The Skanner News: 2024 City Government Endorsements

In the lead-up to a massive transformation of city government, the mayor’s office and 12 city council seats are open. Three councilors per each of the city’s new four districts will have the chance to shape how the new city council operates. The new mayor will have a much more administrative role, rather than voting with city council.

These are our endorsements for candidates we find to be most aligned with the values of equity and progress in Portland, and who we feel have the experience to lead this new form of government. Because the election will be decided by ranked-choice voting, we offer our top two choices for mayor, and our top three choices for city councilors in council districts 1 and 2. 

MAYOR

First choice: Carmen Rubio

When Portland City Commissioner ran for city council in 2020, the then-executive director of the advocacy nonprofit Latino Network told The Skanner she thought city leadership lacked the voice of someone who had recently worked within the community. We believe she has been that voice: In a council season that has leaned conservative, Rubio has often been in the minority by expressing more progressive concerns on council. She has been vocal in her support of the impactful Portland Street Response program, which sends mental health professionals on emergency calls that would otherwise be handled by police – and she’s done so as Gonzalez has weakened the program and suggested its budget be cut. As mayor, Rubio says she will bolster and improve the program.

In all, we find her approach much more measured and researched than those of her opponents’: Rubio has suggested a data-based assessment of how effective policing practices against retail theft, graffiti and street racing really are. Rubio proposes a 90-pay express permit approval process for any affordable or market-rate housing developments that are fully financed. With her recent creation of the Office of Small Business, Rubio has centralized city services and resources for emerging entrepreneurs – she sees this as one of the keystones of downtown recovery.

Rubio is endorsed by individuals including Gov. Tina Kotek, former Portland mayor Tom Potter, Metro president Lynn Peteerson, Oregon state Sen. Kayse Jama (D-Portland), and organizations including the Portland Association of Teachers, the Oregon Working Families Party, SEIU, AFL-CIO, the Sierra Club, Portland for All and others.

Second choice: Mingus Mapps

But the new mayoral job description is all but tailored to Mingus Mapps’ education, expertise and demeanor. Portland’s next mayor will lead the city’s executive branch and work in a much more administrative capacity. While Mapps has always been a thoughtful, detail-oriented commissioner, this shift would allow his operational know-how and policy savvy to shine. The Reed alum holds a Ph.D. in government from Cornell University, and has vowed to make Portland the "best-run city in the United States" by syncing up its 24 bureaus – we have confidence in that vision.

When Mapps talks about the poor state of downtown, it isn’t to cast aspersions on vulnerable populations but to highlight how city services must be in better collaboration to address trash, graffiti and safety issues. On homelessness, Mapps has been vocal about his thoughts on city versus county responsibility – the county must step up because the city’s resources and bandwidth are limited.

We believe that the best path forward for Portland is data-driven and constituent-informed. Mapps stands out as a responsible leader with a measured approach.

Mapps has the support of Margaret Carter, the first African American woman elected to Oregon state legislature, as well as Avel Gordly, the first African American woman elected to the Oregon state senate and Gary Hollands, chair of the Portland Public School Board. He is also endorsed by Protec 17, a local public union representing about 1,000 service employees.

No on Gonzalez

Meanwhile their colleague, fellow mayoral candidate Rene Gonzalez, has appeared more interested in establishing himself as the most conservative voice on council than in making any positive gains for the city. While we appreciate healthy debate among diverse voices, Gonzalez has taken an antagonistic and unconstructive approach

Gonzalez hasn’t been a terribly effective councilmember, at times submitting eleventh-hour draft proposals in opposition to the mayor’s, frustrating both fellow commissioners and members of the public. Procedural missteps and a tendency to toe the line for the Portland Police Association (which has endorsed him for mayor) have made Gonzalez’s brief tenure on council more obstructionist than productive.

Gonzalez is courting voters on a platform of grievance. Portland needs a leader who understands that complex issues like homelessness and addiction require nuance and collaboration – not pat talking points about how bad downtown looks.

CITY COUNCIL

Voters will be asked to indicate their top six preferences for the three open council seats in their district.

District 1

This district lies largely to the east of 205 and includes the area surrounding PDX.

Loretta Smith 

We previously endorsed Loretta Smith in her 2020 run for city council based on her broad range of experience in developing policy, her focus on youth employment, her strong commitment to education and dedication to safe and affordable housing. As we embark on a new chapter of city leadership, we know a steady hand and a trove of professional and lived experience are essential. Smith’s many years working for U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) as a point-person for constituents, and her deftness at launching federally funded programs right here in Multnomah County, qualify her to co-lead the new district. We are confident that Smith will center equity and opportunity in her district and city if elected.

Sonja McKenzie

Sonja McKenzie has lived in Portland since 1999 and currently serves as community engagement coordinator with the Oregon Community Foundation, after similar stints working for World Oregon, Planned Parenthood and other nonprofits.  She has also served on the Parkrose school board since 2017. Her familiarity with the educational needs of her community, and her success in community collaboration, have informed her vision for an inclusive and responsive city government. We are confident that McKenzie will make an effective city councilmember in a much more localized role.

Candace Avalos

Candace Avalos previously ran for city council in 2020, spurred by how the pandemic shed light on social and economic inequities that persist today. She is currently the executive director of Verde, an environmental nonprofit. As former chair of the Citizen Review Committee, Avalos has done her homework on the inner workings of police review and accountability in Portland, and her service on the Charter Review Committee has given her in-depth knowledge of how the new city government will operate. We have observed Avalos’ intense dedication to civic engagement, and feel she will be an excellent addition to the new city council.

District 2

This district lies largely north of the Willamette and north of I-84 and borders PDX.

Dan Ryan 

We admire that Dan Ryan opted to run to stay on city council, and feel his experience will be a stabilizing influence during what could be a rocky transition period for Portland. Ryan is responsive to his constituents and unafraid to ask the right questions. His understanding of government and organizational leadership in general is commendable, and his success in opening six Safe Rest Village sites provided much-needed progress in the city’s lagging efforts to provide shelter to its growing unhoused population. We look forward to watching Ryan continue to collaborate effectively with city officials and the community in this next chapter of Portland government.

Tiffani Penson

Another candidate with lifelong ties to the district, Tiffani Penson can tell you firsthand about how Northeast Portland has changed in her lifetime, with recollections from a central vantage point in her father’s old barbershop on what is now Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. She is now the City of Portland's People + Culture Manager, where she works to ensure transparency and anti-racist practices in city operations. She has also been elected as a Portland Community College Board director, and boasts endorsements from the Portland Association of Teachers and three current city commissioners, among many others. We are impressed by Penson's working knowledge of city bureaucracy -- and her history of working within it to support women- and minority-owned businesses and to promote youth employment.

Michelle DePass

Michelle Depass campaigned on the concept of an anti-racist budget to become the first Black chair of the Portland Public Schools Board in 2021. During her tenure, she has helped approve the sale of district headquarters in North Portland to the Albina Vision Trust, a restorative redevelopment organization that is revitalizing historically Black neighborhoods–including the one where DePass herself grew up and raised her own children. Also bolstering her fitness for office is her clear love for the city and her faith in what it can become. We think her personal and historical knowledge of Portland, coupled with her expertise in urban planning and housing development, makes her an ideal candidate to represent the new district.