Just out., October 15, 2004, Page 30, Image 30

30
* QCtOtaf 15.2004
A nd. L ib e r t y fo r
(^au awLdafo íA
umv seat en C Afeti# GeméÈ
by Jodi Helmer
robert Liberty is passionate about land
use, transportation planning, recycling and
affordable housing— issues on the minds of
many Portlanders these days. His com m it­
ment to local issues has the 51 -year-old cam ­
paigning for a seat on the M etro Council in
the November election.
“My passions are M etros issues,” he says.
“They are im portant issues in the community.
They may not be sexy, but they’re im portant.”
He believes the council’s goals— applying
democracy to the process of how the city
grows and the way its citizens live— is an
exciting aspect of living in Portland.
Liberty earned his undergraduate degree
from University of Oregon and a graduate
degree at Oxford University before attending
Harvard Law Schtxil. After college he accept­
ed a position with 1000 Friends of Oregon,
where his participation in education, research
and litigation pertaining to land use laws
intensified his passion for Uxzal issues and
desire to be part of the political prcx:ess.
Liberty ran for M etro in b o th 1990 and
1992. A lthough he did not win either elec­
tion, he garnered a com petitive 49.6 percent
and 45 percent of the vote, respectively.
Liberty is running again because he
believes he can make a difference in the city.
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anonymous calls from people being abusive,
but 1 didn’t get a single call.
“It just does not seem to be a factor,” he
continued. "Polling done before the primary
shows (being gay] is a wash; I’ll gain some
votes and lose some votes."
Liberty believes his sexual orientation is
less of an issue in his campaign because Metro
does not deal with hot-button matters of civil
status, such as marriage. Still, he says, “I am
surprised there has been no reaction at all.”
In fact, at fund-raisers to support his cam­
paign, Liberty says k ith he and his partner,
Khanh Tran, have been warmly received. But
for Tran, being the partner of a political can­
didate has been difficult at times.
“We have heard that the people who
often feel angriest about (personal! attacks are
not the candidates but their spouses or part­
ners,” says Liberty. “And that is the way it is
with us. Khanh gets very upset. [He] is a very
private person, and politics takes that away.”
Despite the public face of politics, Liberty
says his commitment to the future of Portland
overshadows his need for privacy. He wants to
get more residents involved in local issues.
O ne of the biggest challenges for him
might be overcoming the negative publicity
he has received from his challenger, incum­
bent Rod Monroe.
PHOTO BY
R
“We need to bring growth to areas where it
would be beneficial, work harder to ensure
people can find affordable places to live in
neighborhoods and schtxil districts they like,
ensure our city remains green and find ways to
make it greener, and find a more balanced
approach to our transportation needs,” he says.
It appears that voters agree with his strat­
egy. Liberty snagged 44.7 percent of the vote
in the May primary and is a favorite to win
the November election. His campaign has
been endorsed by The Oregonian, the Sierra
Club and numerous elected officials including
Portland City Commissioner Erik Sten and
state Sen. Ryan Deckert, D-Beaverton.
Despite the fact that the issues Metro
deals with are important to livability and
quality of life in the community, the race for
Metro Council has not received much cover­
age. “T he media just does not give it a lot of
visibility,” says Liberty.
A nd much of the publicity he has
received for his candidacy has focused on run­
ning the race as an openly gay candidate— a
fact he says will not affect his chances at
being elected.
“The Oregonian ran a story on gay candi­
dates running for ltx:al government,” he says.
“I thought 1 would get a lot of phone calls,
both calls from people being supportive and
R obert Liberty says being out has had little
impact on his candidacy for M etro Council
“[MonroeJ told The Oregonian that I want­
ed to destroy all single-family homes and
replace them with mixed-use development,
and less than 24 hixirs later he told the
Builders Association that I was a no-growth,
radical environmentalist,” Liberty says. “His
one guiding principle is his re-election. He will
say anything and do anything to be re-elected.”
Despite some rumors that his bid for
Metro Council is a stepping stone in an aspi­
ration for higher office, Liberty insists his
focus— and his heart— are with Metro.
"Metro is a dream position for me,” he
says. “W hat M etro does is really important,
and it’s a chance to have an impact on our
city in a unique way. It’s not about being an
elected official. It’s having this position and
doing this job. This is what I care about.” J H
JODI H elm er is a Portland free-lance writer.
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