Ciatta Thompson

QUESTION 1: How will you engage with voters in SW Portland if elected? Please provide specifics on how your constituents will be able to communicate with you and how you will communicate with us.

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CANDIDATE RESPONSE:

I intend to partner with district 4 neighborhood associations in hosting rolling town halls at least once a quarter. I will continue to use my Instagram and Facebook accounts to talk directly to my constituents on a weekly basis to discuss various topics and answer any questions they may have. I will have remote office days where I work at a local coffee shop such as Driftwood Coffee or a food cart pod as Hillsdale Food Cart. I will post my weekly schedule on the Portland City website and my personal social media. Also, if the budget allows, I'd love to have centralized neighborhood offices where either I or a member of my staff will be available for members of the community to stop by to discuss their concerns. This is very important to me because I want constituents to have easy access to me as their City Councilor.

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QUESTION 2: The transition to a purely legislative city council with geographical representation is a major shift from the current structure in which councilors oversee city bureaus. Under the old government structure, concerns about transportation or traffic circulation issues would be addressed to the commissioner in charge of PBOT; concerns about parks would go to the commissioner overseeing the Parks bureau; etc. Given the shift away from administrative powers on the council, how will you make sure constituent concerns are addressed? 

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CANDIDATE RESPONSE:

I am extremely excited about this transition. Most major cities in the United State have a city manager who handles the day to day operations thus allowing the city council the necessary time to do much needed analysis and study on the various complex issues. Having three City Council representatives per district will provide more eyes and ears for constituents' concerns to be voiced, heard and addressed. Once the city manager is in place, there will be a drastic reduction in "siloing”, the constant refrain of “not my job” and finger pointing which has plagued the city for too long. And ultimately, the power of the purse will remain with the City Council, which can be very persuasive come budget time. 

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QUESTION 3: What role should neighborhood associations play in fostering residents’ engagement with city government and elected officials?

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CANDIDATE RESPONSE:

Neighborhood associations will play an even greater role in fostering resident engagement as the new form of government comes together. As with any time of change, it’s natural for there to be fear, concern and constituents will have many questions. The neighborhood associations will provide a wonderful way for information to be disseminated. They will be able to host town halls in order for the new City Council members to meet with residents and address their concerns. Leadership of the neighborhood associations keep their finger on the pulse of the city and do a marvelous job of making their voices heard when needed. I look for active and robust communication with all of the District 4 neighborhood associations once I am in office.

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QUESTION 4: District 4 is large and covers many neighborhoods. What issues do you think are particularly important for SW Portland neighborhoods (not downtown)? What proposals would you make to address these issues?

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CANDIDATE RESPONSE:

The biggest issues that I noticed specific to SW Portland is the lack of Trimet service particularly on the weekends and the lack of sidewalks and bike lanes mainly on Terwilliger Blvd. but throughout the SW Portland area. I fully support the use of SW Barbur Blvd. as an alternative to Terwilliger Blvd. that allows for safe travel for pedestrians and cyclists. I would use my bully pulpit to call on additional Federal and state funding for much needed infrastructure revitalization and new projects such as those listed on the SW Trails website. The city’s goals of equity and inclusiveness must be seen and felt through the expansion of TriMet routes and service days and times. It is paramount that we financially support all efforts that introduce diversity of all types, particularly economic diversity. Not everyone in SW Portland is wealthy and drives a car.

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QUESTION 5: How do you plan to work with your District 4 colleagues to ensure productive outcomes on district issues? 

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CANDIDATE RESPONSE:

I think weekly meetings amongst the district 4 council members will be vital to ensure we are on the same page and working towards the needs of our constituents. Having worked in the private sector, I have had to work alongside people from a variety of backgrounds and we have not always seen eye to eye, but I will apply the same practices to my role on Portland City Council that I always have. Those are open communication, mutual respect, encouraging feedback, addressing issues directly with council members, focus on interests, not positions, and creating mutually agreed upon objective criteria.

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QUESTION 6: Why should voters in SW Portland give you a vote? 

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CANDIDATE RESPONSE:

This is very personal to me. For the last three years I have managed teams at several downtown hotels. This has put me on the frontlines of this public health, public safety and economic crisis. Too many lives have been lost due to poor policy implementation and many businesses, both big and small throughout the district, have been forced to navigate incidents with houseless individuals suffering from mental and emotional issues usually without the aid of first responders. Crime, homelessness and drug abuse may not be the primary concerns that are on SW Portlanders minds, however these issues play a significant role in quality of life and the economic health of the city which does affect the voters of SW Portland. An expansion of public transit and pedestrian and cyclist safety are equally as important yet due to massive reductions of tax revenue because of population decline and the loss of businesses to neighboring communities, finding the funding for these quality of life concerns is challenging.

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