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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 2, 2018)
May 2, 2018 Page 5 Historic Midterm C ontinued from f ront the time. Bailey later defended Smith on social media. “Wasn’t an issue when I ran but people are attacking @Loret- taSmithPPDX now. Double Stan- dard? The race should be about issues,” Bailey tweeted in Decem- ber. Smith said her top priorities if elected would be to push for more affordable housing, assisting the poor, and continuing funding for a summer job programs she started for local youth to help kids of col- or and other disadvantaged popu- lations. She also wants to give more attention to the populous in outer east Portland, a group that makes up a higher proportion of low in- come people and people of color than the citywide average. Andrea Valderrama, another diverse candidate who is of Peru- vian descent, joined the election race in October. A former staffer of former Commissioner Steve Novick and current advisor to Mayor Ted Wheeler, she is also a member of the David Douglas School Board. The school district serves a 12 square mile perimeter in southeast Portland east of I-205, where Valderrama has worked on resolutions to make local schools more inclusive and welcoming for immigrants, and expand students’ access to contraception. Sharon Maxwell, a successful construction business owner of over 25 years, is one of the four candidates of color running to take Smith’s seat on the Multnomah County Commission where term limits prevent Smith from running again. The District 2 post represents people from 34 neighborhoods in north and northeast Portland, ex- tending to the northernmost parts of north Portland in St. Johns to as far east as 185th Avenue. Among the many issues Max- well plans to tackle if elected are the auditing of services like men- tal health, public safety, and pub- lic health to ensure that crisis pre- vention is taking place. Maxwell also cited economic stability and affordable housing for families as top priorities. “My approach as commissioner will be to make sure that we’re fo- cusing on stabilizing and strength- ening our families because we’ll put the vestment up front that’s focused on prevention. Wanting to make sure that first of all our fam- ilies are economically stable and sustainable; that parents have the ability to get into employment op- portunities that will provide them with the financial stability,” she told the Portland Observer. Maxwell previously ran for city council in 2014 but lost to incumbent Nick Fish. She holds two bachelor’s degrees, a mas- ter’s in business administration, and started two non-profits in the 2000s –one was a transitional and emergency housing shelter for the homeless, and another connected youth to environmentally friendly jobs. Maxwell is running against Susheela Jayapal, an activist and former Adidas America general counsel; Maria Garcia, a small business owner of a coffee shop in southwest Portland and endorsed by activist group Women’s March on Portland; and Bruce Broussard, a public access TV talk show host and former restaurant manager who has ran half a dozen times for multiple posts in the past two de- cades. All candidates for the seat are people of color. Diversity consultant D. Bora Harris also appears on ballots this year as a candidate for Multnomah County Chair, looking to unseat current chair Deborah Kafoury. Health Care Specialist FORREST JENKINS 55 years experience Serving Oregon and Washington Contracted agent with AARP – Humana – Mutual of Omaha Health Care Specialist Medicare Supplements / Life Insurance Medicare Advantage Plan Prescription Drug Programs / Final Expenses 2703 E. Mill Plain Blvd Vancouver, WA 98661 Cell (772) 410-6778 / Fax (360) 718-2536 Email: Dimery100@gmail.com Like & share Me on FACEBOOK Harris told the Portland Ob- server that she’s running on a campaign to thwart institutional racism and improve county em- ployees’ working conditions. Citing public spats that have occurred among the county chair and commissioners in the past, Harris advocates for setting aside differences to get things done and listening to what the people’s needs are. “The commissioners and chairs appear to have personal issues among themselves and when you’re so focused on your per- sonal issues and disagreements, you’re losing sight of the needs of the community, the elderly, the children, the homeless, affordable housing,” Harris said. If she wins, she’d be the first African American woman to serve as county chair in 25 years since Gladys McCoy first served in the 1980s. The outstanding number of fe- male people of color running for local elections follows in a nation- wide trend of underrepresented groups putting their hats in the po- litical ring this year. A record breaking number of women have registered as candi- dates for the U.S. House of Rep- resentatives in the midterms this year, according to data from Rut- C ontinued on P age 15 Sharon Maxwell, a successful construction business owner of over 25 years, is one of the four candidates of color running for a seat on the Multnomah County Commission. D. Bora Harris is a candidate for Multnomah County Chair. If elected, she would be the first African American woman to serve as county chair in 25 years since Gladys McCoy first served in the 1980s.