Candidate statement:
I have a number of things I would like to accomplish on council. First, we must get local government aligned around expanding our tree canopy. We have seen how recent heat waves have exacerbated urban heat island effect leading to higher mortality rates in East Portland. I am committed to shade equity for East Portland neighborhoods.
Second, I will champion efforts around health equity. East Portlanders face a life expectancy 10 years less than people living west of 82nd Avenue. This is due to higher rates of gun violence, traffic crashes but also deficiencies in parks and greater challenges around accessing safe routes to schools and parks.
As it relates to transportation, I am proud of my record in helping launch fixed speed safety cameras, fixing our streets program (10 cent local gas tax), and Portland’s bike share program. While working at the City, I had the privilege to manage approximately $30 million of infrastructure projects that involved sidewalks, access to public transit, street lighting, crosswalks, paving, and curb ramps- most of which were in East Portland. I am committed to policies and budgets that elevate multimodal choice and reduce the carbon footprint of our transportation system. Our limited dollars stretch further when we use them to provide multimodal choice and work to reduce the carbon footprint of our transportation system.
As it relates to climate change, I support a just transition to a clean energy future where we push for clean energy jobs to be unionized and for workers to be supported. I will be proud to support the Portland Clean Energy Fund to ensure those dollars meet their mission of allowing communities of color to harness the economic opportunity of green infrastructure. I am committed to action on the local level to protect frontline communities and mitigate the effects of climate change.
Finally, I will be a strong advocate of ensuring the City uses its procurement authority to support local businesses, consider climate impact, consider how a company treats its workers, and other factors so that our dollars support businesses that are in line with our values as a community.
Will you ensure the Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF) remains climate-focused in line with what voters intended?
Yes