Portland Over Party

A civics guy getting back to work.

As of this post, Future Portland and the Democratic Socialists of America have made their picks in Portland’s District 4 race and are asking voters to support their candidates.

That is part of politics. But I think it also points to a bigger problem.

Portland has become increasingly divided by ideology, and I want to offer an alternative.

I am a college student, not a politician. I am a volunteer, not someone looking to build a career in politics. I want to make Portland better, do the work that needs to be done, and eventually walk into the sunset knowing I left the city better than I found it.

When Portland has needed me to work with different sides, I have.

On the TriMet Committee for Accessible Transportation, I have worked alongside people with different political perspectives to focus on what matters to riders. The DSA has done work looking at how different people use public transit and where they would like to see improvements.

At the same time, when the conversation has turned toward small businesses, families, and Portland’s economic future, I have also worked with people connected to Future Portland, hearing about the needs of businesses and different neighborhood associations aligned with them. I have been invited to some of their events and have spoken on stage about the issues facing our city.

I have been welcomed into some rooms on both sides, and I have been cut out of others.

That’s okay.

Because my goal isn’t to belong to one side.

My goal is to get the work done, and doing that means having the most options available.

Some people may expect me to use this post to bash DSA, Future Portland, or anyone else involved in this election. Honestly, I don’t see the point.

If you agree with their candidates and their priorities, vote for them. That is your right.

But if Portland is going to move forward, we need people who can work with both sides when the situation calls for it.

I don’t believe you should have to agree with someone on everything before you can work with them on something important.

Both sides have strengths. Both sides have weaknesses. Sometimes the best idea is going to come from one side. Sometimes it will come from the other. Sometimes it will come from neither.

What matters to me is whether it works for Portland.

Does it solve the problem? Does it provide value? Does it help the people who actually live here? Can we get it done?

That is the kind of councilor I want to be.

Not a party-before-Portland politician.

Not someone who needs to be put in a political box.

Someone who can walk into a room, sit down with anyone, figure out where we agree, fight for what I believe is right, and get to work.

I am not running to build a career in politics.

I am a civics guy getting back to work in Portland, district 4.

And for me, that means Portland over party.

It means putting the results for our city ahead of the rules of a political party. It means putting the value to taxpayers and the people of Portland ahead of the value of a political brand.

There are reasons for political organizations to exist. I understand that. I have taken trainings across the political spectrum, and I have spent hundreds of meetings listening, learning, debating, and working through difficult issues.

I didn’t do all of that just to become someone who listens.

I did it to learn how to work with people, understand where they are coming from, find common ground when it exists, and keep working when finding that common ground is difficult.

That is the record I am bringing into this race. For Portland’s District 4 I don’t need everyone to agree with me.

I need us to be willing to work together for Portland, and I am willing to be the person to do it.