EUGENE, Ore. (NEXSTAR) — Meet Lucy Vinis, the mayor of Eugene, Oregon since 2017.
“I’m kind of a ‘jack of all trades, master of none,'” smiles Vinis. “So it’s perfect because the mayor has to know a little bit about a lot of things, but has to count on other people to have the in-depth knowledge. And that’s me…I love being mayor.”
Lucy Vinis is mayor of a city that has 172,000 people. It has the University of Oregon, of course. It also has hiking, biking and walking trails. It has vineyards and an active art scene.
“We are a large town merging into a small city,” says Vinis. “And we are among 100-250 cities, sort of, of our size across the United States. We’re really an important part of the picture.”
Mayor Vinis has been a part of that picture for 30 years, when she and her family moved to Eugene from Washington, D.C. She wants everyone to know, it is okay for those who say, “ore-eh-GONE” instead of “ore-eh-GHIN.”
“You know, I’m a transplant here as well, so I can’t be judgmental because I don’t even remember how I used to say it when I lived on the east coast,” laughs Vinis. “But I’m sure I said it wrong, also. And I think everyone is welcome and everyone is welcome how to learn how to pronounce it properly.”
