Queen of the Garden
1991 Queen Marigold, Graphic Designer turned Eugene City Councilor, Emily Semple, performed vacuum cleaner tricks during the talent portion of her coronation event. She wore a chiffon wedding dress she’d dyed sumptuous slime green.
This same frock did not enjoy such high praise when she accepted an invitation to join other local royalty at the Florence Rhododendron Festival. Queen Marigold stood out in dramatic contrast to the tasteful gowns of area high school queens.
“I’m not sure they knew what the Slug Queen was,” she recounted. “The stage they’d created was this glittery, mylar fairyland. They didn’t really know how to respond when I said, ‘I feel so welcome, because you’ve covered the stage in slime!’
Queen Marigold stays perpetually steeped in the political slime since becoming a City Councilor. She ran under the clever slogan “The Choice is Semple” and won easily. Some have suggested all the Old Slug Queens run for Council and take over the City – “as prophesied by the ancients”, but Royal gastropods prefer not to mix politics and glitter.
As City Councilor for Ward 1, Queen Marigold is concerned with:
- Government Transparency & Accountability, Communication with the Public
- Civil Rights
- Homelessness, Shelter First, Low Income Housing, Tenants’ Rights
- Local Business & Housing Development, Living Wage Jobs
- Climate Remediation, Sustainability, Parks & Green Spaces
- Education, Arts, Historic Preservation
- Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Issues
More on Queen Marigold’s role as City Councilor on the City of Eugene Website here
