Karol Collymore was absent from the county building this morning while Chair Ted Wheeler officially stepped down. In fact, she’s taken a leave of absence for the next 44 days until the election on May 18, when she’s hoping to win election to replace her boss, County Commissioner Jeff Cogen—who is running to replace Wheeler.
- COLLYMORE AT HER DAILY STOP, GRAND CENTRAL BAKERY, THIS MORNING
Collymore—who voters last met during her effort last October to replace Chip Shields for North Portland legislator—says she’s running to replace her boss because she’s in a “unique position to continue the good work” he’s been doing. “There are some great projects we’ve started, finished, and more that are continuing,” she says. “I have a unique knowledge of that work.” Read the Mercury‘s interview with Collymore after the jump. We’ll have more of these over the coming weeks before the May 18 election.
Collymore points to Cogen’s efforts on childhood obesity, food disparity, opening a new library in Kenton, a one-stop domestic violence center, creation of an urban farm that’s grown 14,000lbs of food, and says she has a “breadth of knowledge” from her three years working on those projects.
Mercury:Your main rivals for this seat are Chuck Currie and Gary Hansen, right?
Collymore: “I’d never underestimate any of my nine competitors. I’m going to run the best race I can—it’s not about the others, it’s about me.”
Until they start slinging muck?
“I don’t want to be that person. It’s not okay with me. We’re all human beings, and I don’t see why going negative helps the people of Portland.”
So you’ve got 44 days to raise money and win this. How much have you got so far?
“So far I’ve got $3,000 pledged in personal contributions, $1,000 in the bank—ideally that’ll change by the end of the day. If you’ve only got 44 days, you need money to get your message across, and I’ll be doing it the old-fashioned way and picking up the phone to call friends, former colleagues, groups I support like Basic Rights Oregon.”
Whose endorsements do you have so far?
“I’ve got the endorsements of the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, NARAL ProChoice Oregon, [State Representative] Tina Kotek, [House Majority Leader] Mary Nolen, [County Commissioner] Jeff Cogen, [City Commissioner] Dan Saltzman, [State Representative] Brent Barton.”
Who’s endorsement would you most like to get and why?
“Governor Barbara Roberts. She’s a great example of what politics in Oregon should be.”
Oregon AFSCME split their endorsement vote last night between you, Hansen, and Currie. Does that disappoint you?
“No. If anything I’m encouraged, because if you feel like you’ve got a few good candidates in the field and you’ve got to hold you cards back to make a race, that’s okay.”
Do you think SEIU and the OEA, some of the other big unions, might be more amenable to endorsing you?
“I think I’ve got some street cred there. I think they’d like what I have to say. With SEIU, for example, there’s an issue right now with the janitors that service our libraries—allegations have been made that the contractor doesn’t pay its people on time. I’ve been trying to get the chair’s office to drop that contract. Another project I’ve been working on has been adding value points to RFPs so that companies offering health insurance, pensions and sick leave to their employees can compete.”
The unions all have connections to Gary Hansen. Are you concerned that they might be too cowardly to risk offending one of your competitors by endorsing you in this tight race?
“No, not at all. Gary Hansen spent eight years as a county commissioner, he was a state rep for six years—it’s time for something different. We talk about being progressive, let’s be progressive.”
What do you think of Chair Wheeler’s idea to take control of jail management from the Sheriff’s office?
“I think it’s a good idea worth exploring. There’s also the issue of whether we make the sheriff elected or appointed, and whether we can get more control over those budgets. At the moment, every time we say there’s less money for the sheriff’s office, they cut jail bets. And I’m saying we could be looking at other things—at streamlining IT, at streamlining management, and other things. On the other hand, if you have an appointed sheriff there’s no accountability if he’s tight with the chair.”
Some would argue that there’s been no accountability in that office for years.
“And I wonder whose fault that was. Because of course all of us insiders were like, this is wrong, but I think I wondered why the people out there weren’t paying attention.”
When you ran for state rep you said “We need to start being in a position where we open up our mouths and don’t care if we don’t get reelected.” Give us an example of an issue you might do that on, if you’re elected county commissioner.
“That makes me sound aggressive, and as a person of color I don’t want to sound aggressive. Especially as a woman. But I think it’s important to do what’s right. For example, President Obama is focused on health reform. If he doesn’t get reelected in 2012 and he’s pursued health care, that’s a success. So on a smaller scale, when an issue comes around that’s unpopular but there’s the right thing to do, I’m okay to lose next time if I’ve done the right thing.”
Steve Novick, for example, talked about the issue of revenue reform during the six hours he was running against Cogen on Tuesday.
