Three-way race challenges Eugene Ward 5 Councilor Mike Clark

Ward 5 is set up as a referendum on Eugene’s political direction as much as on Mike Clark’s record. Clark, who the city lists as Eugene City Councilor for Ward 5 from January 2023 to January 2027, is facing Athena Aguiar and Jasmine Hatmaker in the May 19 primary. For North Eugene neighborhoods that include Cal Young Road and Northeast Neighbors, the contest will decide whether Clark’s conservative-minded brand of representation keeps its foothold or gives way to a different governing coalition.

The race has been shaped by Eugene’s budget pressure. City officials have said the General Fund faced an annual $11.5 million gap in the 2025-2027 budget cycle, and the council unanimously adopted the biennial budget on June 23, 2025, after weighing new revenue, service cuts and reduced investments. That backdrop turned the April 3 City Club of Eugene forum into a sharper policy test, with all three candidates pressed on housing affordability, homelessness, public safety and the budget hole.

The three campaigns point to different constituencies and, by extension, different governing instincts. Aguiar has lined up support from Eugene City Councilor Matt Keating, Eugene Tenant Alliance, Working Families Party, SEIU 503 and the Democratic Party of Lane County, a coalition that suggests a strong focus on renters, labor and pressure for city action on housing costs. Hatmaker has assembled a broader establishment coalition, with endorsements from Mayor Kaarin Knudson, Lane County Commissioner Laurie Trieger, councilors Lyndsie Leech, Jennifer Yeh and Eliza Kashinsky, former mayors Lucy Vinis and Kitty Piercy, plus the Democratic Party of Lane County, Working Families Party and Eugene Tenant Association. Clark’s backing comes from former state Sen. Chris Edwards, Lane County Commissioner Pat Farr, Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Brittany Quick-Warner and former Northeast Neighborhood Association chair Kevin Reed.

On housing and homelessness, that divide matters. Aguiar’s support base points toward a more tenant-centered approach, Hatmaker’s endorsements suggest continuity with the current council majority, and Clark’s coalition signals a more cautious, business-friendly approach to city spending and regulation. Public safety and growth sit in the same frame, because every new service or neighborhood demand now runs through the city’s budget limits.

The filing dates also show how early the race took shape: Aguiar filed on November 13, 2025, Hatmaker on January 16, 2026 and Clark on February 20, 2026. Eugene voters will also decide two charter measures on May 19, one removing gender-specific pronouns and one removing the city residency requirement for department heads. However Ward 5 breaks, the outcome will reach beyond one seat and into the balance of power at City Hall.