Month: May 2016

I sat down with April Baer to talk about Portland and art.

Listen here.

As Election Day gets closer and the public forums and debates come to an end, I have been knocking on doors and introducing myself all over Portland. I’ve been to almost every neighborhood with just a few more to go. Along the way I’ve answered a lot of questions about my platform, but more importantly I’ve asked a lot of you to tell me what is important to you and your family.

I’ve met incredible people in every neighborhood. Through the stories they’ve told me, I have learned so much about the issues from the human side. I’ve talked to a dad who is trying to keep his son with a mental disability safe, a person who donated her old RV to a woman for shelter, and several formerly homeless people about what programs helped them get off the streets. I learned about zoning issues from several neighborhood associations, parking problems from drivers, bike infrastructure issues from avid cyclists, and permit nightmares from small business owners who are trying to grow their companies and add jobs to our economy.

In many ways this is the best part of the campaign so far. While I hope that the people I’ve met will trust me with their votes, I know that the information I’ve gathered will make me better at the job of leading our city. I’m looking forward to Election Day, and I’m excited to get started solving the challenges facing Portland with the help of the people I’ve met.