“The five of us should be marching to Salem in January, saying: ‘Lift this preemption on counties doing tobacco taxes. The citizens approved it two years ago in Multnomah County. Please release us. Let us help the poor and the sick.’ That may not be popular, but it’s the right thing to do.”
I don’t want to ask about race.
“I think the overwhelming question is what we want to reflect to the rest of the country about Oregon. What kind of people we are. It’s really important that Tina Kotek is a state representative and a lesbian. It doesn’t matter that she’s a lesbian, but also it does. Because people say, oh there’s Tina Kotek, she’s a great legislator, and guess what, she’s gay. That’s why it is important.”
Are you perceived as an outsider, coming from New Mexico to Portland?
“There are people who say I’ve been working in Oregon for 25 years, and it’s sort of hard for me to compete with that because I’ve only been alive for 32 years. But I threw my stuff in the car and came to Portland to make a life for myself.”
So you’re a pioneer perceived as an outsider in a state of outsider pioneers?
“It hurts a little bit, I have to say, because I have fully immersed myself in Portland. I was on the board of the Q Center, Basic Rights Oregon, I’ve worked for NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon, I’ve worked for a statewide candidate. The list goes on. I’ll work to continue to try to prove that.”
Is this going to be a coronation?
“No. Last time I checked my blood line was not pure. And I think that’s insulting to the other nine people in the race. But I’ve worked really hard for 10 years to be in a position where I can run for this office.”
Seems like she has had a lot of jobs without sticking with any of them for very long. And seems to be a bit entitled regarding her career path. What is her real goal and will she dump the county job and load up her car again when something better comes along?
Also: how does she support herself? I trust the county isn’t paying her during her leave of absence. How does she make her house payments and pay her utility bills? Is she independently wealthy? Rich wife or husband? See, the typical Seat #2 resident can’t just take 45 days off from their employement (and doesn’t have a cushy county job to go back to that will just be held open for them when they decide to take some unpaid leave).
Wow, that’s mean, TA Barnhart. You dogged her the whole time she was up for an appointment to the legislature and you’re still not letting it go. Do you have a personal vendetta against her for some reason? Karol’s not rich and she’s not married, as you know, and she’s not gay, as you also know. People do take time off for big life events, and if Karol is prudent enough to have saved up a couple of months salary in her savings account, that’s a plus not a minus. Why not stick to the issues and back off the personal attacks?
She called people questioning/criticizing Obama’s performance four-letter names – very disrepectful for a public leader. I have no rerspect for her.
Karol is a qualified candidate for the Multnomah County District 2 seat. Her experience working for the people of North and Northeast Portland demonstrates her dedication to this community.
Is anyone opposed to Rex Burkholder or Jeff Cogen’s campaigns because they moved to Oregon as adults?
She’s the best possible choice — innovative, talented, and will hit the ground running. She is the future of Portland politics.
And for those people who say they want women in leadership, it would be nice if they, at a minimum, would not trash those trying to get there.
I’m not TA Barnhart and I don’t know much about Karol Collymore. I maintain that all of my questions are valid. When hiring someone for a job, employers should enquire why applicants have lots of little, short jobs in their past. When applicants have a history of picking up and moving to a new state for no explained reason one has to wonder about commitment. When they get a job as an aide (building a library? Don’t we have a whole county agency for that?) and suddenly want to be the boss, one has to wonder about their ambition so it is perfectly natural to wonder if they’ll dump the job the second they get a better offer or opportunity. So times you want that ambition and sometimes you don’t but it is a fair question.
(Oh, yeah, and if I say to my boss hey, I need 45 days off but keep my job open, I am going to be busy for a few weeks applying for a new job, my boss says : ‘clean out your desk’ not ‘Good luck! I’ll keep the job open for you if the new gig doesn’t work out’ but then again I don’t have a cushy County job)
Unqualified, not dedicated, self-serving.
From this interview alone, we understand that she talks a LOT about being courageous or whatever, then has trouble actually answering a question or taking a position on much.
She’s an “outsider” is a misnomer. She’s a “carpetbagger.” She showed up in town, did a few organizing jobs here and there, made connections with the right people, and suddenly she’s Wayne Morse.
Friends in high places do not an effective commissioner make. I’m leaning Hansen/Currie on this one. We’ll see.
Karol is an incredible community organizer and everyone who has worked with her knows it. She’ll do amazing work as our next District 2 Multnomah County Commissioner.
Her years of work here in Oregon more than qualify her to be our next Commissioner and I look forward to what she’ll do.
I’m voting for Karol.
@Bronch O’Humphrey: Would you be so critical if Karol was a middle-aged white man?
Your unnecessarily harsh comments expose a fear of a woman of color with the power of an elected official. What are your real criticisms? That she wears her hair in an afro? That she isn’t afraid to speak her mind? That she’d be an ass-kicking Commissioner?
