Portland observer., October 07, 2020, Page 13, Image 13

Minority & Small Business Week
October 7, 2020
Black Leaders Divided in Mayoral Race
Wheeler and
Innarone both
have support
After Sarah Iannarone re-
leased an impressive list of
endorsements from the Black
community in her Nov. 3 run-
off election for Portland may-
or, incumbent Ted Wheeler last
week highlighted his own sup-
port from African American
leaders.
The non-partisan contest
may be close as a pre-election
poll released Monday by DHM
Research shows Iannarone, a
teacher, small business owner
and urban policy adviser, has a
lead of 11 percent over Wheel-
er, who is seeking his second
term.
Supporters for Wheeler in-
clude two esteemed former
lawmakers from Portland,
Margaret Carter, the first Afri-
can American woman elected
to the Oregon Legislature, and
Avel Gordly, the first African
American elected to the Or-
egon Senate. Current Black
lawmakers, Sen. Lew Freder-
ick, a Democrat representing
north and northeast Portland,
and State Rep. Janelle Bynum,
a Democrat from southeast
Portland and Happy Valley, are
endorse Wheeler’s re-election.
Iannarone’s endorsements
include former Multnomah
County Commissioner Loretta
Smith; Cameron Whitten, the
co-founder of the Black Resil-
ience Fund and former execu-
tive director of the QCenter;
James Posey, co-founder of the
Oregon chapter of the National
Association of Minority Con-
tractors; and Shanice Clark,
a local educational leader and
member of the Portland Clean
Energy Fund Grant Commit-
tee.
“The current mayor’s record
is full of broken promises on
solutions for houselessness and
inequality. He’s shown no lead-
ership on civil unrest or public
safety. On his watch, things
keep getting worse. It’s time
for a change,” Iannarone writes
on her campaign website.
Smith said her support for
Iannarone was because of the
vision she has to bring people
together.
“From her plans to aggres-
sively tackle police reform to
her commitment to developing
Ted Wheeler
Sarah Iannarone
housing that is truly affordable,
Sarah is the leader Portland
needs to ensure that everyone
has the opportunity to thrive –
regardless of their zip code,”
Smith said.
Whitten said his support was
based on Iannarone’s “unques-
tionable commitment to mak-
ing a better future for all Port-
landers.”
Local activist and Iannarone
Campaign Director Gregory
McKelvey said Iannarone de-
serves credit for selecting him
as a Black man to run such a
prominent campaign.
“Sarah did so long before
the current uprising because
she is committed to ensuring
that Black lives matter in our
community and that the com-
mon-sense progress Portland-
ers are demanding becomes a
reality,” McKelvey said.
In her endorsement for
Wheeler, Former Sen. Carter
said the incumbent was the
right person for the job.
“In a time like this, experi-
ence is our best teacher,” Carter
said. “Ted’s experience work-
ing with the City Council and
other elected officials, the po-
lice department, labor unions,
and other leaders across the
city and state will allow us to
stand up and get through what
is happening right now.”
Former Sen. Gordly said
Wheeler earned her support
through the quality of leader-
ship he brings to the job.
“As mayor, he has led the
city through the outbreak of
COVID and the ensuing eco-
nomic crisis, while responsi-
bly managing the city’s de-
partments and finances. Ted
has brought people together to
denounce hatred, recognizes
that we are facing a reckon-
ing on racial justice, and has
worked effectively with the
Office of Equity and Human
Rights. Like myself, he was
born here and loves this city,
and I believe that Ted can bring
Portland together around our
shared values,” Gordly said.
“Voting for Portland’s mayor
revolves around governing for
all of the city,” said Sen. Lew
Frederick. “I expect disagree-
ments. I also expect knowl-
edge and experience working
through those concerns. Ted
Wheeler consistently shows
not only the rhetoric of a vision
for our city, but takes direct
actions to make a difference,
even when it is difficult.”
Page 13