HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Goals - Citizen Input 100054 - Stefan Ripsam 2026 Goal Setting - Public Input Form
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The Lake Oswego City Council will hold its annual goal setting retreat on Saturday, February 21,2026 beginning at 9 a.m.
in Council Chambers at City Hall. In preparation,the City Council would like to hear from the community.
Please take a few minutes before 5 p.m.on February 12,2026 to share your input. Comments will be shared with the City
Council before their retreat.
Name Stefan Ripsam
Neighborhood Rosewood
What would you like to see the City Council consider in their 2026 goal setting session?*
I'd like to see LO follow through with a gas leaf blower(gib)ban.There are many important goals and issues in
local government,though clean air and right to peaceful enjoyment are infringed upon with the rapid onslaught of
gas leaf blower use in our community and thus enacting a glb ban is an easy place to start for LO leadership.
There is probably not an easier decision to be made, in fact.
There is no downside to a ban:alternatives like electric leaf blowers exist and the time to break even with
electric equipment is generally considered to be less than a single year.
On the other hand, allowing glb use has MAJOR downsides:
-it degrades the community experience with a lack of predictable peaceful enjoyment in the community and even
in one's own home.The glb noise is pronounced,especially annoying,and is audible for a relatively long
distance.The exponential growth of glb use through"landscaping services"and the long audible range(one glb
can be heard by up to 90 homes)of glb use means that there is a high likelihood of children rarely even
experiencing a single outdoor hour with the absence of a gas leaf blower in LO. Perhaps the council decision
makers against this ban in LO government could have some empathy and reflect to their own childhood where
they did benefit from peaceful outdoor enjoyment without glb's.
-the air pollution from glb use is shockingly large.While automobiles have had improving standards for
emissions for decades,glb's are stuck in 2 stroke engine technology that has even been banned in many
developing countries.
-The air pollution is not harmless. In fact, it is carcinogenic and this is not debated.
-glb use harms wildlife with excessive noise and promote the notion that every leaf must be removed from
softscape like bushes--where leaves have historically been left.
-This glb culture of removing every last leaf is also highly contributing to the loss of pollinators like bees and
butterflies,as their habitat is destroyed on this"blow all"idea.
-GLB's are incongruent with Lake Oswego climate goals, as they emit substantially more pollution-minute for
minute-than automobiles.
There is a reason over 200 communities in the country have enacted glb legislation.These devices harm
hearing, health,and community well being.
This is the easiest goal to fix and to fix quickly. Please enact a glb ban promptly for the good of all.
Please note: inflammatory,offensive,or inappropriate language may be redacted. Comments are a public record subject
to public records law,and, unless an exception applies, may be disclosed.