I’d like you to name the “friends in high places” that you describe. Who exactly is she so close with that allowed her (along with you know, 9 other people) to run for this seat? Anyone can run for office, as we saw yesterday. You don’t need connections to file. To win, maybe, but she hasn’t won yet. She’s just in the race.
“I don’t know much about Karol…” Well, see, once you do, you’ll love her like the rest of us do…give her a chance. Besides, if she didn’t take a leave of absence, everyone would be saying that she was using her job to advance her candidacy…And if we limited our candidates to those who were born and raised here, it would be a pretty sad looking legislature, city hall, etc.
Number Six,
How is inquiring about how a candidate’s means of support for a period of 44 days even the least bit relevant to anything? I’m afraid your personal agenda is showing.
That’s right. Most women of color in the state of Oregon, have long lived with a sense of entitlement, perhaps even rivaling that of the famed Lincoln High School Mafia we all know and love.
Assertively pursuing a career in public service with a focus and goal on serving the citizens of Portland’s Northeast district without the background of a monied family is preposterous! Isn’t it?!
Don’t forget to castigate Ted Wheeler for up and abandoning his post in favor of a more attractive one, before his first term is even up. You know, so you don’t look like a hypocrite.
I’m supporting someone else in this race but all these comments about Karol are goofy. She’s a whip smart, dedicated public servant that could make a great elected official. Chill out folks!
I think the Portland Mercury is rushing to judgment on this one, crowning Collymore, Currie and Hansen as front runners. Yes, there are 10 good candidates in this race, but many moved to Portland as adults. Some, like Collymore, quite recently. I’m supporting my friend Tom Markgraf, who has lived in NE and N Portland his whole life. Residency doesn’t qualify him as a candidate, but it sure gives him experience and history with the area and neighbors and friends (read: voters) that span 50 years.
Number 6: Karol does not have a “cushy County job” (an oxymoron in itself, but that’s another story.) She works for Jeff Cogen, and so is an at-will employee of the Commissioner, not a regular County employee. Most people who work for the Commissioners only do so as long as their boss is in office. I imagine Jeff is giving her the time off to run. It’s probably none of anyone’s business how she’s affording it.
From March 11 to May 18 is 68 days, not 44.
How quickly some forget..and others fail to know in the first place. Karol seems to dismiss Gary Hansen’s 24 years in Portland and Oregon Democratic politics as a compelling voice for Gay and Lesbian rights in favor of something “more progressive?” Nay, Nay, Newcomer! During his two terms as a Multnomah County Commisioner, he received and distributed the first Ryan White federal money for Portland’s HIV/AIDS community. We would probably not enjoy the current benefits of Domestic Partnership without his voice in the Oregon Legislature. AND…He was marching in Portland GLBT Pride Parades before Karol decided to leave New Mexico! Now we have a chance to return an experienced real progressive to the Multnomah County Commission. Let’s Re-Elect Gary for real progress!
How quickly some forget..and others fail to know in the first place. Karol seems to dismiss Gary Hansen’s 24 years in Portland and Oregon Democratic politics as a compelling voice for Gay and Lesbian rights in favor of something “more progressive?” Nay, Nay, Newcomer! During his two terms as a Multnomah County Commisioner, he received and distributed the first Ryan White federal money for Portland’s HIV/AIDS community. We would probably not enjoy the current benefits of Domestic Partnership without his voice in the Oregon Legislature. AND…He was marching in Portland GLBT Pride Parades before Karol decided to leave New Mexico! Now we have a chance to return an experienced real progressive to the Multnomah County Commission. Let’s Re-Elect Gary for real progress!
As a black man, I take strong offense to her remarks: “That makes me sound aggressive, and as a person of color I don’t want to sound aggressive. Especially as a woman” Karol, way to feed into and perpetuate stereotypes. It is statements like this one that are exactly the type of thing we need to get away from in politics. If you are a qualified candidate, your policy stance alone should be enough. She just lost my vote.
What sticks out most from Karol’s run for the SD22/HD43 appointments? “It’s the logical next step in my career.” The very last thing a candidate should pitch is why getting elected would be good for them. Hopefully this isn’t indicative of Karol’s motives.
As for the outsider/insider thing, it seems Karol is both – a community outsider in that she just moved here, and a political insider in that she was assistant to the person who held the position for which she’s now running.
Karol is saying her service/involvement in this community and her being an outsider are reasons to elect her. Several candidates are touting these same trats.
Can a few years doing good things in Portland stack up against, say Chuck Currie’s decades of service and advocacy for the less privileged?
Does running for the position you reported to for three years really count as being an outsider?
I’m skeptical.