text: Let's step back for a moment to put mayor Piercy's legacy (or that of any other local figure) in a broader perspective.  Search as we may for someone to praise or blame for what's become of Eugene over the past decade, it's important to acknowledge that this city is a bafflingly complex, collective organism that, particularly  in this undisciplined age, defies unilateral control. While a determined mayor can exercise a modicum of influence, she/he is a relatively small player in a much larger field where myriad social and economic forces intersect in unexpected ways.  So whatever one thinks about her policy orientations, Kitty Piercy, at most, had marginal influence on something far bigger that defies coherent leadership whether elected or not.  That is is not to trivialize her efforts or discourage deliberate efforts to improve things (and heaven knows, Eugene could use a lot of improvement) but rather to warn us not to demand or expect too much from any one person or group.