The opposition to Eugene government are not "whining", nor are they "conservative".  (You seem intend on boiling this down to a partisan issue, when it's not.)  They are all parties, who don't whine, they think objectively.

Case-in-point: the SW-SAZ.  The S. Eugene opposition to the proposed rezoning (a progressive proposal) was supported by all political parties, in area that has been a Kitty Piercy stronghold.  

Forget about trying to analyze this in terms of party vs. party, it limits your thought process.