The NW Examiner’s plans for an authentic debate between the four serious contenders in City Council District 4 on Oct. 5 have been thwarted. The debate has been canceled.
Ultimately, the decision was made after The Armory notified us that the only type of political event they as a charitable nonprofit could host would have to include all qualified candidates. There are 12.
Plans began to unwind when Councilor Mitch Green pulled out of the debate because two similarly aligned candidates had not been invited to participate.
Weeks after previously confirming that conditions for his participation were “perfect,” he made a demand: “If you want my participation in this event, you need to extend an invite to Jamey and Jeremy,” Green wrote in a Sept. 28 email.
He was referring to Jamey Evenstar and Jeremy Beausoleil-Smith, a fellow member of the Portland Democratic Socialists of America. The pair finished fifth and sixth in direct fundraising.
The Examiner selected participants based on private money voluntarily contributed to campaigns as of Sept. 25.
Candidate Private donations
Eric Zimmerman $75,150
Olivia Clark $72,502
Eli Arnold $68,398
Mitch Green $66,522
J. Beausoleil-Smith $22,007
Jamey Evenstar $20,345
The four candidates with the most privately raised money were invited.
“That’s a pretty narrow single-metric,” Green told the Examiner, “given that all of the candidates are participating in the Small Donor program and have received eligibility for matching funds.
Green suggested that public matching funds should be considered, as well as the number of individuals donating.
“Additionally, Jeremy has more individual donations than Eric and has unlocked the full $100,000 from Tier 1,” he said. “Jamey has unlocked almost $70,000 in matching funds.”
Green was referring to Portland’s Small Donor Election program, which matches donations under $25 at a 10:1 ratio. The program is designed to make small contributions more consequential. The program makes it possible for marginal candidates to receive substantial levels of government assistance.
Candidate Matching funds
Eli Arnold $200,000
Olivia Clark $178,580
Mitch Green $173,256
J. Beausoleil-Smith $100,000
Eric Zimmerman $98,700
Jamey Evenstar $62,360
“You’ve excluded two very competitive candidates with a serious shot of unseating one of the incumbents—including me—arbitrarily. It’s unfair to them and to voters, and appears to put your thumb on the scale for one candidate,” Green wrote the Examiner.
“I’m displeased by this. If you want my participation in this event you need to extend an invite to Jamey and Jeremy.”
An all-candidates forum without penetrating questions or in-depth dialogue is a pale form of democracy. The legal jeopardy faced by the facility and the neighborhood association, combined with political players wielding leverage in the week before the event, tipped the scales. That in itself may be voter education.
City Club of Portland will hold a District 4 debate at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at the University Place Hotel, Southwest Third Avenue and Lincoln Street. All six of the aforementioned candidates will be there. To register, visit: pdxcityclub.org/event/city-council-district-4-debate-2026/
The issue is conducting a 90-minute debate that can focus on viable candidates and their ideas on the issues. We did a "debate" two years ago with 20-plus candidates, and it was more of a circus than useful guidance for voters.
In a ranked choice election, there are exactly zero excuses for excluding viable candidates. What a weird thing to publish on your own without anyone forcing you to.