On the Issues
"Big issues are more approachable when we talk to each other and work together as neighbors.”
Housing Affordability
Rents have increased dramatically in recent years, and home ownership has risen out of reach. People are struggling to find and afford a place to live, and seniors are struggling to afford to stay in their homes.
Everyone deserves to have a safe, comfortable place to live. Our city can not function without room for people of all backgrounds and income levels.
To solve the housing crisis we need to address the problem on two fronts:
Removing Barriers to Housing
Portland has great dense, walkable neighborhoods but our zoning doesn't allow us to build any more of them. We need to update our zoning and building codes so we can build more of the neighborhoods people love and grow our city evenly and without spreading car-dependent sprawl.
Building Social Housing
The market alone will not be enough to make sure everyone has a place to live. Mixed-income Social Housing will give people in need a place to live, and building more non-profit housing will drive down prices on market rate units. In order to have more money to spend on building housing we should:
Build More Mixed-Income Projects: Building housing for a mix of income levels creates more vibrant, equitable neighborhoods where people of all backgrounds can live side-by-side.
Leverage Bonding to Finance Future Projects: As we invest in publicly-owned, revenue-generating housing developments, we can issue bonds at favorable rates. This will allow us to build more housing sooner in a way that is self-sustaining and does not impact property taxes.
Homelessness
We all agree that no one should have to live on the streets. We should ensure that our shelters have enough space for everyone who needs it and are truly meeting people's needs.
Support and expand successful Housing First and other supportive housing programs
Analyze the Needle Exchange Program, add more sharps boxes and commit to cleanup.
Expand and support substance use treatment programs and detox beds, as the long-term solution to homelessness.
Investigate options for prevention of homelessness, to help folks avoid losing housing in the first place.
Our Streets & Neighborhoods
Portland’s walkable, green neighborhoods are what make our city great. We should make sure they are safe, well-lit, clean, clear of needles, and can be enjoyed by everyone.
Implement traffic calming and better street design to ensure cars are traveling at safe speeds through our neighborhoods
Adopt and prioritize an ambitious Vision Zero plan to eliminate traffic fatalities. (The Greater Portland Council of Governments has created a vision zero plan but it has not been adopted by Portland yet.)
Implement & enforce reasonable short term rental (e.g. Airbnb) limits and consistent, fair rules
Support our community gardens like the Munjoy Hill Orchard
Franklin Street
Franklin Street divides our district and our city, but we have the opportunity to transform it into the kind of walkable, tree-lined neighborhood that people love.
Portland has had a plan in place to make this transformation since 2015 but we have not moved forward for nearly a decade. I want to ensure that the plan does not get left on the shelf again.
Make the street safer, more accessible, and more convenient to cross
Restore Lincoln Park to its original size
Free up city-owned land for affordable or public housing in the heart of the city
Sell a portion of the land for development to fund the project, and not rely on property taxes
15-Minute Transit
With a bus every fifteen minutes you won't need to think about schedules or worry as much about missing the bus. This would encourage more people to ride the bus because they want to not because they have to.
GP Metro has done excellent work increasing ridership and frequency but their funding is limited and there is only so much service they can provide.
The City of Portland should designate certain areas that are served by transit as Transit Districts, to capture tax revenues and use them to improve transit in those areas. This would allow us to fund 15-minute transit without increasing taxes city wide. This is something Portland can do right now to provide truly world-class transit service.
Climate & Environment
The best way to lower emissions at the local level is by encouraging more walking, cycling, and transit usage. By investing in safer streets, bike lanes, and more frequent transit we can fight climate change while making our city a more pleasant place to live at the same time.
Prioritize and accelerate implementation of our One Climate Future plan to reduce carbon emissions
Update our zoning and public investments to support modern multi-family housing, which is more environmentally friendly and affordable to heat and keep cold
Unfortunately, reducing emissions is not enough — the effects of climate change are already all around us. District one, which contains the islands, Bayside, and the Old Port are feeling some of the worst effects. We need to start talking seriously about building infrastructure to protect these places from flooding.
These projects can take years to complete and if we don't make this a priority now it may be too late to protect these neighborhoods that are critical to our city.
Strengthen infrastructure options to better protect our Islands and neighborhoods from flooding
An Accessible Councilor
Everyone has a right to have their perspective heard and their questions answered by their City Councilor. If you have opinions on an issue, questions about, or even if you just want to complain about city services, I want to hear from you.
If elected, it will be my responsibility to be the representative for everyone in the district. Even if we may not agree on every issue I am committed to being your representative, hearing you out, and addressing your concerns. In addition to answering emails I will also hold office hours every other week in a local spot so everyone has an opportunity to stop by and chat!