Eugene's mayor must listen well.

Byline: GUEST VIEWPOINT By Ruth Bascom For The Register-Guard

There is a good chance Kitty Piercy will indeed learn to be the `Mayor for all Eugene,' as she promised in her energetic and successful campaign for office.

I say `learn,' because it's not likely to be easy - and the learning curve may be steep. Being mayor of a city, in my view, requires different skills and more varied roles than being a state legislator.

Piercy excelled in her legislative role; we, her new constituents, would do well to give her time to learn the mayor's ropes. She will need to listen especially well to the ideas of those who did not vote for her.

Passing new state laws occupies much of the time of the Legislature, and partisan politics in the Capitol is fractious and unproductive. In the city, however, providing for parks, sewers, clean water, police protection and paved streets can provide large areas of agreement. Keeping the focus on these city tasks can be useful.

I didn't mention economic development, the subject of heated debate. City questionnaires that ask citizens what is most important to them are usually answered, `Jobs, jobs, jobs.'' The council's lack of agreement generates intense squabbling about the city's role in job development. The label `business mayor' is used in this connection.

In an Aug. 27 guest viewpoint, Alan Siporin, an author and former KLCC radio host, wrote, `I've lived in Eugene since 1970, and I've only known mayors who were considered business mayors.'

That's especially interesting to me, since I ran for mayor in 1992 as the non-business candidate. And won. My opponent, Mary McCauley Burrows, a respected state legislator, was the business candidate.

Maybe my four years as mayor were so uneventful that Siporin couldn't recall them. In 1992, Eugene voters chose the first mayor not supported by the business community, and the first woman mayor, as well.

Or perhaps Siporin wrote as he did because, as I tried hard to be a `Mayor for all Eugene,'' I learned to respect how much a healthy economy impacts jobs. My respect increased for the contribution of business.

Piercy writes, `I will not easily be pigeonholed." And I remember saying, `I will not be in anyone's pocket." We both value our independence. But winning the right to call herself `Mayor for all Eugene' will require a special blend of respectful listening and learning.

There is also a role for her predecessor, Mayor Jim Torrey. Much of a city's business is ongoing and need not end with a change in elected officials.

Torrey's leadership made possible the completion of projects I began but didn't finish. I mention two: the library, and the `Return to the River' vision. The latter is in its early stages with construction of the new federal courthouse under way, but the potential is there for an exciting urban scene with necessary street access and with the millrace again cascading into the river.

In my view, Torrey is likely the essential person to see that the reconstruction of the Interstate 5 bridge includes off-ramps to Franklin Boulevard, an opportunity not to be missed. As mayor, Piercy can use his skills.

Finally, help for being the `Mayor for all Eugene' in part comes with the territory. The mayor will be asked to speak to literally dozens of groups and clubs. It is a chance to see and to celebrate the wondrous diversity of our culture.

Former Eugene City Councilor Ruth Bascom was elected mayor of Eugene in 1992, and served until 1997.