Where do you stand on the balance between harm‑reduction strategies and enforcement‑based approaches when addressing the large number of people on Portland’s streets who are acutely addicted to fentanyl and other substances? Specifically, what role do you believe accountability, mandated treatment, or enforcement should play in helping people move toward recovery?
2. Out‑of‑State Arrivals & Budget Impact
Police and community groups report that a significant portion of newly arrived homeless individuals (50%) are coming from out of state, often because Oregon is perceived as offering generous services and permissive street‑living policies. Comprehensive treatment programs can cost Portland up to $70,000 per person. How would you address the budget impact of providing these services to people who recently arrived from other states?
3. Effective Street Outreach
What specific steps would you take to ensure that county and city agencies deliver effective, substantial, and consistent outreach to people on the streets who are acutely mentally ill or acutely substance addicted? What performance standards or accountability measures would you require?
4. Police Staffing
Portland currently ranks near the bottom nationally in police staffing. What priority do you place on improving police staffing levels, and what concrete actions would you take to ensure that Portland is no longer ranked 47th in the U.S.?
5. Post–Grants Pass Enforcement Authority
Now that the Supreme Court has overturned Martin v. Boise, how important is it to you that Oregon remove remaining “Martin‑style” restrictions from state law or administrative rules that limit how Portland can manage tents, camping, and loitering in public rights‑of‑way? Would you support allowing local jurisdictions to fully enforce camping bans without 72‑hour notices or curbside camping allowances?
6. Funding Programs With Demonstrated Results
What is your position on funding programs such as Bybee Lakes, which report measurable success in helping people achieve long‑term recovery and stability, compared with siloed programs that address only one aspect of homelessness and offer little accountability or outcome measurement?
Thanks for the opportunity to pose questions Allan.
1. How do you feel that Ranked Choice Voting has worked out for D4? Given that a sizable percentage of the District may object to your positions, do you have anything to say to these folks to explain/justify why you've proposed or voted for initiatives that they may strongly object to?
2. Are you a member of any outside political organization that may influence the positions you take in City Council which may run counter to the interests of the majority of the constituents that you represent?
3. Two questions regarding the Moda Center Deal:
1. Do you feel that it's important to keep the Trailblazers in Portland?
2. If yes, what does an 'acceptable' deal look like to you?
4. Regarding the City Budget. Do you feel that it is acceptable to tap into the City's contingency funds in order to prevent the staffing reductions that were ultimately approved by Council?
I am always interested in how well public servants understand finances, so I would like to ask if the candidates pay their charge cards in full each month? Or are they satified with paying interest charges each month.
When the interests of a vocal constituency or lobbying group, the district as a whole and the health of the broader community don't align, how do you decide whom you are representing, and what tells you whether your decision is strengthening or weakening the city as a whole? How do you judge the consequences of your choices?
Since the opening of the new shelter on Northrup my property value at Riverstone Condominiums has decreased from $740,000 to $550,000, a difference of 190,000 in just 5 months.
How can this sit well with the conscience of the current mayor? He is a buisinessman after all. Has he no comment, nor yet an apology: nor have the candidates no comment either on this personal devastation over which we, the condominium owners, have no control whatsoever.
Please, will some of you pay attention to reality! If Jordan Schnitzer can do a lot better with the folks that use his reclaimed Wapato Jail center, why can the City of Portland not replicate that success? We need to also allocate services to the homeless to help them to look after themselves, if they will: or, dare I say it, we need to build a new hospital to replace Dammach in which to put the homeless who will NOT accept help, and who refuse to obey local laws relating to allowed legal campgrounds.
Why are departing city employees in leadership positions, who, by all appearances have failed at their jobs, given huge taxpayer payoffs when they leave? And why is there no exploration of who did the hiring and who approved the payoffs to sort out any issues of incompetence at the hiring and termination end of things?
1. “Name one current Portland program you think should receive less money or be eliminated, and explain why.”
2. “What are the three measurable outcomes by which voters should judge your next term? Do you agree that voters should hold you directly accountable by declining to return you to office if these measures fail to improve?”
3. “What is something Portland government currently does that another government should do instead?”
4. “Tell me about a policy you supported that didn’t work.”
5. “When should Portland say no to a new tax?”
6. “What is one thing Portland should make dramatically easier to do?”
7. “Which councilors with whom you disagree politically would you want as co-sponsors of your most important legislation?”
I was walking down 23rd avenue yesterday near Hoyt and heard the all-too-usual angry male voice of a demented soul screaming "FUCK" at the top of his lungs. Then he slammed his fist into the side of the Portland trash container, scaring the heck out of an elderly couple walking near. I stepped between the couple and the man and stared him down. He backed off and walked away. This time. But this was not some one-off occurrence. It happens every...single...day. Our city cannot survive economically, much less thrive, if we continue to tolerate, AS WE DO, violent drug and mental health addled behavior in our public space.
So councilors... What efforts and/or initiatives are you planning, or see coming from elsewhere, to address this situation fearlessly, head-on and now?
Why are departing Managers given such huge (taxpayer funded) payouts?!
1. Harm Reduction vs. Enforcement
Where do you stand on the balance between harm‑reduction strategies and enforcement‑based approaches when addressing the large number of people on Portland’s streets who are acutely addicted to fentanyl and other substances? Specifically, what role do you believe accountability, mandated treatment, or enforcement should play in helping people move toward recovery?
