Live television broadcast puts mayor in national spotlight.

Byline: CITY BEAT/SPRINGFIELD By Matt Cooper The Register-Guard

Mayor Sid Leiken got his 15 minutes of fame Friday.

Unfortunately, in these economically strapped times, that boiled down to three minutes and 48 seconds.

Leiken was broadcast live on CNBC's "Power Lunch," a look at trends driving the markets and influencing Wall Street. NBC's financial news channel is interviewing the mayors of Springfields everywhere, asking them about the local economy and reactions to war, Leiken said.

On Friday, Leiken sat in a chair in his City Hall office under bright lights, while two cameramen fussed over him. "Don't breathe this stuff in," one said, powdering Leiken's face. "You'll start seeing colors."

Then it got quiet, as everyone in the room - that is, Leiken, the two cameramen and four local news people doing stories on CNBC doing a story on Leiken - waited as Leiken listened for his cue. The CNBC anchors were going to break away from the day's news to interview him from their studio in Fort Lee, N.J., through an earpiece only he could hear.

Then Leiken was on, answering questions about Oregon's economy and the local lay of the land, before a TV audience of more than 82 million.

He noted the approval of the PeaceHealth project and the death of Sony Disc Manufacturing - "it was a good news, bad news week" - and the city's attempt to stabilize the budget with new fees.

Leiken also deftly plugged his employer when asked what it's like to be a voluntary civil servant: "I joke that my full-time job is working for the city of Springfield and my part-time job is working for Wells Fargo Bank," he said.

In just minutes, it was over - lights out, cameras off and thank you very much.

"All that waiting for, what, two minutes?" Leiken asked, laughing. "That was fun, and I think as much as we can, we put a good positive (face) on our community."

Roadway fit for a King

Out with "Pioneer Parkway Extension," in with a road named for Martin Luther King Jr.?

It took a committee exactly one meeting this week to recommend naming a yet-to-be-built roadway for King. The road will be an extension of the parkway connecting Harlow and Belt Line roads, and serving PeaceHealth's proposed regional medical center.

The extension will be a major road leading to a state-of-the-art facility, and that's appropriate for recognition of the civil-rights leader, council President Tammy Fitch said.

"When you look at the extension, that is really taking us to the next level in Springfield," Fitch said. "It's a great place to (name for King)."

The committee included representatives from the NAACP, Lane Transit District, Centro LatinoAmericano and others.

Fitch said the recommendation got a thumbs-up from Commissioner Bobby Green, and she's hoping it will also please Springfield citizens who urged the city not to rename Centennial Boulevard.

The city will hold a public hearing sometime in the next couple of months to gauge public sentiment, Fitch said.

PeaceHealth appeal

Speaking of PeaceHealth, the legal beagles will have to wait another week before they can attack the city's approval of the project by filing an appeal.

The council approved PeaceHealth's plan for a Gateway-area regional medical center this week, and city staff members were to complete the findings of fact - basically, the information that shows it meets land-use rules - by Monday.

Now the report is due April 14, planner Colin Stephens said, and that's because the near-100-page document will have to be bulletproof to withstand the scrutiny of project opponents.

Once the report is finalized, people will have 21 days to file an appeal to the state Land Use Board of Appeals.

At least two groups opposed to the Springfield site said they're studying an appeal, and Lane County Commissioner Pete Sorenson - another critic - joined the fray Friday.

"How (Springfield) writes that decision will be rather important to me as I contemplate the option of seeking an appeal," Sorenson said.

Matt Cooper can be reached at 338-2317.