View source for Jim Torrey

{{Short description|American politician (born 1940)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Jim Torrey
| office = Member of the Eugene School Board
| term_start = 2007
| term_end = 2019
| office1 = [[List of mayors of Eugene, Oregon|Mayor of Eugene]]
| term_start1 = 1997
| term_end1 = 2004
| predecessor1 = [[Ruth Bascom]]
| successor1 = [[Kitty Piercy]]
| office2 = Member of the Eugene City Council
| term_start2 = 1995
| term_end2 = 1997
| office3 = Member of the [[Waldport, Oregon|Waldport]], [[Oregon]] City Council
| term_start3 = 1961
| term_end3 = 1964
| birth_date = 1940
| party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] (1961–2007)<br>[[Independent Party of Oregon]]
}}

'''Jim Torrey''' (born 1940) is an American politician who served as mayor of [[Eugene, Oregon|Eugene]] from 1997 to 2004. Torrey was [[2006 Oregon state elections#State Legislature|nominated in 2006]] for an [[Oregon State Senate]] seat, but was defeated by incumbent [[Vicki Walker]]. He then served was elected to the Eugene School Board as Representative 5 in 2007, but was defeated by Shabram Martina in 2019.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lane |first1=County of |title=Lane County Elections |url=https://apps.lanecounty.org/Elections/Election/Index/230#electionMeasure29 |access-date=2022-01-20 |archive-date=2022-12-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221210224147/https://apps.lanecounty.org/Elections/Election/Index/230#electionMeasure29 |url-status=live }}</ref> Torrey was first elected to public office at the age of 21, when he won a seat on the [[Waldport, Oregon|Waldport]], [[Oregon]], city council.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}

Torrey was a member of the [[Oregon Republican Party]] from age 21 until age 67; in 2007, he switched his registration to the newly formed [[Independent Party of Oregon]].<ref>{{cite news |title= Torrey turns Independent |work= The Register Guard |date= September 20, 2007 |url= http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Torrey+turns+Independent.-a0169103059 |access-date= November 30, 2015 |archive-date= December 8, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151208161138/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Torrey+turns+Independent.-a0169103059 |url-status= live }}</ref>

==Early life and career==

Jim Torrey was born in 1940 and grew up in Waldport, Oregon. After graduating from Waldport High School in 1958, he spent a year at the [[University of Oregon]] majoring in [[business]] but did not graduate. He then worked in [[advertising]] and [[workers' compensation]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lane |first1=County of |title=Candidate Filing |url=https://apps.lanecounty.org/Elections/Document.ashx?id=2797 |access-date=20 January 2022 |archive-date=2 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102065106/https://apps.lanecountyor.gov/Elections/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Mayoral tenure==

Torrey's mayoral tenure was marked by allegations of police brutality against Eugene citizens.<ref>{{cite web|date=June 1, 2000|title=Activists protest alleged brutality|url=https://www.dailyemerald.com/archives/activists-protest-alleged-brutality/article_af7e809c-8ba4-5466-9c1c-081c06bb972b.html|access-date=July 18, 2020|archive-date=July 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721025422/https://www.dailyemerald.com/archives/activists-protest-alleged-brutality/article_af7e809c-8ba4-5466-9c1c-081c06bb972b.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Shortly after his election in 1997, Torrey's Eugene police sprayed pepper spray at [[environmentalist]] peaceful  protestors during a confrontation at a downtown parking garage, after which the city had to settle payments with those who they injured.<ref>{{cite web|date=May 9, 2008|title=Torrey and June 1st Pepper Spraying of Treesitters|url=https://eugeneweekly.com/2008/05/09/torrey-and-june-1st-pepper-spraying-of-treesitters/|access-date=July 28, 2020|archive-date=July 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728165620/https://eugeneweekly.com/2008/05/09/torrey-and-june-1st-pepper-spraying-of-treesitters/|url-status=live}}</ref> On August 6, 1997, a protestor vomited on Torrey at a Eugene City Council meeting.<ref>{{cite web|date=May 2, 2019|title=Torrey on Board|url=https://www.eugeneweekly.com/2019/05/02/torrey-on-board/|access-date=July 28, 2020|archive-date=July 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728140016/https://www.eugeneweekly.com/2019/05/02/torrey-on-board/|url-status=live}}</ref>

