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 will keep an open-door policy, and hold regular office hours either in-person or online. I will also continue to attend community events, as I have been doing as a grassroots activist and campaigner for two decades. 

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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:

As city councilors, we will still be responsible for ensuring legislative oversight. I support passing legislation that will improve the responsiveness of various bureaus to citizen concerns, decreasing wait times, and opening up more citizen oversight committees to enable transparency and direct democratic governance.

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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:

As the past co-chair of the Willamette Neighorhood Association, I have experience with what this will take. I believe that they can provide a crucial intermediary for residents to convene and communicate their needs and plans. I am also highly supportive of making more city funding available for locally-driven projects (such as community gardens and urban agroforestry for climate and earthquake resilience), and neighborhood associations can play a key role in convening residents to design and implement neighborhood improvement plans.

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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:

Having talked with many SW Portland residents, I know that connectivity and accessibility with the rest of Portland is a big issue. We need to have consistent public transit access, as well as continuous trails that enable greater bike and pedestrian access. I also think that greater collaboration with Beaverton, Tigard, Aloha etc. at a city-to-city level would better recognize the reality of SW Portland's unique proximity to our municipal neighbors.

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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 was born into a large family (nine of twelve!) so I grew up learning how to work collaboratively on a team out of necessity. At the same time, it is quite possible that the District 4 representatives could be strongly opposed to one another on many issues. I believe that close collaboration with our constituents and community organizations will be essential to ensure that every neighborhoods' unique needs are met. I will stand with the community and disagree with my colleagues when the situation calls for it, but always look towards productive compromises to ensure we deliver results.

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

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CANDIDATE RESPONSE:

I'm the only candidate prioritizing earthquake preparedness. The impending Cascadia Megaquake has been projected by scientists to be the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history. We are seeing now how FEMA is falling short of what is needed to help those devastated by the flooding and hurricanes in the Southeast, and steadily running out of funding.

 

At the municipal level, the situation hardly better. Right now the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management receives only $5 million/year! City Hall needs to start taking this threat seriously and put more of our $8 billion/year budget towards getting prepared. The burden for safety should not fall on homeowners, and I support taking the $100 million/year we pay to Wall Street back to invest instead in earthquake retrofitting tax credits and subsidies for Portland homeowners, businesses, and major infrastructure projects.

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