2 0 1 6 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS RACE
Street Roots » April 22-28, 2016
The class
Multnomah County commissioner, District 1
MARISHA CHILDS
BRIAN WILSON
( folds
grew up in
Troutdale in
the early
1980$ and
has lived in
District 1 for
tht past 11
years. She attended Oregon
institute of Technology and
graduated from the I nuvrstty of
Oregon School of Late. She is a
mom, a lawyer, a runner and a
small-business owner.
Childs is a four-year member
of the Reed Neighborhood
Association, serving as chair for
the past luo wars Shi is the
Wilson is
an active
community
leader and
volunteer.
n„J is a
JL *
i partner in a
— 1 s w //
multifamtly housing and
medical chmt development
company. He is knoivn fin
helping get the Sell wood Bridge
project on track and leading a
multiyear effort to secure stable
and dedicated funding for the
Multnomah County Library.
He is active on several
community boards, including
tepislahiv ndivtatc fot Ihr
Our House of Portland and
Cultural Enrichment Committee, Portland Center Stage. As the
for tin Winterhavc n Parcnt-
farmer Portland Housing
Teacher-Student Association and Bureau < ommissitmrr, he says
is a board member of the Oregon
housing and homelessness an
National Organization for
key policy areas he has worked
Women
on for decades.
As an attorney Childs has
He lives in Southwest Portland
worked with youths in
with his cat, Ava. and when not
dependency and truancy
working or volunteering, he
proceedings and seniors seeking
enjoys time remodeling his home
care and housing solutions.
and gardening.
SHARON MEIERAN
jtfriera« is
an emergency
physician, a
former
lawyer, a
community
and public
health
advocate and a mother. She is
also Ihi medical director for the
Oregon Foundation for
Reproductive Health. She sits on
S ' < bw»iw«iO’ Oversight
Advisory Board and is a board
no m/wr of the I "mty Behavioral
Health Center.
MEL RADER
Rader is a
strong
progressive
dedicated to
social justice
and
defending tht
environment.
He has a decade of experience, as
a political advth ah i hampiomng
public health and economic
opportunity, and he runs
Upstream Public Health, a
nonprofit that rest art hes and
advocates best practices to
address climate change heallh
equity and food access.
ERIC ZIMMERMAN
A/ter
graduating
from the
University of
Portland,
Zimmerman,
entered the
Army and
Oregon Army National Guard
as a second lieutenant. In 2009.
he was deployed to Iraq, serving
as a platoon leader with
distinction, earning the Bronze
Sta> Medal and the Combat
Action Badge.
After serving overseas. Erie
returned io Multnomah County
-fir s t working to expand job
opportunities for returning
veterans, then working for
County Commissioner Diane
McKecl, rtsing to chief of staff.
Their office has led the county's
efforts on ceottomu development,
anti human-trafficking, veterans
housing and improving services
for those experiencing mental
health crises
Continuing to serve in the
National Guard, holding the
rank of captain, he led tin effort
to make his unit a national
leader in preparing for the
lifting of ’‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell”
and the restriction on women
serving in combat units.
* District 1 candidates IVes Soderback and Ken Stcikes did not
respond to Street Roots' pop quiz
* District 3 candidate Jessica Vega Pederson is running unopposed.
* District 4 candidates Lori Stegmann and Amanda Schroeder
declined Io participate in Street Roots' pop quiz. Stanley Dirks did
Page 7
Pop Quiz!
Ï
t’s the Multnomah County Commission candidates’ turn to go back to school with Street
Roots. Five candidates from District 1 took our pop quiz.
Previously, Street Roots featured the Portland mayoral and City Council candidates’
responses to our pop quiz. Read them at news.streetroots.org.
-J
n
What area of the county government are you
1 most interested in working with and why?
(100 words or less)
What is one solid step
you will take to
expand affordable housing
countywide? (.150 words)
MARISHA CHILDS
Addressing and eliminating the significant racial disparities that
exist in the justice system. There is a culture of tolerance that
exists, not only in Multnomah County, but in society generally.
Further, there is a culture of placating the one experiencing
inequities (“No, I’m sure that’s not what s/he meant”).
I am also very interested in the County Food Action Plan,
although I am concerned about recent events rendering many
ineligible for SNAP. The county m ust ensure seasonal fruits and
vegetables are grown around our community (at county buildings)
for those who have recently lost SNAP benefits as well as others.
SHARON MEIERAN
Mental health care. As ah ER doctor, I see how our system fails
those m ost in need, and the way we provide “crisis care” often is
more traumatizing than healing. I recently saw a youth brought to
the ER because he was in serious mental health crisis. He was
placed in a typical ER room, with no windows, no school, minimal
exercise - and remained there for almost four weeks because there
was no place for him to get appropriate treatm ent This is
unacceptable. Improving our mental health care system is one of the
main reasons I am running for County Commission.
MEL RADER
I am interested in working with the health system. I have run a
public health nonprofit for 10 years, and I serve on the hoard of
Health Share, which serves 230,000 Medicaid members in the
region. My background is uniquely suited to promote a health
system that is more equitable, focused on prevention and able to
achieve better results for lower costs. I will prioritize filling the
funding gap for mental health and addictions. I will also champion a
more community-focused approach to provide services to people on
the street and through community organizations in a culturally
responsive manner.
BRIAN WILSON
I have identified three areas where my skill set will be of most
value and m eet the most pressing needs of the county: working to
get an immediate handle on the homeless crisis by opening more
temporary shelters, especially those safe for families; working with
other local land use and permitting agencies to expedite additions to
housing stock at all levels of affordability; and expanding programs
with Department of Community Justice and Sheriff’s Office that
address some of the highest negative impacts on our streets:
methamphetamines and human trafficking.
ERIC ZIMMERMAN
The county has a key role to play in many issues, and I believe
the three m ost important we face are the following: 1. Developing
policies that create economic opportunity and support families
struggling today. 2. Addressing the current housing crisis, by
supporting permanent housing for homeless individuals and
expanding affordable housing development across the community. 3.
Increasing our shelter inventory and capacity to provide necessary
and vital off-the-street shelter for safety and health while working on
an ongoing basis to increase access to services for housing,
treatm ent and employment
MARISHA CHILDS
I
)
j
Iwould try to negotiate with
property owners of vacant buildings
(or partially vacant buildings), to at
least temporarily allow homeless
people to stay there while permanent
housing is being built. I understand
that one property developer
(Menashe) has been open to this kind
of idea: This is not a perm anent
solution, but at least a temporary fix
until the county can develop
something more robust.
SHARON MEIERAN
As we all know, the homeless and
housing crisis is complex, and will not
be resolved with a simple fix.
Therefore, the process'itself is
crucially important. One of my greatest
strengths is my ability to collaborate
with groups and individuals from many
diverse backgrounds and experiences
to work effectively toward common
goals. I applaud the county’s efforts
with the A Home for Everyone
program. I also support the city and
county’s commitment to break down
silos that make it difficult to navigate
services and create artificial barriers. I
strongly support up-front investments
in affordable-housing units, and
ensuring people have the support they
need to stay in their housing once they
get i t
M EL RADER
The root of our housing crisis is
income inequality. While large
developers make windfall profits off
real estate, our home shortage
deepens. Solving the problem means
moving forward policies that promote
rent arid income equality- The first
thing that needs to be done is to
greatly expand the public investment
in affordable housing. I support a
significant investment in housing
aimed at low-income families, paid for
through general obligation bonds by
the county. As part of the Welcome
Home Coalition, I’ve been proud to
See QUIZ, page 8