I believe we need to invest in our communities in order to bring healthy and thriving local neighborhoods. For starters we need to ensure we protect our neighbors and their civil and human rights. When I was Council Vice President, I co-sponsored emergency legislation codifying Portland’s Sanctuary City status to enshrine everyone’s rights, dignity, and safety regardless of immigration status. I spearheaded landmark legislation defending LGBTQIA2S+ Portlanders, updating civil rights codes, and expanding family status. Protecting our neighbors is the foundation for a healthy community. Additionally, we must invest in innovative, publicly owned housing projects as an alternative to for-profit landlords that perpetuate our housing crisis. Lastly, I believe healthy communities invest in programs like youth services, pools, gyms, and parks, so everyone can safely recreate and exercise.

Climate change is disproportionately affecting low-income and marginalized communities. The fight for environmental justice demands investment in high quality public transportation and bike infrastructure to reduce automobile emissions, noise pollution, and protect our air quality. I will continue to prioritize protecting tree canopies that defend Portlanders from dangerous heat. Lastly, I will champion a moratorium on data centers to preserve our water supply, protect our farmlands, and ensure the cost of these facilities is not offset to Portland households. We must hold big polluters accountable and stop private equity’s takeover of crucial and fragile infrastructure.

I am a proud rank and file union member of the Portland Association of Teachers (PAT). I served on the PAT steering committee and led my union in a historic strike. In fact, it’s the strong union contract I bargained for and won with my fellow members that has allowed me to take political leave and serve in City Hall. I don’t take my union benefits for granted, and I believe every worker should have a strong union contract with fair pay and great benefits. I carry my union values with me everyday while I fight for legislation that empowers working families and puts people over corporate profits. Most recently I have been advocating for Moda Center employees to be represented by a strong union. If re-elected I will use my office to hold bad bosses accountable, regulate greedy corporations, fight for union jobs, and lower the tax burden on working families.

Portland has always believed in dignity, independence, and community. Now it is time to live those values. I am recommitting to a City where no one is pushed to the margins based on age or ability. That means accessible sidewalks, transit you can count on, apartments and houses you can afford, and support for caregivers and multigenerational families. We are building a city where people can grow up, grow old, and feel supported every step of the way.