New Eugene Mayor Kaarin Knudson says she want to build more houses and bring people back to city’s downtown

Think Out Loud

Kaarin Knudson became the mayor of Oregon’s second largest city, Eugene, on Monday. She delivered her first state of the city address shortly after being sworn in. Knudson says increasing housing capacity and revitalizing the city’s downtown are among her top priorities. But first, she faces a budget shortfall and will need to work with the city council to find a way to fill it. Last year, a proposed municipal fee to address the shortfall drew a lot of public opposition and the council decided not to vote on the issue. Knudson joins us to tell us more about her first official week on the job and her priorities for her term.