Tony Robertson — Candidate for Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, District 2
Endorsed 350PDX CJ platform? No
Candidate statement:
I was born in North Portland & grew up in Northeast Portland, and both communities have suffered the consequences of environmental neglect for generations. I played, and continue to play, along the Willamette River, while watching heat settle into neighborhoods with too few trees. I served as a Housing Manager at JOIN working alongside people experiencing houselessness. These people are among the most exposed and least protected when extreme heat, wildfire smoke, and flooding hit our region.
Climate justice is not an abstraction to me. It is the air my neighbors breathe. It is the park children can or cannot reach. It is the unhoused person with nowhere safe to go during a smoke emergency.
I believe climate justice and social justice are the same conversation. As your Commissioner, I will govern with this belief.
My first commitment is to fully implement the newly established Multnomah County Climate Justice Plan. That plan was built in partnership with frontline, organizations (which represent and serve those harmed first and worst by the impacts of climate change), the Office of Sustainability & the Health Department. This kind of bridge-building between government and community is exactly what I am committed to as Commissioner. I will protect this plan and hold every department accountable for following through on the plan’s commitments.
Housing and climate are inseparable. People experiencing houselessness bear the greatest burden when temperatures spike and smoke rolls in. Climate-resilient housing means ensuring that county-funded housing programs meet real habitability and energy standards, and that the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund is protected for its original mission: clean energy, energy efficiency, and workforce development in communities of color and low-income households. PCEF dollars must not be redirected away from that purpose.
Behavioral health and climate resilience are also the same conversation. At BOLI, I lead a team trained in trauma-informed service delivery. At JOIN, I have seen what happens when behavioral health systems and emergency preparedness systems don’t communicate. People fall through the cracks during heat spikes and smoke emergencies. As Commissioner, I will push for climate emergency protocols that explicitly include people with behavioral health needs and those experiencing houselessness.
Finally, climate action at the county level requires genuine bridge-building between the County, the City of Portland, and the State of Oregon. I have spent my career getting agencies with different mandates and different budgets to work toward the same goal. That is exactly what effective climate implementation demands.
350PDX’s Climate Justice Platform reflects values I share. The transition away from fossil fuels must be equitable, frontline communities must lead, and environmental justice is inseparable from racial and economic justice.
District 2 is my home. I will spend every day as your Commissioner making sure it is a home worth passing on to the next generation. This means a community with clean air, clean water, healthy trees, and a government that tells the truth about the climate we are already living in.
