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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 23, 2024)
October 23, 2024 Page 9 19 Mayoral Candidates Compete to Lead in Portland, Oregon A Lot of Political Changes to Come in a Race with Homelessness at its Heart (AP) The open mayoral race in the state’s most populous city fea- tures 19 candidates — all vying to lead after years of growing frustra- tion over homeless encampments. Among them: three City Council members, including one ensnared in a driving record scandal; a stripper; and a trucking company CEO vowing to end unsheltered homelessness in 12 months. The race was thrown open when Mayor Ted Wheeler de- cided against seeking reelec- tion after holding the city’s top post since 2017. Wheeler rose to national prominence in 2020 as nightly protests erupted on Portland streets and around the country in response to the po- lice killing of George Floyd. Whoever wins the mayoral seat will oversee a complete- ly new system of government. Portland is expanding its City Council from five to 12 mem- bers, who will be elected by voters in individual districts rather than citywide, and adding a city manager position. And all the candidates — including the nearly 100 running for the new council seats — will be elected by ranked-choice voting for the first time. Changing Portland’s charter had been on the ballot before, but failed until voters approved the overhaul in 2022. The most recent charter review kicked off amid the 2020 pro- tests and a nationwide reckoning with racism that prompted con- versations about making gov- ernment more accountable and equitable. Numerous candidates of color are now running for the new council seats and mayor in the majority-white city. But it’s still unclear how voters, and those elected, will navigate the new system and its logistics. “I don’t think that anyone has a really clear sense of exactly how things are going to work immediately after this election,” The “Portland, Oregon” sign is illuminated in with the Wells Fargo Center Building in the background in downtown Portland, Ore., Jan.27,2015. (AP Photo/Don Ryan, File) said Chris Shortell, associate professor of political science at Portland State University. There are a few constants in this year’s campaign, however — concerns over homelessness and public drug use. Surveys conducted over the past few years have shown that Portland residents view homelessness as a top issue, said John Horvick, senior vice president of polling firm DHM Research. “The key issues remain the key issues,” said Horvick. “Those continue to be the organizing principles of Portland politics and will certainly be through this election and beyond.” City council members Rene Gonzalez and Carmen Rubio have led in fundraising among the mayoral candidates, along with Keith Wilson, whose freight company includes electric trucks. They’ve presented differ- ent visions for reducing home- lessness in a metro area where a January 2023 count found nearly 4,000 people living unsheltered. Gonzalez, who is endorsed by law enforcement groups, pres- sured Multnomah County, home to Portland, to pause giving tents and tarps to homeless people. He has pushed for stricter enforce- ment of anti-camping rules. Rubio has called for more outreach workers and improved coordination between the play- ers in the homelessness response system, such as shelters and so- cial service groups. Wilson, who founded a non- profit working to increase home- less shelter capacity, has pledged to end unsheltered homelessness in his first year on the job. His campaign website says he’ll ac- complish this ambitious goal in part by increasing the number of nighttime walk-in emergency shelters in existing facilities such as churches and community cen- ters. The three leading fundrais- ers are followed by City Council member Mingus Mapps, as well as Liv Østhus, a writer, musician and stripper whose stage name is Viva Las Vegas. Mapps, whose campaign has struggled to gain momentum, is hoping to become Portland’s first Black mayor. If either he, or Rubio or Gonzalez — who have Latino heritage — are elected, it would mark the first time a per- son of color has led the city. For much of the year, Rubio and Gonzalez were viewed as frontrunners. But recent revela- tions about Rubio’s driving re- cord — as well as Gonzalez’s, to a much lesser extent — have shaken up the race. Rubio has re- ceived roughly 150 parking and traffic violations over the last two decades. She failed to pay many of them for months or even years and had her license sus- pended six times. She lost some endorsements following the news, which was first reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive. “The best I can do at this point is to say again that I’m very sor- ry, and that earning Portlanders’ trust back is an ongoing commit- ment I take very seriously,” Ru- bio said in an emailed statement. Gonzalez also had his license suspended twice over 20 years ago and racked up seven speed- ing tickets between 1998 and 2013, including one that was dismissed, as first reported by Willamette Week. “As a younger man, I some- times drove too fast,” Gonzalez said in an emailed statement. “But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more responsible and it is reflected in my record.” The news about driving records has created an opportunity for Wil- son, who has never held elected office, said Shortell, the Port- land State professor. “What looked like it was go- ing to be a straightforward race has shifted in recent weeks into a little bit more open-ended race,” he said. “That has, when com- bined with the ranked-choice voting system, opened some space for Keith Wilson.” Under ranked-choice voting, voters rank their picks in order of preference on the ballot. If a candidate is the first choice of more than 50% of voters in the first round of counting, that can- didate wins. Otherwise, the count continues to a second round. The candidate with the fewest votes is elimi- nated, and voters who chose that candidate as their top pick have their votes redistributed to their next choice. The process contin- ues with the candidate with the fewest votes getting eliminated until someone emerges with a majority of votes. If Rubio and Gonzalez end up splitting voters, Wilson could be a second choice for enough vot- ers to potentially advance, Shor- tell said. The new voting system, new form of government, and sheer number of people running for of- fice represent a lot of moving parts for both candidates and voters, and it may take multiple election cycles for City Hall and residents to get a clear sense of how things work, Shortell said. “Right now it’s a new system, and everyone is trying to figure out what it means,” he said. “And that’s the nature of change.”
