1. Homelessness is a crisis in all of Portland, but has disproportionately negative effects in SE and East Portland. Explain how you will address this situation in a compassionate and expedient manner, balancing the needs of both the housed and houseless.

Candidate Answer: One of my major plans is to hold a weeklong Homelessness Fair geared towards those located in the Portland Metro Area. Events would be spread throughout each neighborhood ( NE, SE, East Portland etc ) and would offer a number of services catering to the level of care needed. This would include, but not limited to

i.         Oregon’s Employment Division

ii.         Staffing Services

iii.         Health care resources 

iv.         Treatment & substance information 

v.         On the spot referrals for social services 

vi.         TedTalk style seminars 

vii.         Identification assistance (state id, social security cards)

viii.         Ready to rent / rent well program information 

Through out the week music, arts and entertainment would be provided by special guest performers and artists with some of the proceeds going into a fund for rent assistance. Those experiencing homelessness will also given a chance to participate in similar events. This week long fair would end with a weekend event held  at Waterfront Park featuring food venders, entertainment and rides.

My approach and reasoning behind this idea is to maximize all resources available, while placing  those experiencing homelessness in a position to succeed.

2. With the implementation of the Residential Infill Project, there will be a lot of new development in areas with larger lots like SE and East Portland. How will you create opportunities for and encourage the development of affordable and accessible housing, while also guarding against displacement and gentrification?

Candidate Answer: Certain requirements need to made before groundbreaking of any project and the citizens, especially long time residents need to have a MAJOR say on this. Stipulations I would require are 

i.         Office space for neighborhood watch programs 

ii.         Retail space for small businesses located within the community 

iii.         Playgrounds and gardens

iv.         An allotted number of  homes to be rented or owned  specifically by those located within the community

v.         An allotted number of homes to be rented or owned specifically by those who used to reside in the community but may have been forced out

vi.         Offering any contracting and employment opportunities pertaining to the building of any complex to those located within the community first.

3. SE and East Portland have by far the greatest number of unimproved roads in all of Portland. Brentwood-Darlington alone has over 4 miles. How will you rectify this infrastructure imbalance without cost-burdening an already historically underserved area?

Candidate Answer: Unconventional methods and thinking outside of the box could be a major asset in rebuilding and improving these roads without being a burden on the community. These have been long term problems that I’ve noticed while traveling through the neighborhood. Consulting with the community and drawing up a vision of how you want the roads to look like is the first step. This could mean involving Artists who are willing to invest money  into this project and in return get to showcase some of their artwork / statues transforming these roads while investing culture into the community.

4. Portland Bureau of Transportation has been installing many traffic calming measures and lowering speed limits all over SE and East Portland. How will you provide the means to enforce these new measures, despite staffing level challenges?

Candidate Answer: Investing in Traffic cameras and introducing a tough community based information campaign surrounding the punishment if caught not abiding by the new traffic measures. I would maximize the use of the staff available by organizing random strategic operations to enforce the law by using  input gathered from community members.

5. Garbage and graffiti are ongoing issues in SE and East Portland. What will you do to take the burden of neighborhood clean-up off the shoulders of volunteers?

Candidate Answer: Outsourcing these clean up activities to local organizations who could use this as a tax break, schools who could offer credit for students participating and the criminal justice system all seem like logical options.

6. In several areas of SE, illegal activity occurs on a daily basis, often for years at a time. Neighbors continuously report this activity, only to be told that the individual is, in short, not worth arresting. Many of these individuals have had multiple contacts with the police. How will you address the revolving door in Portland’s criminal justice system that allows these chronic conditions to continue?

Candidate Answer: A new system needs to be created to deal with these kinds of crimes and the complaints that come with them. I don’t like the fact that people in the community voice concerns which go unnoticed. We need to get to the bottom of why these types of crimes happen, and the majority of the time the actual crime is part of a bigger underlying issue. This could mean mental health issues, substance abuse issues, medical problems or homelessness. I would like a more thorough assessment to be made with these type of individuals before being released and we should work on some sort of alternative placement for chronic offenders who aren’t deemed “ not worth arresting”.

7. Much of the Public transportation in SE and East Portland is infrequent and does not serve large swaths of the area. This creates an imbalance in which our neighbors are forced to drive more and pay a larger portion of the associated costs and taxes. Even neighbors who prefer to take transit, can only do so in certain directions and often not on the weekend. How will you work to rectify the imbalance in transit access in our area?

Candidate Answer: We have to start by figuring out what would work best by getting data from people who live in the community and what their needs are. On the weekends utilizing certain bus routes within a reasonable distance and adding on extra stops or changing the route slightly would be my first option. Creating completely brand new bus lines would be too much to ask right now, but for example having a 70a and 70b with both starting and ending at the same place but heading different directions for the middle of the route seems doable.