If you've followed her time in council you know she'll keep up on everything during her time away. She keeps impressing me with her preparation and decisiveness.

The problem for the council during this time: can they pull together? To me, Ms Syrett has been at the center of the recent council's most effective majorities. She has been that rare Eugene lefty who looks for -- and finds -- common ground with Beltliners and commercial interests to the benefit of all of us. I hope that her absence is short and that while she "phones it in" the council works with exactly her brand of comity and focus.

Yeah I'm a fan. If you remember the bad old days then you're probably a fan of hers too. Get well, Claire!