The glut of candidates is a feature, not a bug in the new charter. Progressives love confused, demoralized citizens--and we've made it easier than ever for "minority" candidates to get a measly 25-percent of the vote. The naive amongst us thought that meant more POC (white patronage knows no bounds)s; they were wrong. It was a way for progressives to cement their hold on the city government, for at least a decade until the charter's up for review.
It's delusional to think that the 57-percent who fell for the new charter will suddenly wise up and wrest control from the de facto junta (media, nonprofits, unions, developers) that runs the city and therefore the state. Wise up.
The city council contest lacks any touch of nuance. All one has to do is read the candidates’ statements and mailers to see what they stand for. Common buzz words along with the same tired endorsements give away the reality of their ideologies and leanings. Informed voters should be able to see this. That means this election is a true test of whether Portland has turned the corner or will just elect more leftwing loonies.
I feel like I’m in the room, just as you are, listening and observing. And I find it quite sad really. Portland’s problems show no hope of improving in this latest election cycle. At minimum It would have been nice to hear someone definitively say they would protect the city (or their neighborhoods) from riots and potential violence next week should a certain you know who win. While it’s not the city’s biggest issue it’s certainly got to be an immediate concern. A message of no tolerance for rioting and violence would go a long way in restoring civil order. There simply cannot be another round of civil upheaval and riots without a swift and immediate response. If not, then these elections are merely a changing of the guards with little hope of actually changing the current course.
What does it say about Portland that some businesses downtown are boarding up for fear of what could happen on Tuesday?
This weekend there is a free community event scheduled at the Clinton Theater — “Know Your Rights Training.” The social media invite reads: “Learn about the process of being detained, arrested, booked and processed, and get some insight about what happens after, specifically how to keep you and your comrades safe while being churned through the criminal ‘justice’ system. Hear from arrestees and legal professionals about how the DA’s office can and will fuck you over, and practice how to handle being questioned by the cops.”
Three days ago, the Portland Committee on Community-Engaged Policing (PCCEP) offered a free showing of a documentary called “The Murder of June Knightly,” with a Q-and-A afterwards with journalist Robert Mackey of Forensic Architecture.
PCCEP is a city-sponsored citizen oversight group that keeps tabs on the police. I went to this meeting. About 20 showed up, and another 17 people logged on via Zoom. The “documentary” is fairly shallow. Knightly was the woman who assisted Antifa protesters by directing traffic. She was shot and killed by a resident near Normandale Park who was tired of repeated disturbances in his neighborhood. He also shot a young woman, who was assisting the protesters. She was left paralyzed from the neck down and later opted to end her life. The killer is now in prison. (See https://portlanddissent.substack.com/p/normandale-unmasked)
In promoting the film, PCCEP said it has been working to learn more about “the power dynamics and relationships between Portland Police Bureau and protestors.” It has identified three goals for the future of crowd control in Portland: Increased transparency; upholding free speech; improving public safety for all participants.
The timing of this showing was curious: a week before the election. Are there people at City Hall who want protests?
Disturbing to say the least. Nothing but swift removal and enforcement of protesters who cross over the line into violence will send the right message. There must be support for the police to do this. We shall see…
Terrence hayes has said it. And so has noah ernst for first district. They are there to represent the people of the community long overlooked They are not bringing their baggage and personal agendas forward.
Friends in Portland. This election is more important than ever. The pendulum has swung and we need to be sure that at least 7 of the 12 new City Council members are rational and ready to serve the people in their districts --and not bringing their own baggage and personal anti-police and anti-business agendas with them.
Over the past four years, I have immersed myself in local politics and several campaigns, looking behind the curtain, testifying at city and county board meetings, attending candidate forums, and supporting outstanding leaders in our community. Candidly, more of us need to be involved.
This is our city, this is my city. And, I want it back from the extreme vocal and organized minority that has steamrolled bad policies resulting in our damaged communities and vanquished civic pride.
There are some real underachievers in this City Council Candidate pool. (Like, I'm sorry, but despite your passion, dude, planting more trees in outer NE is not the answer to increased gun violence and business is not bad nor your piggy bank for untested programs.).
