Street Wonk 2024 Local Voter Guide!
Portland City Council... Portland Mayor... Multnomah County Commission... Small Donor Elections... Ranked-Choice Voting... Local Voter Guides...
Dear Readers,
Hello! I'm slowly making my way back to weekly updates after nearly a year away to focus on family matters. While I had hoped to be more involved in the historic upcoming election for Portland's expanded City Council, life had other plans for me. Thankfully, everyone is doing well, and my responsibilities have lightened enough that I can now turn my attention back to Street Wonk.
By now, you should have received your Multnomah County Voter’s Guide and ballot with a dizzying number of choices. Never fear; I’m here to help! Below, you’ll find my criteria for ranking candidates, voter resources, and my personal endorsements.
Because Street Wonk is primarily dedicated to local politics, and I want to get this information out to you as quickly as possible, this edition will focus solely on the Mayor, City Council, and Multnomah County Commission races. I'll cover the rest of the ballot in the next update.
Glad to be back!
Chloe
P.S. Make sure to scroll to the end for Street Wonk endorsements!
Street Wonk’s Candidate Vetting Guide
There is no single standard of measure for the best person for the job when it comes to political office. Here are my considerations:
Political Orientation
A candidate must demonstrate a longstanding commitment to and involvement in progressive politics. With the City Council being non-partisan, it can be easy for moderate and conservative candidates to masquerade as liberal or progressive. And although Portland is majority Democrat and tends to elect Dems to Council as a voter, it’s a mistake to assume that everyone running sits somewhere to the left of center—looking at you, Rene Gonzalez—so make sure and do your homework!
Relevant Education, Experience, Track Record
As an outsider candidate who took an unconventional path to politics, I know there’s no single right way to do it. Because there is no ideal educational or professional background, it’s important to look at the sum total of what a candidate has to offer—education, work, life experience, volunteer service. Do they have a solid work history? Do they have a track record of getting things done? Have they volunteered on any governmental boards and commissions? If so, how useful were their contributions?
With the change in our form of government, previous advocacy and policymaking experience is a big plus in my book, as that will be the bulk of the Council’s responsibility. Do they have a history of supporting, championing, and/or successfully advancing progressive issues or policies or working for people who have? Also, although Commissioners will no longer oversee bureaus, they will still conduct the city's business, which involves and impacts the bureaus, so relevant expertise in one or more areas of City government is also desirable.
Platform and Policy Solutions
Having opinions and “concepts of a plan” is not enough. Are they offering any achievable, progressive policy solutions for the issues they are speaking on? Do they understand the scope of the position they’re running for? One of my red flags is a platform that significantly focuses on issues outside of the purview of the office they’re seeking. Another is single-issue candidates who don’t understand how interconnected our challenges are. Or those who think we can solve crises like homelessness and the failure of our mental and behavioral health systems on our own or through increasing police involvement.
Community Connections, Endorsements, and Reputation
Endorsements serve as a proxy for a candidate’s community relationships. Are they endorsed by unions, nonprofits, organizations, and individuals that I trust?* Have they served on boards or volunteered for progressive organizations or causes? What are their personal and professional reputations? Who would benefit from their election? Who is ardently opposing them?
*I do not put my full faith in any of these entities. It was disappointing to discover the lax criteria, subjectivity, favoritism, and pettiness displayed by many endorsing organizations—especially some local unions—over the course of my two campaigns.
Lived Experience and Identity
It’s no secret that I support and promote greater diversity among our elected representatives—age, gender, race, class, and disability are some of the broader categories that come to mind. The more representative our government is of our population, the more likely it is that we will achieve a more just and inclusive Portland.
Some voters may dismiss lived experience and identity and claim they just want to vote for the “best” candidate. First, I'd ask them to define 'best'—because there's no single measure for it. Best is subjective, and it is contextual. I believe what’s best for our city is to have representation from a broad swathe of our diverse communities so that more people truly have a voice. Creating districts and increasing the number of seats were the first steps; the next step is now up to us.
This belief is born from experience. In my four years on City Council, there were innumerable opportunities to speak up for or on behalf of small businesses, the arts & culture community, renters, low-income households, and people with disabilities based on my own lived experience. I know it made a difference on Council and in our community. Imagine how much more difference we could make with an expanded Council!
Wealthy, older white men have dominated our City government for most of our history, and the shortcomings of that tradition play out on our streets and in our communities every day. That’s not to say they shouldn’t serve, but that we need to strike a greater balance and ensure we have multiple perspectives at the decision-making table. While I would never vote for someone based on identity alone, it is a decisive factor in ranking my choices.
