City Council Candidates, Wards 3 & 4
Time: Noon to 1:15 pm
Venue: WOW Hall
291 West 8th
Eugene, Oregon
97401
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We will meet at the WOW Hall, 291 W 8th. Learn more: https://wowhall.org/about-us/. Walk, ride a bike or take the bus. You may park on the street or in the parking lot of FOOD for Lane County's Dining Room, across 8th from the WOW Hall. A freewill donation acknowledging the Dining Room's generosity may be made at the meeting.
Lunch will be available for $15.
Topic:
As Eugene voters prepare for the May 19, 2026, primary election, City Club of Eugene will host a public candidate forum featuring contenders for Eugene City Council in Wards 5 and 6. Eugene faces a series of interconnected and high-stakes challenges. This forum will provide voters with an opportunity to hear directly from candidates about their priorities, values, and governing approaches.
The discussion will focus on issues at the center of current public debate, including housing affordability and supply; homelessness and public safety; economic development and downtown revitalization; climate policy and infrastructure. Like many cities, Eugene faces fiscal constraints that require difficult tradeoffs in funding public safety, housing programs, and basic services
Local leaders are navigating increased polarization and the challenge of building consensus across a diverse and engaged community, due to erosion of public trust and civic divisions.
Candidates will respond to moderated questions posed by KLCC reporter Zac Siegler and submitted by the audience. The program will highlight both shared priorities and key differences in how candidates propose to address Eugene’s most pressing challenges.
Speakers
Title: Candidate, Ward 3
Organization: Eugene City Council
Website: https://johnforeugene.com/
Biography:
Biographies are provided by the speakers and edited for length/proofreading
Ward 3 includes areas in east Eugene north of 30th and south of the Willamette River
John Barofsky is a longtime neighbor and volunteer, a 25-year small-business owner, a lifelong Democrat, and a trusted voice for Ward 3. He’s a firm believer that Eugene is a wonderful place that can be even better.
John moved to Eugene in 1981 and went to work at Mazzi’s, where he met two people who would change his life: Beppe, with whom he founded Beppe & Gianni’s restaurant in 1998, and his wife, Conni. John and Conni moved into Ward 3 in 2003.
Over the years, John has built deep civic experience across Eugene’s institutions — serving on the Fairmount Neighbors Board for 24 years, the Eugene Budget Committee, the Eugene Planning Commission, the Street Repair Review Board, the Community Safety Payroll Tax Oversight Committee, and the Affordable Housing Trust Fund Advisory Committee. He also served as an EWEB Commissioner.
Title: Candidate, Ward 3
Organization: Eugene City Council
Website: https://electjennifersmith.org/about-jennifer/
Biography:
Biographies are provided by the speakers and edited for length/proofreading
Ward 3 includes areas in east Eugene north of 30th and south of the Willamette River
Jennifer Smith is a Project Coordinator at the University of Oregon, president of the UO’s classified employees’ union, and a governor-appointed member of the State of Oregon’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission.
She has also served as a member and as a chairperson on city, transit, and county-level committees on issues related to transportation and transit budgets, increasing housing options, and serving our immigrant community. Her committee work included the City of Eugene’s Active Transportation Committee, Walkable Eugene Citizen Advisory Network, Mayor Vinis’s Permanent Shelter Task Force, Lane Transit District’s Budget Committee, a Lane Council of Governments Citizen Advisory Committee, and United for Immigrant Justice in Lane County.
She attended 4J schools in Ward 3 and earned two master’s degrees, one in Urban Planning (UCLA) and the other in Public Administration (UO).
Title: Candidate, Ward 4
Organization: Eugene City Council
Website:
Biography:
Biographies are provided by the speakers and edited for length/proofreading
Ward 4 is the area in the northeast corner of Eugene
Tom Stedman served in the US Army in Washington, Alaska, and Panama, achieving the rank of Sgt E5. While in the service, he received two commendation medals. He worked as a civilian for the Army Core of Engineers in the Willamette Valley. At Weyerhaeuser Paper, in a production job, he was a union steward, an emergency responder and a training officer. During the Clinton administration, he put together a proposal for a lobbying trip to DC to meet with senior administration staff, to try and free up more timber. He convinced Weyco to pick up the cost and included several others on the trip, to show labor’s collaboration with management on this issue. The following year he put together a group of 225 labor representatives for a week-long trip to DC to convince Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman to visit several mills in the Pacific Northwest. For more than six years, he served as a medic in CAHOOTS, working on the streets of Eugene helping folks in crisis. He also volunteered as a medic at the Oregon Country Fair and for other service organizations.
Title: Candidate, Ward 4
Organization: Eugene City Council
Website: https://electjenniferyeh.com/
Biography:
Biographies are provided by the speakers and edited for length/proofreading
Ward 4 is the area in the northeast corner of Eugene
Jennifer Yeh has represented Ward 4 on the Eugene City Council since 2017. A life-long Oregonian, Jennifer moved to Eugene to attend the University of Oregon and quickly fell in love, later becoming involved in neighborhood activism in Harlow for 10 years. As a city councilor, Jennifer continues to be an outspoken advocate for her community, tackling important issues like affordable housing, public safety and climate change. In Jennifer’s professional life she works for Community Supported Shelters as their Development Manager.
