City Election 2024

WELCOME
to the 2024 Portland Municipal Candidate Forum

Thanks for participating in this LIVE and ONLINE Candidate Forum featuring candidates for the four new city council districts and candidates for the next mayor of Portland.

Over 60 candidates have registered to appear to discuss our subject – Mental Illness and Addiction. All candidates were invited to participate within a week of registering to campaign. 

Today’s Forum will start at 9 AM and end at roughly 3:30 PM.  Each District will have a 90 minute session and the mayor’s race will have a 60 minute session.

Each session will be facilitated and will have two time-keepers to keep the Forum moving smoothly.

STREAMING

FORUM SCHEDULE

9 AM – District One Candidates, facilitated by KC LeDell, JD
10:30 AM – District Two Candidates, facilitated by Barbara Diamond, JD
Noon – Mayoral Candidates, facilitated by Hon. Juliet Britton
1:30 PM – District Three Candidates, facilitated by Emily Cooper, JD
3 PM – District Four Candidates, facilitated by Juan Chavez, JD

TIMEKEEPERS

Amanda Marshall, Christine Yun, Francoise Renaud, Greg Weber, Joe Meyer, Mary Margaret Wheeler-Weber, Meredith Mathis, Temple Lentz, Tara Candela, Aimee Sukol

SPONSORED BY

THANKS TO

CANDIDATES REGISTERED AND APPEARED FOR THIS FORUM

DISTRICT ONE
Steph Routh
Timur Ender
Jamie Dunphy
Deian Salazar
Candace Avalos
Thomas Shervey
Terrence Hayes
Cayle Tern
Noah Ernst
Sonja McKenzie

DISTRICT TWO
Christopher Olson
Dan Ryan
Debbie Kitchen
Elana Pirtle-Guiney
Jennifer Park
Laura Streib
Mike Marshall
Nat West
Tiffani Penson
William Mespelt
Sameer Kanal

DISTRICT THREE
Angelita Morillo
Brian Conley
Daniel DeMelo
Jesse Cornett
Kelly Janes
Kent Landgraver
Philippe Knab
Rex Burkholder
Sandeep Bali
Tiffany Koyama Lane

DISTRICT FOUR
Andra Vltavín
Bob Weinstein
Chad Lykins
Chris Henry
Ciatta Thompson
Lisa Freeman
Michael DiNapoli
Michael Trimble
Mitchell Green
Sarah Silkie
Tony Morse
Chloe Mason

MAYOR
Durrell Kinsey Bey
Keith Wilson
Liv Osthus
Sharon Nasset

All candidates were invited to participate in this candidate forum.

Candidate Questions

In their registration for this Forum, candidates were asked a set of questions to gauge their interest and understanding of the subject. Here are their responses, and some background to the question.

Is providing services for people with alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness City business, or something for the Feds, State and Counties to do?

Yes – 66
No – 9
88% say Yes

Portland mayors and City Council members have accused other governments of mis-action about services for people with alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness, claiming these servcies are “not the business of the city” and therefore they are not responsible – or obligated to help. 

Do you have first hand experience with alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness?

Yes – 57
No – 17
77% say Yes

These responses match national rates of these medical illnesses, and how the illnesses directly effect families and close friends.  

Do you have professional training about alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness?

Yes – 16
No – 60
21% say Yes

Agree or disagree – is addiction Oregon’s number one health problem?

Agree – 52
Disagree – 21
71% Agree

No one knows the cost of addiction and alcoholism to Oregon and Oregonians, but rough estimates put it at between $10 – $20 billion per year.

Do you support or oppose the expansion of Portland Street Response?

Support – 70
Oppose – 3
96% Support

Current city council has not supported the expansion of Portland Street Response. 

Do you support or oppose the City’s expansion of managed camping areas for people who are homeless?

Support – 60
Oppose – 8
88% Support

Current city council has supported the development of “tiny home” villages. 

Do you support or oppose the recommendations of the citizen Police Accountability Committee?

Support – 59
Oppose – 7
87% Support

City Council set aside the recommendations a council – appointed citizen-led committee submitted over a year ago, and will soon vote on recommendations written by the city attorney and approved of by the Portland Police Association.  

Do you support or oppose municipal gun regulation to reduce suicide?

Support – 41
Oppose – 6
No answer – 23
58% Support

The primary use of handguns is suicide. The city currently does not regulate handguns – a key method to reduce both suicide and gun violence. 

Do you support or oppose consolidation with Multnomah County?

Support – 31
Oppose – 13
No answer – 23
44% Support

One of most effective ways for cities to reduce conflict with counties, and to minimize administrative costs is through consolidation. Anchorage, Honolulu, San Francisco, Denver, New York – and many other municipalities have merged or consolidated. 

The Mental Health Association of Portland provides educational and advocacy opportunities for people with mental illness and addiction.

From the classroom to the courtroom, from the statehouse to the bedside, supporters of the Association educate the community and advocate for improvements in the public health system, the criminal justice system, the public housing system, and the path between – the mental health system.

The Association supports four enduring projects; the Law & Mental Health Conference, the Alternative Mobile Services Association, and the Mental Health Alliance, and the Public Housing Conference. The Association is a member of or in alliance with several organizations, including the Albina Ministerial Alliance for Justice and Police Reform, the Oregon Council on Behavioral Health, the Disability Rights Oregon, the Oregon Justice Resource Center, the Homeless Alcohol and Drug Intervention Network, The Policing Project of New York University Law School, and the Center for Innovations in Community Safety at Georgetown Law School.

The Association is peer-led, independent and impartial. It is not a government contractor, and receives no contract funding from governments. The Association maintains a large advisory council of both peers and professionals who are community leaders or subject matter experts.

The Association is a 501 C 3 nonprofit organization and makes no political or campaign contributions or endorsements of individual candidates.