But I am optimistic about many outstanding, thoughtful and smart people who want to serve. We need to support them.
It's time for fundamentals. Public safety is paramount. We cannot continue to allow 6,000 troubled people to set the agenda and tone for the 600,000 people that call Portland home. And just because downtown looks a little better of late, I can assure you that St. Johns, Lents and outer East County are increasingly being impacted by people who think a tent and a cart is the best way to live their lives. Those people need a better hand-up, not-out.
Regarding Rank Choice Voting: Only vote for the 1 or 2 people whom you want to represent you on City Council. Just because you can rank up to 6, does not mean you should. It will give advantages to people who are not up to the job, IMO. Give your 1st and 2nd ranks to people whom you know and hold in high regard.
As you thumb through your voter guide and prepare to vote, please pay attention to the passion and important endorsements garnered by these standouts.
Mayor: Rene Gonzalez
City Council District 1: Terrence Hayes, Noah Ernst,
City Council District 2: Dan Ryan, Bob Simril,
City Council District 3: Kezia Wanner, Daniel DeMelo
City Council District 4: Eli Arnold, Eric Zimmermann, Bob Weinstein
I am tending to the part of the garden that I can reach, and that is Portland.
Thanks for your efforts. I’m hoping to be out of Portland in < 5 years. Too many taxes coupled with poor basic services and an intolerant illiberal zeitgeist.
Pamela, you have a thankless job. But you do it well. We always wish some good people would run for these positions, but they’re all too busy working to make a living.
It’s not thankless. I get to read comments like yours and others. It’s a nice reminder that there is more to Oregon and its largest city than what we read in our local media.
The glut of candidates is a feature, not a bug in the new charter. Progressives love confused, demoralized citizens--and we've made it easier than ever for "minority" candidates to get a measly 25-percent of the vote. The naive amongst us thought that meant more POC (white patronage knows no bounds)s; they were wrong. It was a way for progressives to cement their hold on the city government, for at least a decade until the charter's up for review.
It's delusional to think that the 57-percent who fell for the new charter will suddenly wise up and wrest control from the de facto junta (media, nonprofits, unions, developers) that runs the city and therefore the state. Wise up.
“ ‘Bring back downtown … arts can be a catalyst,’ said Stan Penkin, a builder.”
That’s not the way the reverse-racist regional arts council saw it.
But is Penkin’s premise correct, especially in today’s media-saturated world? It seems rather twee, but then I’m a cynic.
The city council contest lacks any touch of nuance. All one has to do is read the candidates’ statements and mailers to see what they stand for. Common buzz words along with the same tired endorsements give away the reality of their ideologies and leanings. Informed voters should be able to see this. That means this election is a true test of whether Portland has turned the corner or will just elect more leftwing loonies.
Correct. I refuse to vote for any candidate who lists gentrification as a problem and wants to enlist government to deal with it.
I feel like I’m in the room, just as you are, listening and observing. And I find it quite sad really. Portland’s problems show no hope of improving in this latest election cycle. At minimum It would have been nice to hear someone definitively say they would protect the city (or their neighborhoods) from riots and potential violence next week should a certain you know who win. While it’s not the city’s biggest issue it’s certainly got to be an immediate concern. A message of no tolerance for rioting and violence would go a long way in restoring civil order. There simply cannot be another round of civil upheaval and riots without a swift and immediate response. If not, then these elections are merely a changing of the guards with little hope of actually changing the current course.
What does it say about Portland that some businesses downtown are boarding up for fear of what could happen on Tuesday?
This weekend there is a free community event scheduled at the Clinton Theater — “Know Your Rights Training.” The social media invite reads: “Learn about the process of being detained, arrested, booked and processed, and get some insight about what happens after, specifically how to keep you and your comrades safe while being churned through the criminal ‘justice’ system. Hear from arrestees and legal professionals about how the DA’s office can and will fuck you over, and practice how to handle being questioned by the cops.”