Conflicts of Interest
While City policy prohibits Commissioners from owning businesses and having outside earned income, they can still be deeply vested in certain policy-related arenas that could become potential conflicts of interest. People with significant investments that could be impacted by Council decisions require extra scrutiny.
Harm reduction
Luckily, we have three or more excellent candidates for every Council seat this election cycle, but if we didn’t, I’d apply the principle of harm reduction and vote accordingly. Given that we are unlikely to agree with a given candidate on every issue at all times, it’s important to consider who stands to do the most good and cause the least harm.
Deal breakers:
There may be occasional exceptions, but I’d think twice about candidates endorsed by entities that skew right-wing, such as the Portland Police Association, or pro-business, like the Portland Metro Chamber, aka Portland Business Alliance. I also tend to be skeptical of The Oregonian’s endorsements, and Willamette Week is a bit of a crapshoot; however, with 12 slots to fill on Council, there is some overlap between mine and theirs this election cycle.
It’s Time to Vote!
First, let’s review Portland’s new ranked-choice voting system. It’s really quite simple: rank your favorite candidate first, then rank up to six candidates for each race in order of preference. Ranking all six gives your vote the most stretch in deciding who represents you. However, if there’s someone you don’t want to see in office, don’t rank them!
Next, if you’re curious, you can peruse the full list of candidates who registered through the Auditor’s Office, but you might want to skip to the Small Donors Election Program. Many candidates who filed failed to establish a campaign finance account, which is a basic requirement, so they were not considered here.
Now, let’s look at who qualified for the Small Donor Elections Program. This narrows the Mayor’s seat field to five candidates and City Council to 47 from over 100. This program sets a fair bar for participation; qualifying demonstrates that a candidate has put in a reasonable amount of effort to gather support and contributions. Qualifying candidates are listed in order of matching funds received.
After ensuring compliance with the rules, filing a Notice of Intent, and taking a training, to qualify for matching funds, candidates for Mayor must raise donations of $5-$350 from at least 750 Portland donors, and candidates for Council or Auditor must raise donations of $5-$350 from at least 250 Portland donors.Participants in the Small Donor Elections Program
Mayor: Carmen Rubio, Rene Gonzalez, Keith Wilson, Mingus Mapps, Liv Osthus
District 1: Steph Routh, Timur Ender, Candace Avalos, Jamie Dunphy, Loretta Smith, Terrence Hayes, Noah Ernst
District 2: Marnie Glickman, Dan Ryan, Nat West, Nabil Zaghloul, Tiffani Penson, Mariah Hudson, Elana Pirtle-Guiney, Jonathan Tasini, Mike Marshall, James Armstrong, Debbie Kitchin, Bob Simril, Michelle DePass, Sameer Kanal, Laura Streib, Jennifer Park, Christopher Olson
District 3: Angelita Morillo, Tiffany Koyama Lane, Jesse Cornett, Steve Novick, Daniel DeMelo, Rex Burkholder, Ahlam Osman, Chris Flanary, Harrison Kass, Luke Zak
District 4: Chad Lykins, Olivia Clark, Stanley Penkin, Mitchell Green, Eli Arnold, Tony Morse, Moses Ross, Bob Weinstein, Sarah Silkie, Ben Hufford, Lisa Freeman, Eric Zimmerman, Chris Henry
Voting Guides
The Portland Mercury
The Mercury is our only local paper committed to supporting candidates aligned with progressive values. Their endorsements are a reliable starting point.
The Portland Mercury recommends ranking:
Mayor of Portland (in this order):
Carmen Rubio
Keith Wilson
Liv Østhus
Don’t rank: Rene Gonzalez
District 1:
Candace Avalos
Cayle Tern
Timur Ender
District 2:
Sameer Kanal
Michelle DePass
Jonathan Tasini
Don’t Rank: Dan Ryan
District 3:
Angelita Morillo
Steve Novick
Tiffany Koyama Lane
District 4:
Mitch Green
Chad Lykins
Sarah Silkie
Multnomah County District 1:
Meghan Moyer
Multnomah County District 2:
Shannon Singleton
Portland Voter Guide
The Portland Voter Guide was created by community-based organizations serving Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) and values-aligned groups to provide progressive voters with essential information for Portland’s elections. It includes recommendations for top candidates, an overview of other candidates running, and guidance on which candidates to avoid ranking.
Portland Voter Guide recommends ranking:
Mayor of Portland:
Carmen Rubio.