2. Out‑of‑State Arrivals & Budget Impact
Police and community groups report that a significant portion of newly arrived homeless individuals (50%) are coming from out of state, often because Oregon is perceived as offering generous services and permissive street‑living policies. Comprehensive treatment programs can cost Portland up to $70,000 per person. How would you address the budget impact of providing these services to people who recently arrived from other states?
3. Effective Street Outreach
What specific steps would you take to ensure that county and city agencies deliver effective, substantial, and consistent outreach to people on the streets who are acutely mentally ill or acutely substance addicted? What performance standards or accountability measures would you require?
4. Police Staffing
Portland currently ranks near the bottom nationally in police staffing. What priority do you place on improving police staffing levels, and what concrete actions would you take to ensure that Portland is no longer ranked 47th in the U.S.?
5. Post–Grants Pass Enforcement Authority
Now that the Supreme Court has overturned Martin v. Boise, how important is it to you that Oregon remove remaining “Martin‑style” restrictions from state law or administrative rules that limit how Portland can manage tents, camping, and loitering in public rights‑of‑way? Would you support allowing local jurisdictions to fully enforce camping bans without 72‑hour notices or curbside camping allowances?
6. Funding Programs With Demonstrated Results
What is your position on funding programs such as Bybee Lakes, which report measurable success in helping people achieve long‑term recovery and stability, compared with siloed programs that address only one aspect of homelessness and offer little accountability or outcome measurement?
Your list of questions are asked in detail that I fully appreciate and support.
Thanks for the opportunity to pose questions Allan.
1. How do you feel that Ranked Choice Voting has worked out for D4? Given that a sizable percentage of the District may object to your positions, do you have anything to say to these folks to explain/justify why you've proposed or voted for initiatives that they may strongly object to?
2. Are you a member of any outside political organization that may influence the positions you take in City Council which may run counter to the interests of the majority of the constituents that you represent?
3. Two questions regarding the Moda Center Deal:
1. Do you feel that it's important to keep the Trailblazers in Portland?
2. If yes, what does an 'acceptable' deal look like to you?
4. Regarding the City Budget. Do you feel that it is acceptable to tap into the City's contingency funds in order to prevent the staffing reductions that were ultimately approved by Council?
I am always interested in how well public servants understand finances, so I would like to ask if the candidates pay their charge cards in full each month? Or are they satified with paying interest charges each month.
When the interests of a vocal constituency or lobbying group, the district as a whole and the health of the broader community don't align, how do you decide whom you are representing, and what tells you whether your decision is strengthening or weakening the city as a whole? How do you judge the consequences of your choices?
If you had to choose between keeping the Keller Auditorium or building a new one at PSU, what would you do?
1. The weakness in Portland's revenues indicate that cutting taxes would be stimulative, what services do you believe should be reduced or eliminated?
2. Do you think Portland needs more policing?
3. From your reading of Portland's education performance, do you support school choice?
4. Do you think the citizens who pay taxes should be asked to pay for services provided to illegals and homeless?
Since the opening of the new shelter on Northrup my property value at Riverstone Condominiums has decreased from $740,000 to $550,000, a difference of 190,000 in just 5 months.
How can this sit well with the conscience of the current mayor? He is a buisinessman after all. Has he no comment, nor yet an apology: nor have the candidates no comment either on this personal devastation over which we, the condominium owners, have no control whatsoever.
Please, will some of you pay attention to reality! If Jordan Schnitzer can do a lot better with the folks that use his reclaimed Wapato Jail center, why can the City of Portland not replicate that success? We need to also allocate services to the homeless to help them to look after themselves, if they will: or, dare I say it, we need to build a new hospital to replace Dammach in which to put the homeless who will NOT accept help, and who refuse to obey local laws relating to allowed legal campgrounds.
Ian Cartwright MD. FRCA.
Why are departing city employees in leadership positions, who, by all appearances have failed at their jobs, given huge taxpayer payoffs when they leave? And why is there no exploration of who did the hiring and who approved the payoffs to sort out any issues of incompetence at the hiring and termination end of things?
Sure, I have a couple…
1. “Name one current Portland program you think should receive less money or be eliminated, and explain why.”
2. “What are the three measurable outcomes by which voters should judge your next term? Do you agree that voters should hold you directly accountable by declining to return you to office if these measures fail to improve?”
3. “What is something Portland government currently does that another government should do instead?”
4. “Tell me about a policy you supported that didn’t work.”
5. “When should Portland say no to a new tax?”
6. “What is one thing Portland should make dramatically easier to do?”
7. “Which councilors with whom you disagree politically would you want as co-sponsors of your most important legislation?”
What is your evaluation of the city's new charter system?
Three councilors per district voted in at the same time?
Mayor's tie-breaking vote?
Ranked choice voting?
Is it working?
If you could wave a magic wand, how would you change it?
why are not all non-profit organizations financial doings transparent and open to all, taxpayers and public
Submitted by NW District resident Doug Knauer:
I was walking down 23rd avenue yesterday near Hoyt and heard the all-too-usual angry male voice of a demented soul screaming "FUCK" at the top of his lungs. Then he slammed his fist into the side of the Portland trash container, scaring the heck out of an elderly couple walking near. I stepped between the couple and the man and stared him down. He backed off and walked away. This time. But this was not some one-off occurrence. It happens every...single...day. Our city cannot survive economically, much less thrive, if we continue to tolerate, AS WE DO, violent drug and mental health addled behavior in our public space.
So councilors... What efforts and/or initiatives are you planning, or see coming from elsewhere, to address this situation fearlessly, head-on and now?
I'll see you at the Armory.
Doug Knauer