Page 4
March 28, 2018
photo by
M ark W ashington J r ./t he p ortland o bserver
Black Voices United , a start-up organization striving to
create new educational and political spaces for the black
community, draws five candidates running for the No. 3 seat
on the Portland City Council to the stage of their candidates’
forum Saturday at Maranatha Church. The candidates
pictured (from left) are Stuart Emmons, Loretta Smith,
Andrea Valderrama, Felicia Williams and Jo Ann Hardesty.
Election Face Off
C ontinued froM f ront
ning for the position No. 3 seat
which will be left vacant at the
end of the year with the political
retirement of current City Com-
missioner Dan Saltzman.
Black Voices United, a start-
up community organization
structure striving to create new
educational and political spaces
for the black community, spon-
sored the forum, which includ-
ed an earlier session for Mult-
nomah County Commissioner
candidates.
Andrea Valderrama, a David
Douglas School District school
board member and current City
Hall staffer, said people may
have good ideas for combat-
ing homelessness and housing
shortages, but the City Council
needs to adopt workable fund-
ing measures.
“I understand how to address
these issues, not just to get good
ideas, but have the means to
put them into action and what
type of budget makes the most
sense for what type of action,”
Valderrama said. “Those are
things I’ve already been work-
ing on.”
Stuart Emmons, a Portland
architect and community activ-
ist, said he has been a housing
advocate for the last 20 years.