On June 18, 1999, Eugene police used tear gas on an [[Anti-capitalism|anti-capitalist]] protest, which affected over 200 people and arrested 20 demonstrators.<ref name="web.archive.org">{{cite web|date=June 19, 1999|title=Anarchists' rally erupts into riot in Eugene|url=http://www.oregonlive.com:80/news/99/06/st061905.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011031030946/http://www.oregonlive.com:80/news/99/06/st061905.html|access-date=July 31, 2020|archive-date=2001-10-31}}</ref> Citizens claimed that the mayor had directed police to needlessly harass individuals in black clothing.<ref name="spin">{{cite news|last=Smith|first=RJ|date=March 2000|title=Chaos Theories|newspaper=SPIN|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AxnVty3fkhMC&pg=PA113|accessdate=July 31, 2020|archive-date=November 2, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102065105/https://books.google.com/books?id=AxnVty3fkhMC&pg=PA113#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>

==2008 mayoral candidacy==
Torrey ran again for mayor of Eugene in 2008. He qualified for a runoff election in November of that year, but lost to incumbent [[Kitty Piercy]].{{citation needed|date=December 2015}} Torrey's decision as a former two-term mayor to challenge a first term was described as an "unprecedented contest" in Eugene politics.<ref>[http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.support.viewStory.cls?cid=74445&sid=5&fid=1 ''Piercy vs. Torrey: Look beyond the labels in Eugene’s mayoral race''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080330142733/http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.support.viewStory.cls?cid=74445&sid=5&fid=1 |date=2008-03-30 }} ''[[The Register-Guard]]'' 2008-03-07 retrieved 2008-03-23</ref>

==Post-mayoral career==
After his time as mayor, Torrey unsuccessfully ran for the [[Oregon State Senate]] in 2006 as the Republican nominee. He was then elected to the non-partisan Board of Directors of the [[Eugene School District 4J|Eugene School District]] in 2007. He served three terms before being defeated in 2019 by Martina Shabram, an educator and political newcomer. A majority of the Directors then appointed him to a newly vacated seat, in the face of opposition from the teachers' union and local community groups.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=Jordyn |title=Eugene School Board bucks public input, appoints Jim Torrey to board |url=https://www.registerguard.com/story/news/2019/08/09/eugene-school-board-bucks-public/4496009007/ |access-date=9 September 2024 |work=[[Eugene Register-Guard]] |date=August 9, 2019}}</ref>

==Electoral history==
{{Election box begin no change
| title = 2006 Oregon State Senator, [[Oregon's 7th Senate district|7th district]]<ref>{{cite web
| title = Official Results &#124; November 7, 2006
| url = http://records.sos.state.or.us/ORSOSWebDrawer/Recordhtml/6873552
| website = Oregon Secretary of State
| access-date = October 30, 2023
| archive-date = September 10, 2023
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230910004315/http://records.sos.state.or.us/ORSOSWebDrawer/Recordhtml/6873552
| url-status = live }}</ref>}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| candidate = [[Vicki Walker]]
| party = Democratic Party (United States)
| votes = 25,667
| percentage = 51.6}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| candidate = Jim Torrey
| party = Republican Party (United States)
| votes = 23,962
| percentage = 48.2}}
{{Election box write-in with party link no change
| votes = 134
| percentage = 0.3}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 49,763
| percentage = 100%}}
{{Election box end}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[http://records.sos.state.or.us/ORSOSWebDrawer/Record?q=recTitle:2006+primary&sortBy=recCreatedOn- Oregon Voters' Guide]
*[http://www.indparty.com Independent Party of Oregon]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Torrey, Jim}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century mayors of places in Oregon]]
[[Category:21st-century mayors of places in Oregon]]
[[Category:Mayors of Eugene, Oregon]]
[[Category:Oregon city council members]]
[[Category:Oregon Republicans]]
[[Category:Independent Party of Oregon politicians]]
[[Category:School board members in Oregon]]
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:People from Lincoln County, Oregon]]


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