Don’t rank: Rene Gonzalez
District 1:
Candace Avalos
Steph Routh
Timur Ender
Jamie Dunphy
District 2:
Michelle DePass
Sameer Kanal
Tiffany Penson
Nat West
Don’t rank: Dan Ryan
District 3:
Tiffany Koyama Lane
Angelita Morillo
Steve Novick
District 4:
Mitch Green
Lisa Freeman
Chad Lykins
Multnomah County District 1:
Meghan Moyer
Multnomah County District 2:
Shannon Singleton
Portland for All
Portland for All is a grassroots nonprofit working towards a hopeful, positive, and inclusive future for our city. Entirely volunteer-run, they’ve created a voter guide to spotlight progressive candidates best positioned to unite us.
Portland for All recommends ranking:
Mayor of Portland:
Carmen Rubio.
Also, consider ranking Keith Wilson and Liv Østhus.
Don’t rank: Rene Gonzalez
District 1:
Candace Avalos
Steph Routh
Timur Ender
District 2:
Michelle DePass
Sameer Kanal
Nat West
Debbie Kitchin
Marnie Glickman
Elana Pirtle-Guiney
Don’t rank: Dan Ryan
District 3:
Tiffany Koyama Lane
Angelita Morillo
Chris Flanary
Ahlam Osman
Luke Zak
District 4:
Mitch Green
Lisa Freeman
Chad Lykins
Sarah Silkie
Multnomah County District 1:
Meghan Moyer
Multnomah County District 2:
Shannon Singleton
Street Wonk
Street Wonk is committed to supporting quality progressive candidates and diverse voices in government. Endorsements are based on the vetting criteria included above, the endorsements of numerous progressive community-based organizations, and, whenever possible, my prior knowledge and experience with the candidates.
Mayor of Portland:
Rank: Keith Wilson, Liv Østhus
Don’t rank: Rene Gonzalez, Mingus Mapps—Portland deserves better!District #1 Top Three:
Don’t rank: Loretta Smith—Doesn’t work well with others.District #2 Top Three:
Don’t rank: Dan Ryan—What has he done for us lately?District #3 Top Three:
District #4 Top Three:
Don’t rank: Stanley Penkin--Neighborhood Association NIMBYMultnomah County District 1:
Multnomah County District 2:
The Seemingly Unsinkable Sam Adams
Back in 2020, when Sam Adams filed to run for my seat, he was asked why he didn’t run for the open seat being left by Commissioner Fritz. He responded that he wanted to see more women and people of color in office. Clearly, that didn’t add up as he was running against the eighth woman ever elected to Portland City Council, but what makes even less sense is him running against Shannon Singleton, a Black woman with an impressive history of advocacy and service to Portland.
Shannon’s educational and professional background is a perfect fit for the County and the struggles we’re facing as a community. What does Sam Adams bring? A history of poor judgment, ethical violations, dishonesty, irresponsibility, and mistreatment of staff and co-workers. His education and experience make him much better suited for City Council, except his conduct should preclude him from serving in public office. The shamelessness of this man is a wonder, but even more baffling is the Portlanders who still support him.
Wonk Out!
Portland mayor candidate Rene Gonzalez violated rules by using public funds on Wikipedia page, auditor finds. Ugh. This guy (OPB)
Speaking of which, “Don’t Rank Rene on your ballot or any candidate you don’t like because any vote, even your last ranking, can help them win.” (Don’t Rank Rene)
4 Portland mayoral candidates share competing visions for city and tackling homelessness crisis. Listen to our Mayoral candidates take on one of our most pressing issues. (OPB)
Mingus Mapps Elevates Race in His Campaign for Mayor Mapps failed to accomplish anything of note in his first term, and he alienated his allies in business; end of the story. His campaign was flailing long before his opponent’s wrong-doings came to light. Rubio is the only progressive candidate, Gonzalez is the conservative choice, and Mapps disappeared in the middle. (Willamette Week)
Check out these policy talks featuring local experts and City Council candidates on public safety, housing, and homelessness. (Portland For All)
All Our Election Coverage in One Place Find out where candidates stand (or sit) on bicycle policy. (BikePortland)
Willamette Week Fall 2024 Endorsements This is such a mixed bag of candidates it’s hard to imagine what their endorsement criteria are. However, I’m happy to see a few of my own picks on their list. (Willamette Week)
Your Guide to a Portland City Council that Works for Us While it’s another mixed bag of candidates, and I would never rely on labor endorsements alone, this is a handy guide of candidates for City Council who garnered multiple labor endorsements, and they get bonus points for such a nicely designed website. (Working for a Better Portland)
Check out the League of Women Voters of Portland for more election info and resources!
I’ll put in a plug here for Olivia Clark. Don’t hold newspaper endorsements against her. She directed the Providence Board and has championed health care providers and first responders , who help all of us. I also support responsible mature candidates who will be familiar with existing city priorities.
Thanks for posting this as I'm getting ready to fill out my ballot and send it in!