Clark, Aguiar Face Off in Ward 5 Runoff
Eugene voters will choose between Mike Clark and Athena Aguiar for the Ward 5 council seat in the Nov. 3 runoff.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Elections
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Neither Mike Clark nor Athena Aguiar won more than half the vote in the May primary, sending the Eugene City Council Ward 5 race to a runoff on Nov. 3. Voters can drop off signed ballots by 8 p.m. that day.
Why it matters
The runoff decides who will represent Ward 5 on the Eugene City Council, a seat that has been held by Clark for five terms. The outcome will determine whether the ward's representation continues or changes hands.
Clark has served five terms representing Ward 5, roughly 20 years on the council, while Aguiar, 25, has lived in Eugene for the last decade. The exact primary vote totals for each candidate were not reported in the extraction.
The players
Mike Clark
Mike Clark is a mortgage specialist and University of Oregon graduate who has represented Eugene's Ward 5 on the City Council for five terms.
Athena Aguiar
Athena Aguiar is a 25-year-old Eugene resident and member of the city's Library Advisory Board who is seeking a seat on the City Council.
The details
Mike Clark, 62, a University of Oregon graduate and mortgage specialist, is seeking a sixth term, while Athena Aguiar, 25, who serves on the Library Advisory Board, is running on a platform that includes concerns about the CAHOOTS crisis-response program, which stopped operating in Eugene in April 2025. Jasmine Hatmaker was also in the May primary and did not advance to the runoff.
Timeline
May 2026: Primary election in which neither candidate won a majority.
April 2025: CAHOOTS program stopped operating in Eugene.
Nov. 3, 2026: Ward 5 runoff election; ballots must be dropped off by 8 p.m.
Local Context
The April 2025 end of Eugene's CAHOOTS crisis-response program has framed local debates over public safety alternatives. The Ward 5 runoff arrives as the council seat's future representation is weighed against that backdrop.
Eugene voters in Ward 5 must return signed ballots by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3 to have their choice counted. Ballots can be dropped off at an official drop box or a county elections office.
The takeaway
The Ward 5 runoff will determine whether Clark's five-term tenure continues or whether Aguiar takes the seat. Voters who want their ballot counted should return it by the Nov. 3 deadline.
What happens next
Ballots must be dropped off at an official drop box or county elections office by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3, 2026, when the Ward 5 runoff concludes.
Further reading
For more on how local races are decided, see Elections coverage for Eugene.
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