661-75/springfield-mayor-city-council-races-pit-outsiders-against-incumbents.html.csp #

SPRINGFIELD — The May 17 election gives Springfield residents a chance to vote for change or continuity. Mayor Christine Lundberg and city Councilors Sheri Moore and Dave Ralston face challengers with little political experience, but plenty of ideas to improve the city. Robert Drake, 60, filed elect…