Three days ago, the Portland Committee on Community-Engaged Policing (PCCEP) offered a free showing of a documentary called “The Murder of June Knightly,” with a Q-and-A afterwards with journalist Robert Mackey of Forensic Architecture.
PCCEP is a city-sponsored citizen oversight group that keeps tabs on the police. I went to this meeting. About 20 showed up, and another 17 people logged on via Zoom. The “documentary” is fairly shallow. Knightly was the woman who assisted Antifa protesters by directing traffic. She was shot and killed by a resident near Normandale Park who was tired of repeated disturbances in his neighborhood. He also shot a young woman, who was assisting the protesters. She was left paralyzed from the neck down and later opted to end her life. The killer is now in prison. (See https://portlanddissent.substack.com/p/normandale-unmasked)
In promoting the film, PCCEP said it has been working to learn more about “the power dynamics and relationships between Portland Police Bureau and protestors.” It has identified three goals for the future of crowd control in Portland: Increased transparency; upholding free speech; improving public safety for all participants.
The timing of this showing was curious: a week before the election. Are there people at City Hall who want protests?
Disturbing to say the least. Nothing but swift removal and enforcement of protesters who cross over the line into violence will send the right message. There must be support for the police to do this. We shall see…
Terrence hayes has said it. And so has noah ernst for first district. They are there to represent the people of the community long overlooked They are not bringing their baggage and personal agendas forward.
Friends in Portland. This election is more important than ever. The pendulum has swung and we need to be sure that at least 7 of the 12 new City Council members are rational and ready to serve the people in their districts --and not bringing their own baggage and personal anti-police and anti-business agendas with them.
Over the past four years, I have immersed myself in local politics and several campaigns, looking behind the curtain, testifying at city and county board meetings, attending candidate forums, and supporting outstanding leaders in our community. Candidly, more of us need to be involved.
This is our city, this is my city. And, I want it back from the extreme vocal and organized minority that has steamrolled bad policies resulting in our damaged communities and vanquished civic pride.
There are some real underachievers in this City Council Candidate pool. (Like, I'm sorry, but despite your passion, dude, planting more trees in outer NE is not the answer to increased gun violence and business is not bad nor your piggy bank for untested programs.).
But I am optimistic about many outstanding, thoughtful and smart people who want to serve. We need to support them.
It's time for fundamentals. Public safety is paramount. We cannot continue to allow 6,000 troubled people to set the agenda and tone for the 600,000 people that call Portland home. And just because downtown looks a little better of late, I can assure you that St. Johns, Lents and outer East County are increasingly being impacted by people who think a tent and a cart is the best way to live their lives. Those people need a better hand-up, not-out.
Regarding Rank Choice Voting: Only vote for the 1 or 2 people whom you want to represent you on City Council. Just because you can rank up to 6, does not mean you should. It will give advantages to people who are not up to the job, IMO. Give your 1st and 2nd ranks to people whom you know and hold in high regard.
As you thumb through your voter guide and prepare to vote, please pay attention to the passion and important endorsements garnered by these standouts.
Mayor: Rene Gonzalez
City Council District 1: Terrence Hayes, Noah Ernst,
City Council District 2: Dan Ryan, Bob Simril,
City Council District 3: Kezia Wanner, Daniel DeMelo
City Council District 4: Eli Arnold, Eric Zimmermann, Bob Weinstein
I am tending to the part of the garden that I can reach, and that is Portland.
Thanks for your efforts. I’m hoping to be out of Portland in < 5 years. Too many taxes coupled with poor basic services and an intolerant illiberal zeitgeist.
Steph always seems to freeze when a question comes up. Cheery but underwhelming
That’s kind. Routh is a lot worse than “underwhelming”. She’s a status quo candidate who unfortunately looks likely to be elected.
You're right She is a train wreck I held back.
Pamela, you have a thankless job. But you do it well. We always wish some good people would run for these positions, but they’re all too busy working to make a living.
It’s not thankless. I get to read comments like yours and others. It’s a nice reminder that there is more to Oregon and its largest city than what we read in our local media.