Why Sustainability Commission ignored Zelenka advice: We don’t represent just one person

Presenter: The Sustainability Commission responds after a city councilor called its work plan ‘reactionary.’ This story begins a year ago, when last year’s commission shared its annual report.

Mayor Lucy Vinis (Nov. 13, 2023): I’m very excited about your commitment to outreach and education because I think that what we learn over and over again is that, you know, no matter how far along you think you’ve brought the community, they’re not quite with you, always, unless you’ve had a chance and that your commission is, you know, sort of very well positioned to actually understand those issues well and then help be a bridge to the community.

[00:00:41] Councilor Alan Zelenka (Nov. 13, 2023): I think that your number one focus should be maximizing the once-in-a-lifetime federal and state funding that’s occurring right now. Once in a generation: There’s hundreds of millions of dollars flowing into the state. Where it’s going to go is still an open question. I think positioning our community for capturing that as much as we possibly can, more than our fair share, is what we should try to be doing.

[00:01:10] There was a recent article in the Register-Guard about 435,000 jobs being created by the renewable energy projects that are being done, being funded by this. That’s a lot of jobs. Having those jobs come here and they’re well-paying family wage jobs. So having those come here, I think should be a focus.

[00:01:27] So maximizing the dollars from the federal and state programs and the jobs from these programs, I think, should be a really high focus for the Sustainability Commission because if we don’t do it now, we’re going to miss the boat. This is a once in a lifetime.

[00:01:42] Presenter: Alan Zelenka works at the Oregon Department of Energy, where his title is ‘Assistant Director for Planning and Innovation. He manages a group of people working on energy efficiency, renewables, sustainable transportation, energy planning, and climate change.’

[00:01:58] Even if he weren’t city councilor, you might expect commissioners to seek him out for valuable insights about how to win millions of dollars for local projects.

[00:02:09] They did not. When the Sustainability Commission came back with its work plan this year, he voted against it.

[00:02:18] Councilor Alan Zelenka (Oct. 21, 2024): For the commissioners, the reason I voted ‘No’ is because I think that this work plan isn’t focused on the things that I think are important issues for the city and it seems rather reactionary.

[00:02:30] Last year when you were here, I had comments that I thought that the Sustainability Commission and the sustainability staff should focus on the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that’s presented to us in getting our fair share of the hundreds of millions of dollars that the Biden administration is putting into our state for climate change efforts and energy efficiency. And I don’t really see that reflected here in what you guys did or what you’re going to do.

[00:02:54] Presenter: At the Sustainability Commission meeting Nov. 20:

[00:03:00] Ian Penn (Eugene staff): [To follow up on some of the comments that came up from specifically Councilor Zelenka about the work plan:] I think we were able to clarify a couple points of confusion that were maybe there in terms of what the role of Commission is, what the work plan was representing.

You know, I think there’s some confusion that it was maybe staff’s, as opposed to the Commission’s work plan. And so I think some of the comments were born out of that.

[00:03:21] And I think he does understand that a big goal of this Commission is to try and align with the CAP (Climate Action Plan), align with where a lot of the city is in terms of things that are coming in front of Council. So he sort of understood that.

[00:03:31] And I think the thing he encouraged, and I think this is incumbent upon staff to do this moving forward, is to find ways to figure out how there’s continuation from year to year. And I think we’ve tried to do that a little bit. I think we maybe need to tell that story a little bit more effectively for Council moving forward, but to focus on how things are being done sort of there.

[00:03:47] But I think a lot of the comments that were said publicly, I don’t think necessarily reflect kind of the thinking of Council. And I think it was maybe done out of a place of wanting to do things and wanting to make sure that we’re showing progress.

[00:04:01] Devon Mann (Sustainability Commission, chair): I have one comment that I would like to make (Okay) based on my personal experience at that particular meeting and wanted to just share one of the messages that I was hearing at the commission was that there’s an individual councilor’s concerns from last year that were specific to that person were not being addressed in a timely fashion, or, by the Commission, perhaps at all.

[00:04:24] And I just wanted to point out that the Commission does not represent one person and what they think is important or one commissioner’s what they think is important. We represent the whole community. And that’s why we come from all different places and give our input.

[00:04:38] So we can’t just focus on what one person on City Council thinks is what we should be doing specifically. So I just felt pretty strongly about that at the time and didn’t say anything, which was probably smart, but I’m saying it now. (laughs) So there you go.

[00:04:54] Emily Semple (Eugene City Council liaison): That was certainly an awkward position after we worked so hard and we all agreed and presented it. And for Councilor Zelenka then to bring up his personal requests from a year ago, um, I’m sorry, but I thought it was really disrespectful. And I was really uncomfortable with his vote. He could have expressed his disappointment without his displeasure.

[00:05:25] So I want to make it clear that that obviously was not Council majority’s opinion. And you are appreciated and I will say again, I have seen a great amount of advancement in the Commission’s work. And I think that councilors must notice that also. So, one person, we all have opinions and we’re all able to take in what we think is important. So, please do that.

[00:05:59] Presenter: Chair Devon Mann explains why the Sustainability Commission didn’t adopt Councilor Zelenka’s suggestion to focus on helping the city win millions of dollars in once-in-a-lifetime funding. It’s because the assistant director of the Oregon Department of Energy is just one person.

[00:06:21] Devon Mann (Sustainability Commission, chair): We can’t just focus on what one person on City Council thinks is what we should be doing specifically.