Candidates Address Voters
About 200 people turned out for a candidate forum at the Florence Events Center yesterday. Mayoral candidate Daniel Lofy was the first to speak followed by Sally Wantz Candidates Shannon Warren was not in attendance. Candidates for the two- and four-year City Council terms also spoke, with questions selected by lottery following the presentations. The forum is the first of several expected ahead of the November election. Coast Radio’s October edition of “Our Town” will feature a live, public candidate forum from the Florence Events Center October 7th on KCST, with a rebroadcast the following day on KCFM. KXCR is also planning candidate interviews. Florence’s mayor and council races are nonpartisan.
City Council
The Florence City Council tonight will consider converting nearly six acres along Rhododendron Drive from business and industrial zoning to medium-density residential. The Legacy Ventures request originally covered ten acres before being reduced to 5.85 acres. Concerns raised during the review include increased traffic, the loss of industrial land, and placing new residential property near the Oregon Coast Humane Society and the Lane County transfer site. The Planning Commission has recommended approval, with conditions including disclosure to future property owners about nearby industrial uses and the property’s tsunami hazard designation. The council will take public testimony before considering the change tonight.
Seatbelt Enforcement
Florence Police will step up seatbelt and child passenger safety enforcement beginning September 20th. The week-long campaign will include additional patrols looking for seatbelt and child restraint violations, funded through a federal traffic safety grant administered by ODOT. Police say Oregon’s seatbelt use remains high, at more than 95 percent in the latest statewide survey, but unrestrained occupants continue to be killed and seriously injured in crashes. Officers are reminding drivers to make sure everyone is properly buckled and children are secured in the appropriate car seat or booster.